Village voters faced with Wednesday election

MILLERTON — John Scutieri is just wrapping up his first two-year term as mayor of Millerton; previous to that he spent seven years as a village trustee. He is a registered Democrat, but also has been endorsed, as in years past, by the Republican Party.

He’s an active participant in the governing process, staying involved in many committees, whether formally or not. He served on the Recreation Commission for years, he’s on the Emergency Fuel Committee, he’s working on a new committee with other communities to strengthen EMT services (which are currently facing numerous challenges) and he’s been participating in the Joint Sewer Committee, despite not being a member. Those are just to name a few.

He said the reason he wants to maintain the seat is because it takes time to accomplish things.

"I haven’t completed some of the larger things I’ve started," he said. "I want to see through some projects, new sidewalks and some roads; I want to see them come to fruition."

Another term will allow Scutieri time to see through the sewer project, he said, regardless of its final outcome.

"Pass or fail," he said. "One of the things I’ve heard, even before I was in politics, is why doesn’t this community have a sewer? I think the best shot is right now — we can see if it’s feasible or not."

His goal is to bring the matter to a public referendum so taxpayers can weigh in on the issue.

Other projects he’s working on include the expansion of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, which he’s in touch with county planning about, and sidewalk repair and replacement. One issue the mayor is keeping an eye on is the future of the Millerton Elementary School building, which might be vacated by the Webutuck Central School District in the next year.

"That could be a big impact on the village," he said, adding that overall as issues crop up the Village Board tries to fit them into a wider picture that incorporates the village’s budget. "This year the board feels strongly to have no increases in the budget, and we’ve been trying to work with the economy. But you need money in order to get projects done.

"The biggest challenge to the Village Board, I think with any municipality, is money," he added. "We’re trying to get things done. We have water lines or mains that need replacing. So we’re trying to work with grants because to collect in taxes is difficult to do. The challenge the board has facing it is trying to come up with the revenue to get things done."

Therefore, in terms of improving the village, Scutieri suggested holding onto village funds and getting down to basics.

"Concentrate on more beautifications," he said. "Sweep up, clean, keep garbage cans empty. Work harder at that kind of thing because we won’t be able to do as much in terms of replacement."

During his time in office, the mayor said he’s most proud of the new Planning Board, which he said, "Is not so new anymore," but deserves recognition for its work, its vision and its follow-through.

His reason why people should vote for him?

"Because I’m sincere," he said. "I’m here to do the best I can for the village and I want to see things in the village grow smartly, without sprawl, and I think I’m the right person."

Anne Veteran

Anne Veteran

By WHITNEY JOSEPH

MILLERTON — Anne Veteran is exactly what her name advertises — a Village Board veteran. Not only has the Democrat served two full two-year terms already, but for many years before seeking election she was a consistent and dedicated presence at Village Board meetings, thus earning her position with all of the knowledge and understanding that comes to one who witnesses the process in action.

She is on numerous committees, including the Recreation and Sidewalk committees. She also attends other group meetings, including the Joint Sewer Committee meetings, just to stay apprised on what’s going on.

The reason Veteran is seeking re-election is simple.

"I honestly feel that it’s taken some time to gain some experience and there’s a process — we can’t do every single thing we would like to," she said. "We have guidelines and rules we have to abide, so I feel like I have a grip on things that are going on and I think it’s our job to sustain things in the village and keep things running smoothly. And I really like working with this board. I think we have a great board and I’m really proud of it."

In terms of what she would like to see addressed during another term, Veteran said the budget is small, so the choices are tough. Recreation, however, tops her list. She said the program must "stay healthy and pay for itself," which it generally does when economic times are better.

One of the main issues for the immediate future is the sewer proposal, according to her. The village trustee said getting the feasibility study done was an important step in the process.

"I think it’s going to show that it’s not feasible, but we need to go through the process and get it out to vote for the people," Veteran said. "I definitely want it to be something that residents get to vote on. I don’t want to see it pushed on anybody. I live here, too."

When asked what can be done to improve the village, Veteran paused.

"I like the village the way it is," she said, adding that it would be great to see the sidewalks repaired and replaced, ideally with grant funding. She also said it’s going to be important to address the water department’s needs. "It’s complicated what could be out there [as solutions]. I think it’s something the board will have to work on together as a group."

As far as what she’s most proud of, Veteran said getting the board to meet twice a month rather than only once a month was one of her better ideas.

"I think it’s really paid off because it gives us more time to address issues and things move along more quickly and you move through the issues in a more timely fashion," she said. "And I think it keeps the board more in sync."

She also said helping to form the Fuel Depot was also a bright spot for her, because she realizes how many people can benefit from it.

As far as why voters should click the lever in her favor?

"I think that my honesty and integrity make me a good trustee and representative of the village residents," she said. "I say what I think, so what you see is what you get."

Marty Markonic

Marty Markonic

By WHITNEY JOSEPH

MILLERTON — Marty Markonic is of no political party, yet he’s been endorsed by both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party in this year’s election. And come March 18 he’ll appear on both those lines when voters head to the ballots to cast their votes for two village trustee seats, one of which is what Markonic hopes to return to. He has already served one-and-a-half terms (both appointed and elected) as village trustee, which is a two-year position.

During his time in office, Markonic has volunteered on many committees, including the Joint Sewer Committee, the Sidewalk Committee, the Water Committee and the Recreation Committee.

Participating in local government just feels like a natural part of life, according to Markonic, who said it feels like he "joined" the board.

