Matt Schuermann


Name: Matthew B. Schuermann
Place of Birth: Englewood, New Jersey
Family: Wife - Maureen; Children - Margaret (10), Meagan (6), Melissa (5)
Education: Cooperstown High School, lthaca College
Career Highlights: Eight years in Mortgage Banking and Business development in greater NYC area; Sole Proprietor of Leatherstocking Group, Inc. - mortgage brokerage company since 1995.
Public Service: Cooperstown Planning Board (2007-2010), Cooperstown Village Trustee (June 2010 - present) Other Services: Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce member since 1995,Volunteer Little League Coach and Cooperstown Youth Soccer Coach

Contracting with Sheriff's Department

I believe that looking into shared services with the County, whether it be with Public Safety,
shared purchasing services, street and road maintenance, or any number of other possibilities, is every Trustee's responsibility to our village residents and tax payers. We need to be looking at all of our departments to see where we can be more efficient with our spending. Exploring a contract with the County for police services gives us potential options, whether we keep the status quo, contract with the County for services, or develop a shared service arrangement. I'm certainly not afraid to explore, with our Village residents, any of these possibilities.

Resolving the Police Chief situation

I'm not sure that it can be resolved while the Police Chief is currently suing the Village and the Mayor. It is currently in the hands of the Village Attorney and we can only hope that it is
resolved quickly without additional costs that the Village residents will surely incur due to the suit.

Sidewalks and Streets
Our sidewalks and streets in particular are in very rough condition and cannot 'as a whole be fixed overnight, but this issue ties directly into My continued platform for better fiscal
management. With better management of our village funds and finding areas where spending can be reduced, we will be able to put more funds into our streets. The Mayor asked for and received a detailed list of our streets from the Streets Department. This list prioritizes the order of street for repair and when the next budget is developed I believe that there should be more funding budgeted for these repairs.

Downtown Issues
We need a vibrant, visually pleasing and prosperous Main Street. We need to attract more
visitors to our Main Street. This can be accomplished with an overall plan for Main Street.
Repairing sidewalks, correcting the electrical issues with light posts (as well as paint them), and even planting more flowers can be part of this plan. There are many things that need to be done, some may seem minor, but all contribute to a more appealing streetscape. We could block off Main Street from the traffic light to Pioneer Street a few Saturdays each month for special events (street fairs, art shows and auto rallies, etc.) to attract more people to downtown to stimulate pedestrian traffic. We can collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce and our downtown merchants to promote these activities to get more visitors to Main Street. Understanding the threats to the vitality of our local merchants and taking pride in Main Street can help develop events to showcase downtown Cooperstown.

Paid Parking
As a current Trustee, I voted to remove the part of our Paid Parking law that would have
allowed parking meters to be placed on Main and Pioneer Streets without any further public
input. By removing this part of the law, it does not mean that paid parking can never be
revisited. It simply means that the process will have to include future public input and public
hearings before a vote could be made by the village board, ensuring the voice of the residents will be heard. I feel that paid parking can be effective in certain circumstances, but after listening to a majority of residents, paid parking should continue to be limited to our
Doubleday parking lot. I'd also like to see a complete analysis and breakdown of the efforts
that go into our current paid parking plan in order to get the most accurate net outcome for
the purpose of true evaluation of benefits.

Differences of skills
I feel that I have brought a prudent financial voice to the board since I was appointed. A
background in financial planning and independent thinking is the basis for the practical
decisions I have made. I returned to Cooperstown to raise a family and contribute to our
community through public service, youth coaching, charity, citizenship and business
development. I am doing just that. These experiences all provide me with knowledge and
understanding of our community and the people who make it great.