Category: Whitehall

Shuttered and ‘for sale’ businesses dot Whitehall.

Changes in the equalization rates between the five towns that comprise the Whitehall School District will result in changes to the school tax rate that property owners in each of the five towns will pay this upcoming year. School tax bills are traditionally mailed out around this time of year.

The tax rate will increase approximately 7.4 percent in Granville, 5.3 percent in Hampton and Fort Ann, and 5.2 percent in Whitehall. The tax rate in Dresden will actually decrease by 1.1 percent.

How’s that you may ask? You heard that the school budget increased about 2 percent from last year, so why aren’t taxes increasing uniformly by 2 percent? Well, because the property values in each town are set by a local assessor at different percentages of market value, the state has a formula known as the “equalization rate” to equalize taxes across different taxing jurisdictions. One of the reasons Dresden’s share will decrease this year is that some property in the town has sold recently for less than what the state deems the “market value.” Dresden has also increased its tax base, allowing the total taxes for the town to be spread over a wider base.

I would opine that the equalization rate for some time has inflated Dresden property values, so this year the never-ending spending increases of the school district are being felt more acutely in the other towns that comprise the district. Property owners in Dresden are actually getting a break this year because New York’s formula recognizes that the assessed value of Dresden property is too high in relation to the other towns that comprise the school district.

The special election for the remaining seat on the school board was held today.

The final unofficial vote tally was:

Joyce Corcoran – 111 votes – WINNER
Mark Ives – 71 votes

Members of three fire departments pose in front of the Huletts Casino after a mutual aid drill. (Click on image to see full-scale.)

Today, the Huletts Volunteer Fire Department, the Dresden Volunteer Fire Department and the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department held a combined fire drill to simulate a response to a fire in Huletts Landing.

The drill took place in front of the Huletts Casino. Below are pictures from the event. Many thanks to all the volunteers who took part!! (All pictures clickable for full-view.)

Huletts volunteers at work.

Water was pumped from Lake George up the road.

The Whitehall Volunteer Department’s ladder high above the Casino.

Whitehall volunteers at work.

Whitehall volunteers pump water from the lake.

Bill Ingleston from the Dresden Fire Department

Huletts fireman, Bernie Derencin, worked crowd control.

A worthwhile experience for all involved.

Many thanks to the fine individuals who protect our communities!

The special election for the remaining seat on the school board will be held Tuesday, June 19th from 2:00 to 8:00 pm in the large group instructional room at the Whitehall High School.

Mark Ives and Joyce Corcoran are running for the seat. I submitted candidate questionnaires to both candidates. I previously posted Mr. Ives responses but Ms. Corcoran has not returned my questionnaire. These were the questions that I submitted to her.

1.) Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the school board?

2.) You have served on the Whitehall school board for a number of years. Could you tell us what you consider to be the successes of your tenure on the board?

3.) Most people look back fondly on some aspects of their high-school education. Could you tell us what your favorite book from high school was? Why was it your favorite book and should it be required reading today?

4.) The job market today is a highly competitive one. Should the school district be doing something that it is not already doing or should it be offering additional classes to see that its graduates have the skills and education necessary for success?

5.) I’m sure you wouldn’t be running for the school board if you didn’t care about children. What is the biggest issue that children face today and what realistically can the school board do to address it?

Catholic priest Fr. Michael Flannery announced this past weekend that he has been reassigned.

After spending the last five years ministering to the Roman Catholic population of Whitehall, Fort Ann, and Huletts Landing, Fr. Michael Flannery announced this past weekend that Albany’s Bishop Howard Hubbard had reassigned him.

His next assignment will be at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Greenville, N.Y. He will be leaving for his next assignment in early July.

Father Flannery addressed his parishioners from the pulpit after he celebrated Mass this past weekend. “I did not ask for this transfer but this is the way God works. Change is always difficult but I can say that these last 5 years (in Whitehall, Fort Ann and Huletts Landing) have been the fastest years of my life.”

Fr. Flannery came to the area in 2007. He will be remembered for his significant renovations to Our Lady of Hope Church in Whitehall and his warm and engaging personality.

A new priest, to serve the area, has not been announced yet.

After last month’s tie vote between two write-in candidates in the school board election, I made a Freedom of Information Act request to examine the “ballots” and the election roll.

On Monday, I visited the school to look at the material I had requested.

Ms. Martha Bascue, the District Clerk, let me examine all the records I had requested.

To begin, I looked at the paper rolls where the write-in votes were recorded. There were two voting machines the day of the election and in order to write-in a vote, a person needed to write the name on an area in front of them where the ballot was presented. When the lever was moved to open the curtain on the voting booth, the paper advanced and a new area was available for the next voter to write-in a name. The paper was stored in a roll which was opened at the end of the day when the polls closed.

The write-in votes appeared in random order with no discernible pattern to the votes.

From what I could determine, all the write-in votes were counted according to proper procedure. These were the “issues” that faced the district officials when tabulating the write-in ballots:

1.) There were two seats that write-in candidates were designated for. Some voters wrote in the name of one candidate for two seats. In a case like that, election law only allows one vote to be counted for that candidate. I independently verified this with an election lawyer for another school district. So if a voter wrote in the same name twice, that candidate only received one vote. That is the proper procedure.

2.) There were people who wrote in a name and then crossed it out and then wrote in another name. The name crossed out did not receive a vote. The final name written was tabulated for that candidate. There appeared to be one person who wrote in a name, crossed it out and did not write in anything else. The cross out was so darkened the original name could not be discerned and no vote was counted.