"I just wanted to see if I could help out in any way," he said. "There’s no motive, no hidden agendas. It’s was 100 percent to see if I could contribute, then I did. I have a construction background and I looked around and saw the village needed a lot of work in those areas, so I wanted to see if I could put my expertise in those areas to work."

As far as what he would like to do, if he returns as trustee, Markonic said it’s challenging.

"Money is the problem with everything I want to do," he said. "I realize you can’t raise taxes 50 percent to put in new sidewalks, so we’ve been extensively looking for grants. We have a wonderful deputy clerk taking classes on how to do grants and I’m really counting on her to come up with some miracles this year."

He also said the water infrastructure needs repairing. Third on the list of things to do are roads, according to Markonic.

As far as what could be done to improve the village, the trustee said there are some simple ideas that might make a big difference.

"I think things like a tree for a tree, where every time we take down a tree we put up another tree," he said. "And having everybody taking care of their property and picking up after their dogs would help. If everybody works together to do things it makes it a lot easier. We don’t have a huge staff of people taking care of the entire village. Our budget is tight and our resources are tight."

The biggest challenge, according to Markonic, is getting funding for projects without asking taxpayers to dip into their wallets.

"We’re trying to get money from the county and state, which everybody has already paid into," he said, adding again that seeking grant opportunities is one strategy he’s counting on for the upcoming year. "The other alternative is taking out long-term loans to get projects going."

While Markonic has been involved in numerous projects, he said among those he’s most proud of are the removal and replacement of sidewalks on Maple Street, which he described as "impassable." He actually did all of the grade-work and laid out the sidewalk himself in preparation for them to be poured, saving the village a lot of money. He also striped the entire village for parking spots, volunteering his time once again. But what really pleased him most was when he calculated the contract between the town and the village police force and realized the town was being undercharged roughly $6,000 annually. That has since been rectified.

When asked why residents should cast their votes in his favor, the response was swift.

"I can guarantee what you see is what you get with me," he said. "I’m an honest person and I believe more people should say what they think. There’s nothing hidden, I just want to make the village a great place to live and a place for everyone to raise their kids and for their kids to want to come back to when they get out of college or high school. And if I wasn’t doing this I would be volunteering to paint the fields, or help out with baseball and softball anyway. I just want to do my part."

Jay Reynolds

Jay Reynolds

By WHITNEY JOSEPH

MILLERTON — Jay Reynolds is the newcomer in the village elections this March. But he’s not exactly a newcomer to the village. He’s been here for six years; he and his wife, Marty, own and operate Simmons’ Way Village Inn. In that time the Republican candidate for village trustee has quickly become a mainstay in the village, helping out with one cause or another, all in an effort to preserve and enhance Millerton’s reputation as a thriving business district with plenty to offer just about everyone.

He’s a member of the Joint Sewer Committee, a member of the Dutchess Tourism Committee, a member of the Board of the Friends of the Irondale School and is active in the Tri-State Chamber of Commerce.

"I get volunteered a lot, and there’s always something to be done and someone’s going to have to do it," he said.

Reynolds said he’s given a lot of thought as to why he wants to run for the trustee position.

"I think I have some ideas and experience that can really be beneficial to the community," he said. "We’re coming into a tough season, especially with the budget going on right now, and are all of my ideas great? Well, I think so, but they may not be, but they give you something to think about in terms of taxing and budgeting."

Another point in his favor, Reynolds said, is that he was previously a commercial real estate broker, so he has experience with planning, commercial land use and related issues. He also brings with him his experience as a small business owner.

"You understand you can’t spend what you don’t have and you can’t keep raising your rates so that you can spend more," he said. "I believe that my experience can be very helpful at this time in Millerton’s life."

But as far as having an agenda going into the position, Reynolds said he doesn’t.

"I need to learn to start with, to find out what’s happening," he said. "I know that we’re going to be faced with the return of affordable housing, which should really be called workforce housing because affordable housing has such a bad connotation and gets people for and against screaming up and down the streets. We need to make sure we can keep our labor force in the area, but you can’t give it away."

Another issue facing the village right now, according to him, includes increased property taxes, which if they go up he said will "decimate" the village.

One approach to immediately improve Millerton is simple and straightforward, he said.

"I think in a lot of ways it starts with your quality of life issues: cleanliness, more trash cans, better sidewalks," he said. "If your trash is all over the streets, visitors, who are the lifeblood of Millerton, go ‘Ughh.’ We need a clean, pretty community. It’s the little things."

The biggest challenge for the board itself, according to Reynolds, is equally simple. It’s financial.

"The toughest challenge is running the village without raising taxes to a level that is going to force people out of the village," he said. "I threw out a suggestion to work backward with the budget this year — take your current income, the current tax base, and see how far that stretches into the budget that’s being proposed. Of all the years this is really the year to not tax if at all possible."

While not a board member, Reynolds said there are still things he’s done in the community that he’s proud of. Those include being groundskeeper for the Methodist Church and a partial groundskeeper for the North East Community Center. He voluntarily performs both jobs. But when asked point blank what he’s given to the community his response is only one word: Martha. His wife. She’s very active in both civic and business groups and Reynolds said the two of them have enjoyed becoming a part of the community.

When faced with the question of why people should vote for him, Reynolds responded clearly.

"I think having representation by a village trustee who is a local business owner is beneficial," he said. "I think my experience in real estate, the experience I have gained from running a business, my understanding of what makes a small town tick and because I’m a nice guy. I think I can bring some new ideas to the table."