Susan Benton, 2011 Democratic candidate for Taghkanic Assessor
Susan comes from farming people on both sides of her family and began life as an “army brat.” She has lived on both coasts of the U.S. as well as in Germany, Japan and Hong Kong, and was raised on seven acres in Birmingham, Ala., where she cared for horses and gardens. She also gained hands-on construction experience helping her contractor father build major additions to her parents’ home.
Susan holds an MBA from Boston University, is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and earned a Certificate in the Governance of Enterprise Information Technology (CGEIT). She retired earlier this year as a principal with a Big 4 accounting and consulting firm, where she was a specialist in internal controls for both multinational and Hudson Valley clients. Susan worked previously in the banking and telecommunications industries.
While she has worked much of her life in large urban environments, Susan values the rural lifestyle of Taghkanic and looks forward to spending her retirement here. “It’s where my heart lies,” she says. “And I’m happy to step up and serve the town and its people.”
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Scott C. Stackpole, 2011 Democratic candidate for Taghkanic Assessor
Scott grew up in Westchester County, N.Y., and in New Hampshire, and has pursued a variety of careers that include advertising, fashion publishing, antiques, and public relations. He has spent much of his adult life as a community journalist with newspapers in Nebraska, Wyoming and California, and also taught high school history in Wyoming. He is currently a freelance writer and editor and works part-time for The Olana Partnership and at Copake Auction.
Scott is a graduate of Duke and has taught and done graduate work at San Francisco State University. He is Taghkanic’s representative on the Columbia County Environmental Management Council and is a co-founder and board member of Taghkanic Neighbors, Inc., a community organization committed to public awareness and reform. He served previously on the Roe-Jan (formerly Hillsdale) Public Library board of trustees, including one year as its president.
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Scott and Susan share the belief that Taghkanic’s citizens and taxpayers will benefit from switching to a sole appointed assessor and the two candidates support the referendum on the November ballot that would create the appointed position. If elected to serve, however, both candidates are committed to educating themselves and fulfilling the duties of office with fairness and integrity.
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