3.) There was one vote for a person who no one knew. That vote was counted for that person anyway and that person only received that one vote.

The roll of paper did have the names of the election officials who “started” the clean roll of paper at the beginning of the day and who opened the machine and removed the roll of paper at the end of the day.

I also asked to see a copy of the election roll of voters. The school district does not maintain a list of voters but instead keeps a numbered list with the names and addresses of everyone who voted. The first machine was used by 103 voters and the second machine was used by 116 voters. All of their names and addresses were recorded. If a person was not recognizable by the poll workers, that person was asked to provide identification. That procedure is allowable under the law.

At the end of the day, all elections, to be deemed fair, have to stand up to the scrutiny of independent observers. I recount the above and thank Ms. Bascue for spending the time with me and for meeting my FOIL request.

Mr. Mark Ives is one of two candidates running for the remaining seat on the Board of Education.

This year there is a special election on Tuesday, June 19th to fill one remaining seat on the Board of Education. Two candidates are running for this seat. I submitted written questions to each candidate running for the school board. I explained to each that I would run their answers as they submitted them on the Huletts Current. The questions are entirely my own and hopefully you will get a better sense of who the candidate is after reading their responses.

Today, I present Mr. Mark Ives answers to my questions.

Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for the school board?

“I am running for the school board because I have a great concern that all children in this district receive a quality education and one that the taxpayer can afford. I think my financial and school board experiences will be helpful to the Whitehall School District. I am a college graduate, with a BS Degree in Accounting. I retired as Director of Medicaid Fraud & Abuse for the Health Department in NYS. I served on the Fort Edward School Board for 17 years in capacities including Financial Chairperson and President of the Board.”

You said that you served on the Fort Edward school board for many years. Could you tell us what you consider to be the successes of your tenure on that school board?

“I am most proud of raising the graduation requirements for High School students from 16 credits to 20 credits. In addition, we required all students to take Regents level courses versus just High School level courses. I am also proud of the fact we required all students athletes to be drug “tested” before they could participate in any sport. They were also randomly tested during the season for further compliance. Finally, I am proud that for 8 (eight) consecutive years, as Chairman of the Finance Committee, we presented a budget to the taxpayer that had no tax increase.”

Most people look back fondly on some aspects of their high-school education. Could you tell us what your favorite book from high school was? Why was it your favorite book and should it be required reading today?

“My favorite book from high school was: The Last of the Mohicans. I would recommend it for reading today because it identifies the challenges of a by-gone era that, remarkably, still exist in our global society today.”

The job market today is a highly competitive one. Should the school district be doing something that it is not already doing or should it be offering additional classes to see that its graduates have the skills and education necessary for success?

“It is apparent to me, with the ever changing global economy, that in order to be successful, most high school students will need to pursue a high school curriculum that would give them access to a college education be it either a two year or four year degree. I feel the school district should offer strong programs focused on today’s job market and encourage all students to do well in these courses as these areas appear to lead to successful careers. I think all school districts need to re-evaluate course offerings to stay current with the changing needs of the student in today’s society.”

I’m sure you wouldn’t be running for the school board if you didn’t care about children. What is the biggest issue that children face today and what realistically can the school board do to address it?

“One of the larger issues and most publicized is “bullying” of students. I think most districts are making a sincere effort to address this issue.

The second biggest issue is how and where do “I” (Average Whitehall Central School District Student) get a job once I graduate from High School. The best option, which I previously stressed, is continuing education. However, not every student has college aspirations. I think the school district needs to provide as much assistance as possible to help these students pursue a field of work that would help them be successful in life. Locally, the students and school districts have access to BOCES. School Districts should always be monitoring BOCES to ensure that current, updated programs, putting the students on track to successful, gratifying careers in today’s global society, are accessible.”

Thank you, Mr. Ives, for taking the time to respond to these questions. I know the readers of the Huletts Current appreciate your responses.

The school district has confirmed that the run-off election for the last seat on the Board of Education is scheduled for Tuesday, June 19th.

This will be a contest between the two write-in candidates who ended up tied after the regular election. Joyce Corcoran and Mark Ives will vie for a single four-year term on the board.

Over the weekend, I mailed questionnaires to both candidates.

Quick frankly, I’m looking forward to the election because a contested election should bring out both candidate’s ideas for improving the school district. I believe that a healthy debate on all the issues regarding the district is much needed.

Over the last few years, we’ve had uncontested elections where the candidates haven’t stated any positions. Hopefully that will change this time around.

More as this develops.

I spoke with Ms. Martha Bascue, Clerk of the School District, and the write-in votes have been released to the public. These are the totals:

Samantha Kingsley – 25 Votes
Mark Ives – 13 Votes
Joyce Corcoran – 13 Votes
Robert Putorti, Jr. – 4 Votes
Andre Gordon – 3 Votes
T. Scrime – 1 Vote
Michael Putorti – 1 Vote
Rick Juckett – 1 Vote
Eric Sunduttl -1 Vote

Because Mr. Ives and Ms. Corcoran are technically tied for the final opening, both Mr. Ives and Ms. Corcoran have 5 days to decline a runoff election for the final 4-year term on the school board. If neither declines, a runoff election will be held for the final spot.

It is interesting to note that the reason why there were three openings during this election cycle is that Ms. Corcoran originally declined to seek re-election.

Mr. Brooks and Ms. Kingsley have been awarded the two 5-year terms pursuant to their higher vote totals.

I have asked to review the write-in ballots and have been assured by Ms. Bascue that this is possible.

Ms. Bascue did confirm that the final open school board position is for 4 years pursuant to the legal notice.