Democrat Margaret Neri, an attorney making her first run for public office, expressed that one of her prime priorities as a town board member, will be to listen.

The proposed development off Hilton Road is a big issue for the town, said Neri; it will bring in water for the town and increase the tax base, but, on the other hand another group of people want to maintain the rural character of the town.

Effective government involves listening to constituents, Neri said, so she plans foremost to listen, and then make a decision based on what’s best for the town.
"Leaders need to listen and consider all the facts," Neri said. "The best course is to strike a balance."

Her approach to all development will be to make sure competing interests are balanced and to move forward with what’s best.
In terms of the routes 85 and 85A corridor, "I don’t think rural has to mean under-developed," Neri said; she added that she believes the corridor is currently under-developed.
If done carefully, that commercially zoned area could be used to everyone’s benefit, Neri said. "Developing that small area won’t be a bad thing," she said.

The planning board and zoning board members are experienced and are equipped to evaluate projects, Neri said.

Neri’s husband, Louis, serves as the appointed legal council for the town’s zoning and planning boards.

Encouraging desirable commercial growth should come from Town Hall, Neri said. She said maybe the town should look into being more proactive and have an outreach to recruit low-impact commercial, such as information technology companies, which would not be a burden to the town and would increase the tax base, Neri said.

The report produced by the Resident’s Planning advisory Board is just a document, Neri said, with recommendations; zoning changes recommended by the report have no teeth. Requests for zoning changes can only happen through a formal application process, which hasn’t happened in relation to RPAC, she said.

Before considering zoning changes to the corridor, she would want input from the residents living within that specific area, Neri said.
RPAC produced, "well-thought-out recommendations," Neri said, adding, but "I didn’t see much that didn’t get addressed in the zoning law."
"I have a law background but more importantly I work well with others, other town board members and residents," she said.

Neri worked in a private law practice for a number of years, and she now works as an income-tax litigator for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

In terms of New Scotland’s taxes, Neri said she would approach the town’s budget the same way as she would a house-hold budget. Everyone has to be closely considered, she said; there are limited funds.

She’ll consider what services are totally necessary, and what services are not.

To reduce spending, Neri would encourage the town and the village of Voorheesville to share expenses, and also share services with other towns, whether it be animal-control officers, or recycling programs.

If the town can increase the tax base, that will greatly help with budget issues, Neri said.

Many areas of town desperately need water, said Neri, Feura Bush Unionville Road, is one that comes to mind, but almost all residents in every area that Neri visited while campaigning expressed a desire for water, she said.
"We need to be more aggressive," in securing water supplies, Neri said. The town needs to be looking for a secondary source, she said.

For the Clarksville water project, Neri thinks that Councilman Scott Houghtaling presented the water project very well to the residents at a recent informational meeting.

The repairs need to be done, she said, and the consolidation of the districts is fair to all parties.

Two factors that motived Neri to run for town board at this juncture were — two of her boys are off to college and Houghtaling is not running for re-election.
"I think he’s been a strong, effective board member," Neri said. She would like to continue in much the same way he did, Neri said.
As the population of elderly in New Scotland continues to grow, Neri said, "Seniors shouldn’t have to leave...They are the grandparents to our kids and our history."
Medical services have to be made available, and driving is something that typically goes first in senior citizens’ abilities to be independent. In terms of giving the elderly rides to their medical appointments, Neri said, "we have a very caring community." She sees assistance already being offered in neighborhoods. She thinks more volunteers can be mobilized to help transport seniors.

There is also a terrific need in the community for senior housing, said Neri. The town has to negotiate with developers, Neri said, and bring in developers who want to build senior homes.