NELSON — The Madison County General Election will be held on Nov. 7, 2023, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
In the Town of Nelson, Supervisor James J. Cunningham (Republican, Liberty) and Highway Superintendent Joseph E. Deyo Jr. (Republican, Liberty) are seeking reelection and running unopposed. The supervisor and highway superintendent both serve two-year terms.
Christine N. Jaquez (Liberty) is running unopposed for a four-year term as town clerk.
Four candidates — two newcomers and two incumbents — are running for two seats on the town board. The candidates are Nancy Demyttenaere (Democratic, Strong Community), Virginia Kleinklaus (Democratic, Strong Community), Deputy Supervisor/Councilor John J. LaGorga (Liberty), and Councilor John E. Laubscher (Republican, Liberty).
Town councilors serve four-year terms.
Each of the candidates was asked to respond to the same three questions from the Cazenovia Republican.
Deyo and Jaquez did not respond by press time, but the other candidates’ responses (max of 300 words total) are printed below.
For information on how to vote in the Nov. 7 election, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov/1547/Board-of-Elections.
Nelson Town Board meetings are typically held on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the town office at 4085 Nelson Rd., Cazenovia. To learn more about the Nelson Town Board, visit townofnelson-ny.com.
James J. Cunningham for town supervisor
Occupation:
Town of Nelson Supervisor
Madison County Board of Supervisors
Madison County Solid Waste and Recycling Chair
Madison County Soil and Water Board of Directors
New York State Conservation Districts Board of Directors
How will your experience serve you in local government?
Having been a business owner and employer for forty years helps to cost effectivity manage the town.
It’s very rewarding to have for the first time in the history of the Town of Nelson reduced the town taxes last year by 8.7%, primarily because our town has an active and knowledgeable board, and our staff is extremely efficient.
As I head into my third term as the Town of Nelson Supervisor, my goal is to provide a town that is safe, has low town taxes, healthy recreational opportunities, employment opportunities at our currently expanding industrial park, and a town that our residents are glad and proud to call home.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
Soon, industrial wind and solar will be changing our beautiful viewscapes and precious farmlands without adequate input from our town.
A massive industrial solar and wind project involving the Towns of Nelson, Fenner, Eaton, and Smithfield is headed for NYS approvals, circumventing local home rule.
What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
The town has recently passed a resolution setting a moratorium on industrial wind and battery storage and recently put in place our new industrial solar land use laws. I have moved a resolution at the state conservation level to at least protect our limited farmland and give our town a larger say in the placement of new, massive wind towers, some now reaching 800 feet tall. NYS has bundled projects into multi-town projects under new 94C regulations that limit towns’ input.
I’m certainly not against improving clean energy technologies, but at least let local landowners have a voice in the process.
Nancy Demyttenaere for town councilor
Occupation:
Retired
How will your experience serve you in local government?
My professional career involved a wide range of scientific and socially focused disciplines to accurately identify problems and find the right solution, often under very constricted budgets. This required me to have sound knowledge of my own technical expertise, but also an ability to successfully facilitate and nurture work teams. Having now lived here year-round for 30 years, raising two children here, and volunteering for a variety of organizations and projects, I feel I have a clear understanding of how to contribute to the Nelson Town Council’s efforts.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
A great challenge within any community is timely and effective communication, and understanding communication is a two-way street. Public engagement is critical to fostering an environment of mutual support and inclusivity for both public servants and citizens. As a rural community during critical times like these, perhaps our greatest challenge is reaching out to our neighbors across divides we encounter, and working towards a reasonable balance in everything we do.
The second greatest challenge I see is the need to foster greater economic opportunities within our community, not only in support of our town’s budgetary needs, but also to foster a strong sense of community with goods and services supportive of our citizens.
What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
Over the years I have worked to revitalize several buildings at the four corners. I am now involved with revitalizing the Old Drovers Tavern. These efforts show the benefit of saving historic buildings and adapting them for new uses. Many people credit me with single-handedly “turning Nelson around,” but that’s not true. It has taken a team of people committed to the Town of Nelson who have worked together to make things happen. I am proud to be part of that team and I look forward to being a committed member of our town board.
Virginia Kleinklaus for town councilor
Occupation:
Retired from New York State Education Department Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation
How will your experience serve you in local government?
