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Young faces challenger in Taghkanic
Molly Salisbury
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Like so many, Taghkanic Supervisor Elizabeth Young moved from the city to Columbia County 70 years ago. Endorsed this year by the Republican and the Conservative Party, Young has been the supervisor of Taghkanic for 22 years.
Her daughter, Carolyn Sammons, is on the Town Board, and her son-in-law Bob Rocher is on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Young wasn’t born here, but her roots go very deep in this small town.
Young worked as a nurse (as well as a Sunday School teacher) for 35 years before ‘retiring’ to raise four children, all of whom still live in the county. Kids grown, Young took an RN position with COARC — a programming agency for those with developmental disabilities in Columbia County. She first ran for supervisor in 1987 while at COARC until “politics got in the way.” Although still a board member at COARC, Young left her job for the Town of Taghkanic. The last time she was opposed was 1990.
Things in Taghkanic have changed since Young first took office. “Back in the beginning the meetings would last 15 minutes or so — we’d just pay the bills and leave!” These days, if a meeting last and hour and a half, it’s short. “Ever since the new people have come, now it’s full.” In 2006 the Wilzig racetrack proposal electrified the town, and people began to realize that the stakes were high in local politics.
On the racetrack, Young thinks that, “People should be able to do what they like, within limits. He got the permits. Quite frankly, the town has spent a lot of money on lawsuits.” Young quickly put ‘a lot’ into perspective: “But not enough to make the budget difficult. We have lower town taxes now that in 2007.”
Taxes are what Young considers her constituencies’ focus and concern. She doesn’t think the time is right for any “expensive projects,” like a new town hall. “Grants are hard to come by, especially in this economy. You can’t count on those things.” Young is proud of the way she has managed the budget, and states, “We have a budget surplus in fact, at a time when a ‘rainy day’ fund is crucial… a recession is no time for ambitious and costly projects.”
Under Young’s tenure, Taghkanic’s Comprehensive Plan has been in the works for four years. She related that at one of the last Town Board meetings, she lobbied – successfully - to remove the language suggesting not to build on a hilltop or a ‘ridge top.’ “Really, after a while, you really don’t see them anymore,” she said of the houses already located on hills in town. “Hopefully everyone will be moderately satisfied.”
Another issue of importance in Taghkanic, as all over Columbia County, is getting high-speed, affordable Internet (not to mention cell phone) access — everywhere. Young and the Town Board have been working on this issue, and made some progress. Cable is being laid down for about 200 homes in the town.
Young says she was against Ockawamick from the start, but when the vote to buy was made, she abstained. Why? “I didn’t want to make the (Republican) party look bad.” Young said that as the Chair of the Social Services Committee for 12 years, she knew the DSS should stay in Hudson.
And she is very pleased the Pine Haven is not leaving Philmont. “I want it there. It’s our obligation to take care of the seniors. This is a nurse speaking.”
What is her case against change? “I’m a strong person in town. I know people after all these years. I can get young people jobs and help the youth in town. And I put seniors in the Comp Plan. People overlook the children and the seniors — that’s where my energies lie.
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Like so many, Taghkanic Supervisor Elizabeth Young moved from the city to Columbia County 70 years ago. Endorsed this year by the Republican and the Conservative Party, Young has been the supervisor of Taghkanic for 22 years.
Her daughter, Carolyn Sammons, is on the Town Board, and her son-in-law Bob Rocher is on the Zoning Board of Appeals. Young wasn’t born here, but her roots go very deep in this small town.
Young worked as a nurse (as well as a Sunday School teacher) for 35 years before ‘retiring’ to raise four children, all of whom still live in the county. Kids grown, Young took an RN position with COARC — a programming agency for those with developmental disabilities in Columbia County. She first ran for supervisor in 1987 while at COARC until “politics got in the way.” Although still a board member at COARC, Young left her job for the Town of Taghkanic. The last time she was opposed was 1990.
Things in Taghkanic have changed since Young first took office. “Back in the beginning the meetings would last 15 minutes or so — we’d just pay the bills and leave!” These days, if a meeting last and hour and a half, it’s short. “Ever since the new people have come, now it’s full.” In 2006 the Wilzig racetrack proposal electrified the town, and people began to realize that the stakes were high in local politics.
On the racetrack, Young thinks that, “People should be able to do what they like, within limits. He got the permits. Quite frankly, the town has spent a lot of money on lawsuits.” Young quickly put ‘a lot’ into perspective: “But not enough to make the budget difficult. We have lower town taxes now that in 2007.”
Taxes are what Young considers her constituencies’ focus and concern. She doesn’t think the time is right for any “expensive projects,” like a new town hall. “Grants are hard to come by, especially in this economy. You can’t count on those things.” Young is proud of the way she has managed the budget, and states, “We have a budget surplus in fact, at a time when a ‘rainy day’ fund is crucial… a recession is no time for ambitious and costly projects.”
Under Young’s tenure, Taghkanic’s Comprehensive Plan has been in the works for four years. She related that at one of the last Town Board meetings, she lobbied – successfully - to remove the language suggesting not to build on a hilltop or a ‘ridge top.’ “Really, after a while, you really don’t see them anymore,” she said of the houses already located on hills in town. “Hopefully everyone will be moderately satisfied.”
Another issue of importance in Taghkanic, as all over Columbia County, is getting high-speed, affordable Internet (not to mention cell phone) access — everywhere. Young and the Town Board have been working on this issue, and made some progress. Cable is being laid down for about 200 homes in the town.
Young says she was against Ockawamick from the start, but when the vote to buy was made, she abstained. Why? “I didn’t want to make the (Republican) party look bad.” Young said that as the Chair of the Social Services Committee for 12 years, she knew the DSS should stay in Hudson.
And she is very pleased the Pine Haven is not leaving Philmont. “I want it there. It’s our obligation to take care of the seniors. This is a nurse speaking.”
What is her case against change? “I’m a strong person in town. I know people after all these years. I can get young people jobs and help the youth in town. And I put seniors in the Comp Plan. People overlook the children and the seniors — that’s where my energies lie.
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