Fight for the right

Ciarlante may have started a group called Saugerties Assertive Citizens for Responsible Economic Development, but when it comes to looking at changing the way the town does things, for her nothing is sacred. While many local candidates have talked about “zero-based budgeting,” – starting from scratch with each department’s needs each year instead of using the previous year’s budget as a jumping off point – when Ciarlante calls for it one gets the sense she’d actually lock the department heads in a room with a pencil and a blank piece of paper.

She’s against one of local government’s main pursuits: seeking every grant possible. She says there’s always a string attached when the town asks the state or federal government for money, whether it’s required legislation or hidden costs. She mentioned the $800K the town borrowed earlier this year to pay for new water meters in Glasco, of which half will be reimbursed through a federal grant. She said the expense was unnecessary.

Like Uhl, she’s a critic of the Comprehensive Plan (which, in fairness, was created by a committee, not the Town Board) and other existing legislation that makes things hard on businesses and property owners. She cited a recent case of a businessman who was told by the Planning Board he couldn’t store pipes outside his business. She said she’s attended Planning Board meetings for the last few years and has seen many applicants frustrated by the hoops they need to jump through to gain approval for even small projects. She wants to tweak the zoning code to simplify this process where possible (though she acknowledges a large part of the requirements come from the state and county) and suggested bringing in someone – possibly a volunteer with professional experience – to help applicants navigate the review process.

Ciarlante said her experience as a supervisor in the county’s Mental Health Department and family background of entrepreneurs are sufficient preparation for the supervisor position’s managerial duties. She retired last year so she has time to do the job.

She said several times that she was not associated with any outside interests, and implied that Myers was. “I don’t have any obligations to outside interests,” she said. “I can’t be more specific than that. I have some concerns about who’s pulling the strings here on a higher level.”

We asked Myers what that could mean.

“I am not beholden to anyone but my constituents and I am very comfortable acting independently when it is in their best interest,” she replied. “As you know, I am not afraid to be the only ‘no’ vote on the board. I do what I believe to be right. Right here, doing this work, with local families is where I want to be. We have more to do.

“Taking shots at other Republicans only erodes party unity,” she added. “I’m here to pull people together.”

In the next two years, Myers said she wants to make sure the county continues to phase in its takeover of social service expenses; dredge the Esopus under the dam to revitalize the waterfront; retain the Coast Guard cutter in Saugerties; reduce Esopus Creek flooding; get the state to turn over the Bristol Beach park on the Hudson to the town; apply for grants to improve sidewalks and building entrances; and get businesses to relocate and support existing businesses.

She said the town is working on an incentive program that would provide tax breaks to encourage businesses to relocate. The tax breaks would apply only to town taxes and would start at the highest point, then taper off over a number of years. She said there would be more details available in the coming week.

Myers talked about working with local business groups and the county to promote Saugerties for tourism and business. “Being able to help market Saugerties is a strength I can bring to the job,” she said. She said she’s visited over 90 Saugerties businesses and, during those visits, brainstorms ways to help them out. She said when the town was hoping to get a $50,000 grant for lighting at Cantine Field, she sought out the state official tasked with evaluating the applications and gave her a tour of the field. When she saw the town’s recreational complex, “Her eyes got big,” said Myers. The town got the grant and, as a result, will host a collegiate baseball league next year.

(Interestingly, Ciarlante also provided an anecdote about seeking out a state official in person. In her case, it was the commissioner of housing and urban renewal, whom she wanted to ask about the status of Dickinson’s Keep. She said her brazen visit to the Albany office led to a call back from the secretary. We didn’t get to ask her if she’d do the same thing in service of a grant.)