Published: October 24, 2009 12:00 am      

Supervisor races set in Delaware

By Patricia Breakey
Delhi News Bureau

Four Delaware County towns have supervisor races this year, with incumbents facing challenges in Kortright, Tompkins and Hancock, and two newcomers facing off in Sidney.

The only countywide race in Delaware County is for the position of treasurer. Incumbent Republican Treasurer Beverly Shields is running unopposed for re-election.

Sidney Supervisor Joseph Maddalone, 73, lost the Republican primary and withdrew from the race even though he had an independent line on the ballot. Republican Bob McCarthy, 69, of Wood Road and Democrat Dawn Rivers Baker, 50, of Weir St. are vying for the position.

Rivers Baker, 50, is the Sidney Democratic Committee chairwoman. She said when she was trying to recruit candidates, she realized that she needed someone to run for supervisor who had an idea of what to do in the position, so she took on the challenge.

McCarthy is an industrial engineer who recently retired from his bindery business in Unadilla. He said the supervisor’s position is a full-time job with a minimal salary that pays less than Social Security. He said he decided to run because “somebody has to step up and show people how local government works.”

“If we want to get things back under control, we have to get back to the local level ,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said he believes that if you make people aware of what is going on, they will be more apt to demand changes and improvements. He maintains a website, www. sidneytax.com, where he is posting information such as assessments and tax rates.

McCarthy said he is planning a town hall meeting to inform people about the proposed 12-percent budget increase for 2010, and to distribute information about proposed zoning regulations before the board.

Rivers Baker said the economy is the No. 1 issue. Her focus is on economic development, she said, and supporting existing and startup small businesses. She owns and operates a small publishing business. Rivers Baker also said Sidney needs affordable, clean energy, and she said plans to look at a variety of solutions.

“The things I want to do involve investments in the community without raising local taxes,” she said.

Rivers Baker said she has enjoyed knocking on doors and meeting people and she has found that they all lament the decline of Main Street, so she hopes to make micro-loans available for startup businesses.

Rivers Baker said she will hold a meet-the-Democratic-candidates gathering from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Sidney library.

In Kortright, Republican Supervisor George Haynes Jr. is being challenged by Steven C. Bower, 49, of Kelso Road.

Tompkins Supervisor William Layton, who is running on the Republican and Democratic lines, is being challenged by Democrat Amy Glerum of county Highway 26 in Trout Creek.

A race for Hancock town supervisor position developed in August when Salvatore Rubera filed an independent petition to run against incumbent Republican Hancock Supervisor Sam Rowe.