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Staats wants equal taxes for all
By Francesca Olsen
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Raymond Staats, current Clermont supervisor, is seeking another term. A lifelong resident of Clermont, the 38-year-old Staats says it’s natural to have an interest in Clermont for him because he grew up there, and is a third-generation Clermont resident.
Staats is a contractor and has been for 17 years; he is a registered Democrat and has secured the endorsements of the Independence, Conservative and Democratic parties. His term as supervisor is his first term in local government.
After the previous Clermont supervisor died, Staats said, “the board wasn’t really functioning properly. I stepped up to try to be a mediator, and work with people.
“That was my first big leap into politics. I think a lot of people in Clermont are tired of political parties...you need to be calm, collected, and willing to work with anybody when you’re in a supervisor position.”
The largest issue Staats said Clermont faces is taxes. School taxes have risen over 30 percent between the three school districts that operate in Clermont, he said, and the town has a 67 percent equalization rate. He says a revaluation, currently in progress, will eliminate inequities in property values and balance unfair tax shifts.
“Cutting spending is what we’re committed to do. It’s what we’re trying to do,” Staats said.
Infrastructure is another problem. “Maintenance of town buildings and assets have to improve,” Staats said. A current renovation to the town highway garage is underway, and other town buildings will be evaluated in coming years.
“Clermont needs parks,” Staats added. “We’d like to have our own park. At this point, we’re waiting to see how the economy turns out.”
Another goal for Staats is community relations. “Probably all towns are very partisan, but politics plays a very large part in such a small town,” he said. “There is some conflict with the town board. I try to bring everybody together. I’m not very political as far as partisanship.”
Staats said he encourages calm and professionalism when dealing with all residents, and wants to encourage community involvement. “We want people involved,” he said. “The clearer we are, the easier it is for people to realize what we’re doing. Town business is not a secret.”
On the county level, Staats said he started out in support of the county’s decision to buy the Ockawamick school building in Claverack. “I voted for it,” he said. “The proposal was acceptable. It sounded like we had no other options...but I wasn’t satisfied with the fact that they were going to bus people out to the Department of Social Services at Ockawamick.”
Concerning Pine Haven and the county’s now-concluded research on where to build a new facility and if services should be merged with a private developer, Staats said, ‘I was one of the ones, right at the start, that said, ‘we can do a renovation, but it should stay in Philmont.”
Staats said he thought his position on Pine Haven matched most of his residents. “I think everybody was on board to keep it in Philmont,” he said.
On the topic of the county’s proposal to use Hudson’s St. Charles Hotel as a satellite for DSS as well as a place for transitional and emergency housing, Staats said he was supportive until he found out the county hadn’t consulted the any Hudson officials.
“When it was presented, it sounded like a great savings to taxpayers,” he said. But then, he suggested the county consult with Hudson mayor Richard Scalera. “That was where it kind of died.”
Regarding the county’s resolution to purchase the One City Centre building in Hudson, Staats stood by his original decision; he voted yes initially on the county’s decision to bid on the property.
“They were looking for some kind of option in Hudson. The price dropped,” he said. “It was an option to keep DSS in Hudson, and that’s why they did it, and I support this purchase.”
Staats is a contractor and has been for 17 years; he is a registered Democrat and has secured the endorsements of the Independence, Conservative and Democratic parties. His term as supervisor is his first term in local government.
After the previous Clermont supervisor died, Staats said, “the board wasn’t really functioning properly. I stepped up to try to be a mediator, and work with people.
“That was my first big leap into politics. I think a lot of people in Clermont are tired of political parties...you need to be calm, collected, and willing to work with anybody when you’re in a supervisor position.”
The largest issue Staats said Clermont faces is taxes. School taxes have risen over 30 percent between the three school districts that operate in Clermont, he said, and the town has a 67 percent equalization rate. He says a revaluation, currently in progress, will eliminate inequities in property values and balance unfair tax shifts.
“Cutting spending is what we’re committed to do. It’s what we’re trying to do,” Staats said.
Infrastructure is another problem. “Maintenance of town buildings and assets have to improve,” Staats said. A current renovation to the town highway garage is underway, and other town buildings will be evaluated in coming years.
“Clermont needs parks,” Staats added. “We’d like to have our own park. At this point, we’re waiting to see how the economy turns out.”
Another goal for Staats is community relations. “Probably all towns are very partisan, but politics plays a very large part in such a small town,” he said. “There is some conflict with the town board. I try to bring everybody together. I’m not very political as far as partisanship.”
Staats said he encourages calm and professionalism when dealing with all residents, and wants to encourage community involvement. “We want people involved,” he said. “The clearer we are, the easier it is for people to realize what we’re doing. Town business is not a secret.”
On the county level, Staats said he started out in support of the county’s decision to buy the Ockawamick school building in Claverack. “I voted for it,” he said. “The proposal was acceptable. It sounded like we had no other options...but I wasn’t satisfied with the fact that they were going to bus people out to the Department of Social Services at Ockawamick.”
Concerning Pine Haven and the county’s now-concluded research on where to build a new facility and if services should be merged with a private developer, Staats said, ‘I was one of the ones, right at the start, that said, ‘we can do a renovation, but it should stay in Philmont.”
Staats said he thought his position on Pine Haven matched most of his residents. “I think everybody was on board to keep it in Philmont,” he said.
On the topic of the county’s proposal to use Hudson’s St. Charles Hotel as a satellite for DSS as well as a place for transitional and emergency housing, Staats said he was supportive until he found out the county hadn’t consulted the any Hudson officials.
“When it was presented, it sounded like a great savings to taxpayers,” he said. But then, he suggested the county consult with Hudson mayor Richard Scalera. “That was where it kind of died.”
Regarding the county’s resolution to purchase the One City Centre building in Hudson, Staats stood by his original decision; he voted yes initially on the county’s decision to bid on the property.
“They were looking for some kind of option in Hudson. The price dropped,” he said. “It was an option to keep DSS in Hudson, and that’s why they did it, and I support this purchase.”
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