PLACE OF BIRTH: New York City
FAMILY: Married to wife Eileen for 37 years, Daughter Colleen is Acupuncturist, Daughter Janice is AAG for State of New York, Son Jeff is software engineer.
EDUCATION: High School
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Self employed in construction and stair building for approximately 40 years. Built “Baseball at the Movies” exhibit at Baseball Hall of Fame. USAF Vietnam Veteran. USAF Security Service Peshawar Pakistan. Member of American Mensa. Private pilot.
PUBLIC SERVICE: Environmentalist, Efforts to expand Lake Front Park in the late 1970s. Ran for Village trustee in the late 1970s. Advisor to the planning board some years ago. Santa House volunteer. Donated village land to Land Trust to support saving Brookwood Gardens. Kid City volunteer. Outspoken advocate for no gas drilling in New York State. Outspoken supporter of the Village of Cooperstown.
PLEASE TELL US WHERE YOU STAND ON THE FOLLOWING ISSUES, AND PROPOSE SOLUTIONS WHERE YOU CAN (PLEASE, 150 WORDS PER ANSWER):
-- CONTRACTING WITH SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT FOR POLICE SERVICES - I do not support outsourcing the Village of Police Department. I prefer to reduce costs and staffing, if possible, within the department, to realize savings and to maintain Village control over the department.
-- RESOLVING THE POLICE CHIEF SITUATION - I support laying out the real honest facts of the situation, making fair and honest decisions based on the facts, and moving on.
-- SIDEWALKS AND STREETS - Tough problem. Streets need a lot of work……Not fully acquainted with all aspects of the problem or costs at this time.
-- DOWNTOWN ISSUES - Main street could use a little sprucing up. I would like to see it a little more appealing to a wider variety of interests. I would like to see Main Street thought of as “trendy” and “alive”. I would support tables and chairs outside of cafes to create a feeling of relaxed contentment and to add a more sophisticated look and feel to the Village as a whole. I would not support the display or sale of fast food or merchandise on the sidewalks except during special events as appropriate.
-- PAID PARKING - I do not think that paid parking is a viable issue at this time. I am also not sure if it is the right thing to do. I am open to ongoing discussions on the subject. I would consider closing Main Street, from Chestnut to Pioneer, sometime in the summer, as an experiment, if others may also feel the same.
WHAT SKILLS/TALENTS/APPROACHES WOULD YOU BRING TO THE BOARD DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER CANDIDATES?
- I consider myself to be a common sense, clear thinking, practical person who is able to identify the key components of a problem. I believe that I am a problem centered person who is able to see multiple perspectives of the same problem. My job would be to take the best position for the Village of Cooperstown when working toward solutions. Problem solving, abstract reasoning, and thinking down the chain of events, with honesty, fairness and impartiality is how I would approach various problems and issues that confront the Village.
ANY FINAL POINTS?
I believe that the possibility of natural gas extraction in New York State is the most serious threat ever to face the life and future of the Village of Cooperstown. It is so serious, in my view that every effort should be made to keep it at least 100 miles from Cooperstown and preferably ban it from the State of New York completely. Gas drilling is a privately owned, for profit, major industrial operation of monumental proportions. I believe that it would decimate the economy, tourism, property values and the quality of life in Upstate New York for the next 50 years. Who will want to live, work, visit or travel through one of the largest gas fields on the planet? I believe that we have the power to keep it away.
