In the midst of questions and controversies surrounding the Berne Planning Board in the past four months, Councilman Mathew Harris says it may not exist in the first place.

After a public hearing on a controversial bill to add members to the Berne Planning Board that was so contentious and technically flawed it was discontinued, Supervisor Sean Lyons says the town board will continue with its plan, resuming the hearing once people are allowed to meet in person.

In an attempt to support local farmers and small businesses, Berne Councilwoman Bonnie Conklin has proposed a farmers’ market in Berne.

On Friday, March 13, Acting Supreme Court Justice Denise A. Hartman ruled in favor of Berne farmer Emily Vincent, who had been illegally removed as a full member of the planning board on Jan. 1 and challenged the town’s action in court.

Acting Supreme Court Justice Denise A. Hartman heard oral arguments today concerning Berne resident Emily Vincent, who was removed from her post as full member of the town planning board before the end of her term and made an alternate. She has filed an Article 78 against the town, requesting that the decision be nullified. 

Just two weeks past his controversial appointment as Berne’s dog control officer, Jody Jansen allegedly threatened to call the police on a woman who had found a dog and was attempting to locate its owners through social media. 

Outrage and partisanship may have left their high-water mark in Berne, where dozens of residents attended the latest town board meeting to hammer the new council with questions and comments about the illegal removal of town employees from their positions, among other issues. Many of the residents’ remarks were met with eye rolls from the mostly GOP-backed board who, for the first time in decades, can steam ahead unimpeded by Democrats’ desires. 

Tensions rose but manners prevailed as the Berne Planning Board submitted a letter to its newly appointed chairman, Thomas Spargo, announcing its desire to see a member reinstated who was effectively fired in the middle of her term to make room for Spargo. The planning board cited a recently-filed lawsuit against the town and Spargo as one aspect of the fallout Berne is experiencing after the controversial decision.

In the absence of the town attorney answering our questions, we urge Berne Town Board members themselves to read New York State’s Civil Service Law, then to do the right thing: Reinstate Cheryl Baitsholts as dog control officer. The new board members took an oath of office on New Year’s Day to uphold the law. Failing that, we urge Baitsholts to do as the Knox workers before her did: File for a ruling that will force the town board to restore her job.

Supporters of Emily Vincent, who was illegally demoted as a full member of the Berne planning board to alternate status, have donated more than $5,000 to a GoFundMe page dedicated to her just one day into its existence. She plans to use that money to fund her brain surgery, as well as take legal action against the town.