Rivals square off for Shandaken board

Koegel

Michael Koegel

Michael Koegel, proprietor of Mama’s Boy Market and Cafe in Phoenicia, is running for office because he feels that “living in a town this size, you can effect change,” unlike in New York City, where he lived for 25 years.

Originally from Syracuse, he worked as a TV producer for 20 years at Nickelodeon and other networks, later running commercial construction for a chain of boutique gyms. Both were high-pressure jobs involving coordination of a multitude of personnel. “You have to be prepared for any contingency,” he observed, “and you have to be organized, a leader, willing to put yourself out there.”

Having owned property in Shandaken for the past 11 years, Koegel has been a full-time resident since 2010, when he opened the cafe in the center of town. He has offered his space as venue for community activities from Christmas caroling to fundraising.

“Standing behind the counter at Mama’s Boy and talking to a wide range of people,” said Koegel, “I find whenever we stray into hot-button issues, somebody will invariably bring up a person’s name. People here have a tendency to connect the personal with the political. I can bring an objectivity that comes from not having been involved in the minutiae and feuds of what’s gone on before.”

He cited the sewer system as a major problem, remarking, “I think that Phoenicia needs to solve its waste disposal issue. I don’t know if sewers are the best answer. But something has to happen because this town cannot grow without the sewage issue taken care of. If you want to open a business in town, it’s all about the sewer system. It’s embarrassing — hardly anyone has a bathroom in town.”

Koegel recently spent almost three hours with Gary Gailes, project manager for Crossroads Ventures, to gain an understanding of the latest plans for the proposed Belleayre resort complex. He has an appointment set up with the Catskill Heritage Alliance, which opposes the project, to get their perspective. “I have mixed feelings about it,” Koegel said. “I think that Shandaken certainly could use a project of some kind to provide jobs and drive people to the area, but I’m not sure this is the project. I’m not convinced it needs to be at that scale.”

Koegel feels it’s vital to establish cell phone service. “Rob Stanley did an amazing job with the post-Irene situation. The only chink in the town’s armor was a proper communications network.” He has been talking to Joe Piasek of WIOX radio in Roxbury, who says he could provide transmitters and antennas if the town puts computers in the fire stations. During blackouts, local news on WIOX would be available to residents at the fire stations and over their car radios.

“We need a way to connect Pine Hill to Phoenicia,” said Koegel, who would like a bike trail to be established along the railroad line, offering an activity for visitors. “They could rent a bike at Mike’s Bikes and take a beautiful bike trail through woods they’d never see in a car. We could have an outdoor sculpture garden in Pine Hill, made by local artists, gardens made by the Pine Hill Community Center.” He hopes to see both towns revitalized.