I have lived full-time in Erieville for over 26 years. My career was spent in human services working with adults with diverse disabilities and needs. As a professional counselor, I have a genuine interest in others. I have learned to feel well, think well, and act well. Feeling well allows me to relate well and empathize with others. Thinking well means I can think critically and demonstrate good academic skills. Acting well means I conduct myself in the service of people in my community. I can listen without judgment or evaluation. I have learned to be authentic and accessible. And I have learned a good sense of humor is always helpful!
What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
The biggest challenge is balancing economic growth and development with protecting the things we love about our community, our environment, our natural resources, and our historic character.
What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
We need to plan and encourage rural economic development by creating policies that help preserve open space, air and water quality, and our residents need a clear way to share their ideas regarding that decision-making. Board members should have a genuine interest not only in what’s best for them personally, but what’s best for our community as a crucial part of developing policy. It is important to listen to the residents of Nelson, to encourage them to share their ideas and opinions, and to be accessible and authentic in order to have a meaningful conversation about their concerns. Good government includes good communication. As board members, we need to improve our communications. We should encourage residents to participate in town board meetings and have multiple ways to communicate using social media, emails, text messaging, a newsletter, and a more user-friendly website. Good communication makes residents feel valued, creates more transparency and openness, and fosters a shared vision for our community.
John J. LaGorga for town councilor
Occupation:
Civil engineer
How will your experience serve you in local government?
I have over 30 years of experience as a civil engineer, mostly helping municipalities with drinking water and wastewater facility improvements. I have served two terms on the Town of Nelson Board. I have also served on several community boards and committees. Each of these experiences required me to create and implement a responsible budget. These experiences have also taught me to listen, build consensus, communicate, and implement a plan of action within a given budget. I will continue to offer these experiences for the benefit of our small, efficient town government.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
The Town of Nelson challenges that are important to me include: (1) maintaining a reasonable tax basis, (2) protecting our landscape from large-scale solar and wind facilities, and (3) balancing land use regulations and development.
What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
Taxes: In addition to wisely spending our tax dollars, it is important that we leverage resources from Madison County. We pay property tax to the county government, and in return we receive services and sales tax revenue. We must continue to ensure that we receive our fair share back from the county. We also need to leverage shared service from the county and other local governments to reduce operating expenses.
Large Scale Solar and Wind: A critical part of the solar law that we created in 2023 was to ensure that the solar company held money in the bank to decommission the equipment at the end of its useful life (about 20 years). We must make the same provision for wind companies.
Smart Development: We are very fortunate to have strong planning and zoning boards. We must provide these boards with clear land use regulations and support so that smart development and property improvements can continue. The current Town of Nelson Board has proven it can tackle these challenges – Re-elect LaGorga and Laubscher.
John E. Laubscher for town councilor
Occupation:
Owner/operator of AJ’S Archery and Cedar View Farm
How will your experience serve you in local government?
I served on the Nelson Planning Board beginning in 2008 until elected to town council, 2012 to present.
I retired as an Engineer MS and VP of a hospital, responsible for services, planning, security and safety, construction, and budgets.
As an incumbent town counselor and liaison to the town highway department, I’m looking forward to continuing to serve and contribute thoughtful ideas and practical solutions. My hands-on experience in facilities management, successful business operations, finance, and planning, permits me to make a significant contribution to the community and help the council with decision-making and long-range planning.
I believe it is very important to be reelected so the infrastructure projects and practices that are underway can be maintained with the same enthusiasm and common-sense approach I have exhibited. The town’s comprehensive plan (master plan) was completed, and we have been working on the recommendations. I would like the opportunity to continue this effort by aligning the land use regulations with the comprehensive planning.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community? What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
The town is facing challenges. Costs are increasing and balancing the budget is an ongoing battle.
We are fortunate that funding has been sufficient to support the expenses in the past. Increasing small business, revitalizing areas, improving properties, and occupying vacant properties will increase the tax base. Infrastructure expansion should be funded by grants and programs offered by various agencies.
The current town board is the best I have served on. Each member brings unique experiences and talent to the council. The current members have the knowledge and expertise to continue the projects and effectively and efficiently manage town business. This board has improved facilities, infrastructure, and acquisitions while reducing taxes.
Please cast your votes for the proven path to success, Laubscher, and LaGorga for town council.
