Out of order"
State trooper at R’ville meeting



RENSSELAERVILLE — Meetings have turned hostile at town hall in past months, with residents catcalling, yelling, and verbally attacking each other and the supervisor.

Last Thursday, at the behest of the supervisor, a State Trooper showed up just before the meeting’s public comment period.
"I see we’ve got a cop here now in case democracy breaks out," said Jeff Pine, husband of Democratic Councilwoman Sherri Pine, and one of the town’s assessors; he has been critical of Supervisor Jost Nickelsberg since he took office in January.
It was a measure to "keep order" in what has become a hostile environment, Nickelsberg told The Enterprise this week. The addition of the officer is also in response to the comments of concerned residents, he said.

Nickelsberg, a Republican who presides over a politically-divided board, told The Enterprise this week that residents, "many of them in the Democratic party," have contacted him and told him they no longer attend meetings because of audience "haranguing" and "bad behavior."
"‘It bothers me,’" a woman told him.
"Some people don’t like confrontation," Nickelsberg said. "Bad behavior," he said, "stops people from coming."

Since Nickelsberg took office Jan. 1, town hall has often been packed for board meetings.
Nickelsberg said that, with resident behavior at past meetings, there are two options. "You can either adjourn the meeting or you can have law-enforcement there," he said.
"I’m 64 years old. I’ve never seen such despicable behavior," Nickelsberg said at last week’s meeting. About 30 people are in the group that does the "haranguing," said Nickelsberg.
At its November meeting, Sal Santo, a surveyor and developer, asked about town bidding procedures. Santo had previously asked about the procedures at several town-board meetings, and, he said, he was tired of not getting an answer. Santo has said the town "didn’t properly put things out to bid," that the town board "wrote a blank check" to Lamont Engineers, and that a form wasn’t signed by a licensed engineer. "It’s bad government," Santo said last week.

Nickelsberg asked Santo to sit after he began yelling during the November meeting, and Santo yelled louder.

Nickelsberg then asked Santo to leave. Santo refused and remained standing as other residents in the gallery made comments.

Prior to the November meeting, residents were given two chances to speak for three minutes each — once at the beginning of meetings and again at the end. Residents now are only allowed to comment at the meeting’s end, and speaking time has been reduced to two minutes for each resident.

The state’s Open Meetings Law requires meetings of elected municipal boards to be open to the public; the public must be allowed to observe the meetings, but the law does not require boards to allow public comment — such comment periods are at the discretion of the board.

None of the other boards in the Hilltowns have a time limit for residents’ comments.
Nickelsberg said the public-comment session was taken out of the beginning of town-board meetings, because, "with that kind of behavior, it gets us off our game." He went on, "We have a busy schedule. Two minutes is plenty of time."
"We’re trying to run like a business," Nickelsberg said at the Dec. 14 meeting.
"This isn’t a business," said Georgette Keonig, a resident who is often critical of Nickelsberg.
"What’s resented is you’re ignoring limits at your own discretion," said another resident, who identified herself as a teacher, implying that Nickelsberg cuts people off if he doesn’t like what is being said, but allows them to speak if he agrees with them.

Another audience member had a stopwatch, and said she timed the speakers from the audience; some spoke for less than two minutes, and others spoke over two minutes, she said.

Ed Pizzigati, a member of the Medusa Volunteer Fire Company, asked why the opening comment period was taken out of the beginning of the meeting. Pizzigati said the people have a right to comment at the onset of a meeting. Audience comments prior to the board’s conducting business could affect the board’s decisions, he said.
Jeff Pine called the reduction of time allowed to the public a "disservice to the community," and added that Nickelsberg doesn’t like what some people have to say. "Too bad," Pine said.

The State Trooper will be at future board meetings, Nickelsberg told The Enterprise yesterday.
"His presence, in part, helps," he said. Nickelsberg added that the trooper will be seen at board meetings "until people voice their opinions in a more genteel fashion."

Other business

In other business, the town board:

— Heard a letter from Steve Wood. Wood, a Conservative, thanked the board for keeping the budget down. Wood, who ran a close race against incumbent Highway Superintendent G. Jon Chase last year, urged Chase and the town board to work more closely together. Wood also encouraged citizens to stop name-calling and catcalls at town board meetings.

Wood, who has worked on various projects in town with Bob Bolte to lower costs, also encouraged hiring local talent to save taxpayers’ money. Wood and Bolte both consider themselves part-time town employees.

They began repairs to the salt shed and completed its first phase.

Tons of salt had been stored against the back wall of the shed, at two to three times the allowable height, and weakened the beams. Repair costs were estimated in July at $5,000 to $10,000.
Wood said he and Bolte didn’t finish the project, which would have have cost the town less, and they were "stopped by the narrow-mindedness" of certain town-board members. Wood urged Conservatives to get together;

— Received a document from G. Jon Chase for the board’s annual highway agreement. The document listed the roads the highway department plans to repair in 2007.
"Prices are not going down," Chase said. Chase said the town could save some money if he buys stone by March.
"We have one-third of the stone in stock for roads," he said.
"How many roads have blacktop"" Nickelsberg asked.
"All of them," Chase replied.

Nickelsberg addressed Chase, and said he’d like to get together with him in the next five days;

— Heard from County Legislator Alexander (Sandy) Gordon. Gordon said Albany County’s 2007 budget has decreased 2 percent from this year, although $1.6 million was added to the county budget for workers’ compensation insurance. Instead of buying on the public market, Gordon said, the county created a pool for itself.
"We would like to extend this service to municipalities and schools," Gordon said.

Gordon also cited the Advanced Life Support program, which provides fly-cars in emergencies.

This year, Bethlehem joined the group of municipalities, resulting in a reduction for each member.

Gordon also reported that sales tax receipts countywide were up 12 percent from last year;

— Heard from Nickelsberg that residents will be able to take three five-gallon buckets of salt and sand from the town’s supply for $1. The practice was stopped in February after Vernon Husek spotted G. Jon Chase loading a private truck.
William Ryan, the town’s attorney, said that the practice was illegal and that the resolutions passed in the 1990’s allowing it were also illegal. In November, former councilman Barry Kuhar asked the board to reconsider the decision. "We live in a small town. The town always took care of us, and we always took care of the town," Kuhar said.
"It’ll be on the honor system," Nickelsberg said; and

— Welcomed new members Shane E. Schroeder and Kyle McCormack to the Medusa Volunteer Fire Company.