BY SAM CAPUANO
sam@theballstonjournal.com
It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.
-A Tale of Two Cities
Regardless of one’s political leanings, few can argue a change at the top at the very least can mean a breath of fresh air. This has quickly become evident in the town of Milton, where Dan Lewza has taken over after 12 years of the Frank Thompson era.
Shortly before taking office, Lewza sat with me at length for an interview. This in and of itself was a welcome change from the prior regime. He promised change and more openness, and so far he has delivered.
He said he would appoint some Democrats to town positions, and he did. David John Beals and Meg Stevens are now on the Zoning Board and Parks & Recreation Committee, respectively. And recognizing the fiscal woes faced by the town, he has also put together budget and economic development committees.
The unexpected situation generated by Highway Superintendent David Forbes’ December arrest on drug charges has been handled about as well as can be expected, too. New board member Barbara Kerr said she had “zero tolerance for this behavior,” but recognized there has yet to be a conviction in this matter.
Lewza himself is savvy enough to know Milton residents, after a year of having to stomach the legal and ethical issues involving Deborah and Frank Thompson, probably also have zero tolerance for any further types of situations with their officials. And being savvy, Lewza seems to be willing to let the legal process play out against Forbes, who publicly supported him during the election period.
All in all, so far, so good in Milton.
Then there is the town of Ballston. Week after week, year after year, there is sniping, finger pointing, and accusations. As long as there is a political scene in Ballston, there will never be any shortage of material for this newspaper’s “Matters of Opinion” page, because the letters come flying in on a regular basis. Unlike the bipartisanship which has played out in Milton, there does not appear to be any middle ground in Ballston.
Supporters of Supervisor Patti Southworth rip into some on the town board. Those in favor of some of the board members go after the Supervisor.
To all of you, on both sides, I simply say, Please. Stop. It. Now. You have become Dysfunction Junction, and quite frankly, at times an embarrassment.
While I realize things can’t be the way they were back in the day, I don’t remember this type of shinola going on during the years when Ray Callanan or Bill Sewell were running the town. There was some disagreement, but nothing like this.
When I look at issues which would appear to need attention in Ballston, I see a business district in Burnt Hills which has taken some hits (such as the closing of the Olde Homestead Restaurant) over the past few years, development questions at the V-Corners, and residents in Ballston Lake having issues with a railroad company wanting to cut them off from driving to their homes. Plus, there are some of the same financial issues faced in Milton, and throughout Saratoga County.
Instead of dealing with these, we get weeks of pettiness following Southworth’s firing of bookkeeper Joann Bouchard in November, due to an apparent “security risk.” So, the Town Board ran an end run around the process by voting to abolish the position. The debate is not yet settled, so Southworth is currently performing bookkeeping duties, which would not appear to be in her job description, but does present a separation of duties concern.
This is what the good folks of Ballston elected all of you to do? Because, right now, any of the real concerns here are being totally overshadowed by your process. All this just two weeks into a two year term. At this rate, the remaining 102 weeks are going to seem like a very long time.
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