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Saturday,ÊJ anuaryÊ9,Ê2016
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In SPORTS | pg. 3
Warm weather claims first victim Annual Indian Lake fishing derby canceled
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In OPINION | pg. 4
School access policy should be emulated by other districts
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In ARTS | pg. 9
Winter Trails day on tap
Try a variety of winter sports for free!
New supervisors take office in Essex County Wes Miga takes over for George Canon By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — In with the new, out with the old. The four newest members of the Essex County Board of Supervisors took office on Monday. Once sworn in, the freshly-minted lawmakers — Joseph Giordano (I-Ticonderoga), Wes Miga (R-Newcomb) James Monty (R-Lewis) and Michael “Ike” Tyler (R-Westport) — were promenaded around the chamber and introduced to
their colleagues. Then they got to work, running through a series of procedural votes before their first big test: Should they give themselves a three percent pay raise? Monty, Giordano and Tyler joined Noel Merrihew (R-Elizabethtown), Archie Depo (D-Jay), Tom Scozzafava (R-Moriah) and Ronald Moore (R-North Hudson) in voting against the resolution. But it was the wrong one: They were instead voting on whether supervisors should be compensated at all. “If this resolution fails, then nobody gets paid,” said County Manager Dan Palmer as the votes were tallied.
It narrowly passed by weighted vote, 1512-1409. Last session, lawmakers in favor of the raises said the pay bumps were necessary to keep pace with the private sector and to attract younger people to serve in public office. Furthermore, advocates, including the board’s leadership, said not every lawmaker earned a pension from past careers. Those against the increase said it set a bad example in the midst of ongoing austerity measures, including this year’s 6 percent tax hike. The raises, now official, bring salaries for the rank and file supervisors to $18,394.28; $20,394.28 for the budget liaison >> Story Continued | pg. 14
In Johnsburg
Huge Savings Paves way for needed culvert repair JOHNSBURG — A savings of an estimated $300,000 is coming to Johnsburg after a conversation at a recent series of town hall meetings conducted by Assemblyman Dan Stec. It was at one such meeting that Town Christina Highway Superintendent Dan Hitchcock Scanlon voiced frustration over a looming expenReporter christina@ sive culvert repair. suncommunitynews.com “I explained how the DEC and Army Corps of Engineers refused to let me put a liner in the existing culvert, however the state DOT was allowed to do the exact same repair last year on Route 28, just North of Ski Bowl Road,” said Hitchcock. “All I did was tell him the same regulations aren’t allowed by the different levels of government. Stec said that I had a good argument.” The repairs as originally deemed necessary were estimated to cost $350,000. Hitchcock said doing the repairs in the same manner the Department of Transportation was allowed would cost about $50,000. Stec’s office contacted the Department of Environmental >> Story Continued | pg. 12
Indian Lake elementary students pose with the treats they collected for animals this holiday season. Photo provided