McAward, Gilbert to Challenge for Taghkanic Town Board Seats

McAward, Gilbert to Challenge for Taghkanic Town Board Seats
Democrats back sole appointed assessor referendum; nominate Stackpole and Benton for ballot

Taghkanic Democrats have nominated retired investigator Jerry McAward and freelance journalist Debora Gilbert for the two town board seats to be decided in the Nov. 8 general election.  McAward and Gilbert were unchallenged at the town’s Democratic Caucus last Saturday, and each spoke of the crying need to make the often-contentious town meetings more productive and “user friendly.”

The 69 Democrats at Saturday’s caucus also expressed support for a ballot referendum that would replace the town’s three elected assessors with a sole appointed assessor.  The town board has already passed a local law allowing the conversion but voted 3-2 earlier this summer to put the plan to a public vote.  As a result, the two assessor terms that expire this year will also be on the November ballot and town Democrats nominated freelance writer and editor Scott Stackpole and retired auditor Susan Benton for the ballot spots.  Longtime incumbents Art and Nancy Griffith did not seek nominations at the caucus.

McAward, 79, is a native of Queens, served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict, and had a 50-plus-year career as an investigator in the public and private sectors serving government, corporate, and individual clients.  Although he has had a home in Taghkanic for 30 years, McAward said he only recently began attending town board meetings and quickly recognized “the dire need for some civility, proper procedure and good governance” in the town.  McAward is a registered Republican, and promised to work with all constituencies as “an advocate for the people of this town.”  He proposes a formal end to future nepotistic appointments to town positions, a policy change from the common practice in Taghkanic that he said would encourage more talented people in town to participate in community service.

Gilbert, 59, grew up near Chicago before attending Wellesley College in Massachusetts and earning a master’s degree in fine arts at Columbia.  She has spent much of her career working in the arts and currently works with Abigail Hartman Associates, the Claverack art and antiques appraisal firm.  Gilbert is perhaps best known locally as a reporter for The Columbia Paper, The Independent, The Daily Mail, and The Register-Star newspapers, where she said her duties allowed her to “follow what’s been going on in Taghkanic, and I didn’t like everything I saw.  The board is not accomplishing what it could, and there is not enough sense of working together to solve problems.”  Gilbert said her focus will also be on building coalitions and getting results: “We need some new town board members who are willing to reach out to every resident and look at both sides of each argument.”  She also proposed the town adopt Robert’s Rules of Order “and abide by it. Our meetings are not run well, and that deters participation which is a huge opportunity cost going forward.”

In the assessor races, both Stackpole and Benton urged voters to support the referendum adopting an appointed assessor, effectively eliminating the offices they seek.  The majority of ColumbiaCounty towns already use a sole appointed assessor, and town board member Larry Kadish told the assembled Democrats that the measure represents a real potential for Taghkanic to save money in grievance litigation costs as well as improve the perception of fairness throughout the assessment process by depoliticizing the office.

Stackpole, 57, is Taghkanic’s representative on the Columbia County Environmental Management Council as well as a director and spokesperson for Taghkanic Neighbors, Inc., a community organization.  He is a New Hampshire native, graduated from Duke, and was a teacher and community journalist in Wyoming and California before moving to Taghkanic.  Benton, 55, grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and retired recently from a “big four” international accounting firm where she was a principal and internal control specialist.  She is also a certified internal auditor with an MBA from Boston University.  “We believe having an appointed assessor is the right way to go,” Benton said, “but if [the referendum] doesn’t pass, we’re ready to step in and serve.”

TAGHKANIC DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Taghkanic, New York