News
Flaherty is available
By Paul Crossman
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Gary Flaherty, an 18 year resident of Columbia County and a veteran of 23 years is seeking the position of Canaan Town Supervisor in the upcoming election.
Flaherty served actively in the Army for 23 years, and retired at the highest enlisted grade of Command Sergeant Major, and because of this veteran’s affairs mean a deal to him. He says that after his previous two terms as Town Supervisor and six years as Town Councilman, he thought he was done with politics, but was convinced to run again by groups of people-mostly seniors- calling and urging him to do so.
On top of the urging of the people, Flaherty believes that everyone should have a choice, and because of this, petitioned and won his own line- The Integrity- on which he will be running in the coming election.
Flaherty also feels that his long military history has helped him serve the town in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
“I think it has helped me a lot in the past with leadership, taking care of ‘the troops,’ and being there for the people,” he said. “When I was in office before, I was there literally six days a week. If they saw my car outside, they knew they could come in.”
According to Flaherty, one of the largest issues he plans to address in the coming years if elected is lack of openness and communication with citizens. The potential supervisor plans to continue his open door policy, as well as be available every Wednesday for the Senior Citizen program, to make sure that they all get a chance to speak to him as well.
“Even in my free time I get involved in as many projects as I can,” Flaherty told the Register-Star, adding that things which happened on a county level need to be reported back to the people. “I put out a news letter every few months before, and will do so again.”
Flaherty has been also been a member of the Berkshire Farm Community Relations Committee for many years, and plans to continue to work the center in the future, possibly getting the youth there involved in community centered projects and clean-ups.
One of the major issues that Flaherty differs with his opponent on is the building of a new salt/storage facility for the town. While his opponent is completely for the facility, Flaherty himself believes that the current plans are too much of an expenditure for the town, and a more economically friendly solution must be found.
“I’m for a salt shed,” said Flaherty. “I’m not for spending $400,000 or $500,000 for a salt shed. I’ve found out that, especially with taxpayer’s money, you buy what you need, not what you want.”
If elected, Flaherty says he still intends to build a salt shed, but intends to look at cheaper ways to do it, and give any excess money back to the taxpayers.
He went on to say that his opponents claims that the storage facility could be built without raising taxes or borrowing money may be off the mark, as the town only has $250,000 set aside, and the latest estimates for the building are upwards of $500,000.
“If they build it at the cost they are looking at, they would have to raise taxes or borrow,” he said.
Though he did not say one way or the other whether he supported the purchase of Ockawamick, he did say that if he had been in office he would have spent more time studying the issues before voting.
Additionally, Flaherty believes that DSS definitely needs to stay in or around Hudson.
“Any agency like that, that serves the people, should be as convenient to the people as possible,” he told the Register-Star.
Not only is the Supervisor candidate a proponent of keeping Pine Haven where it is and building a new nursing home on the same property, he says that along with the committee of Veterans affairs, he intends to try to turn the old facility into a home for veterans.
Flaherty refrained from comment on the issue of using the St. Charles Hotel or the Charles Williams School for transitional housing, but did say that one third of the homeless people in the United states are Veterans, and that he has helped with this problem in the past through Veterans Assistance programs, and will continue to do everything he can in the future.
“We’re only on the earth for so long,” he said, “We have to help each other and take care of each other.”
Flaherty served actively in the Army for 23 years, and retired at the highest enlisted grade of Command Sergeant Major, and because of this veteran’s affairs mean a deal to him. He says that after his previous two terms as Town Supervisor and six years as Town Councilman, he thought he was done with politics, but was convinced to run again by groups of people-mostly seniors- calling and urging him to do so.
On top of the urging of the people, Flaherty believes that everyone should have a choice, and because of this, petitioned and won his own line- The Integrity- on which he will be running in the coming election.
Flaherty also feels that his long military history has helped him serve the town in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
“I think it has helped me a lot in the past with leadership, taking care of ‘the troops,’ and being there for the people,” he said. “When I was in office before, I was there literally six days a week. If they saw my car outside, they knew they could come in.”
According to Flaherty, one of the largest issues he plans to address in the coming years if elected is lack of openness and communication with citizens. The potential supervisor plans to continue his open door policy, as well as be available every Wednesday for the Senior Citizen program, to make sure that they all get a chance to speak to him as well.
“Even in my free time I get involved in as many projects as I can,” Flaherty told the Register-Star, adding that things which happened on a county level need to be reported back to the people. “I put out a news letter every few months before, and will do so again.”
Flaherty has been also been a member of the Berkshire Farm Community Relations Committee for many years, and plans to continue to work the center in the future, possibly getting the youth there involved in community centered projects and clean-ups.
One of the major issues that Flaherty differs with his opponent on is the building of a new salt/storage facility for the town. While his opponent is completely for the facility, Flaherty himself believes that the current plans are too much of an expenditure for the town, and a more economically friendly solution must be found.
“I’m for a salt shed,” said Flaherty. “I’m not for spending $400,000 or $500,000 for a salt shed. I’ve found out that, especially with taxpayer’s money, you buy what you need, not what you want.”
If elected, Flaherty says he still intends to build a salt shed, but intends to look at cheaper ways to do it, and give any excess money back to the taxpayers.
He went on to say that his opponents claims that the storage facility could be built without raising taxes or borrowing money may be off the mark, as the town only has $250,000 set aside, and the latest estimates for the building are upwards of $500,000.
“If they build it at the cost they are looking at, they would have to raise taxes or borrow,” he said.
Though he did not say one way or the other whether he supported the purchase of Ockawamick, he did say that if he had been in office he would have spent more time studying the issues before voting.
Additionally, Flaherty believes that DSS definitely needs to stay in or around Hudson.
“Any agency like that, that serves the people, should be as convenient to the people as possible,” he told the Register-Star.
Not only is the Supervisor candidate a proponent of keeping Pine Haven where it is and building a new nursing home on the same property, he says that along with the committee of Veterans affairs, he intends to try to turn the old facility into a home for veterans.
Flaherty refrained from comment on the issue of using the St. Charles Hotel or the Charles Williams School for transitional housing, but did say that one third of the homeless people in the United states are Veterans, and that he has helped with this problem in the past through Veterans Assistance programs, and will continue to do everything he can in the future.
“We’re only on the earth for so long,” he said, “We have to help each other and take care of each other.”
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