Supervisor faces challenge; 3 seek 2 Town Board seats
Voters in this Greene County town are choosing a town supervisor from among two candidates and two Town Board members from among three candidates.
The race for the fouryear term as supervisor pits incumbent Democrat Doreen Davis against Republican Dale Finch.
Seeking two seats on the Town Board are incumbent Patrick A. McCulloch, who’s running on the Republican, Conservative and Independence Party lines; Mark Vian, on the Democratic line; and incumbent Paul H. Vosburgh Jr. on the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines.
SUPERVISOR Doreen Davis
Davis, who lives at 58 Pennsylvania Ave., Palenville, has been town supervisor for the past four years. She will be on the Democratic, Independence and SAM Party lines on the ballot.
Davis, 68, has lived in Greene County for the past 23 years and is a retired vice president for Merck & Co. She is married and has one child.
Davis said Catskill has faced many critical issues and that more will arise.
“Like many other towns in the Hudson Valley, Catskill is subject to strong forces that can sometimes drive us apart because they seem to threaten many of the features that we love most about our community,” she said. “For the past four years, I’ve led a diverse Town Board that has worked together to close that gap by investing our time and money in projects that improve life for all of us.”
Of accomplishments, Davis said: “We’re nearing completion of the long-awaited sewer project in the commercial corridor, through Jefferson Heights and Leeds, that will enable development of the area at [Thruway] Exit 21.”
She also said the town’s hamlets are getting attention.
“In our hamlets — Cementon, Leeds, Palenville and Kiskatom — we’re helping to restore our ‘walkable villages’ of the past with new sidewalks and infrastructure,” Davis said. “This work needs to continue.”
The town also is focused energy, she said.
“We’ve supported smart energy and the greening of Catskill with new solar farms coming online,” she said. “Early next year, we plan to begin converting all our streetlights to environmentally friendly units, and we’re also going to revisit the work done after [Tropical Storm] Irene to eliminate culvert flooding hazards.”
Dale Finch
Finch, a lifelong Catskill resident, is running on the Republican and Conservative Party lines.
He retired from the U.S. Postal Services after for 34 years. For 31 one of those, he was postmaster in Jewett, Westerlo and Selkirk.
Finch said he gained business experience by working with George Kitchen, owner of George Kitchen Appliance and Heating, and his stepfather, Fred Reuter, owner of Reuter’s Upholstery.
Finch and his wife of 39 years have two adult daughters.
Finch cites economic development as a top priority.
“The gateway to the town of Catskill from the New York State Thruway has been in need of improvement for years, as the first impression is not the best,” he said. “It is extremely important to have a tourist-class hotel, complemented by a highly recognizable chain restaurant.
“We have been without year-round lodging for years, so many tourists just drive through Catskill or get back on the Thruway,” Finch added.
He said more development of properties along Route 23B, including on a parcel that’s more than 60 acres, is crucial to job growth and economic expansion.
Finch also said the town needs to improve Ricky Cramer Memorial Field.
“The maintenance of and investment in the park has been very limited,” he said. “We can surely do much better.”
Finch said his “experiences with compassionate leadership, community engagement and financial decision-making will be highly transferable to town government.”
“I would also be interested in forming a diverse committee with members from the hamlets,” he said, “so we could brainstorm ideas and move the town forward gracefully.”
Finch is a a member and past president of the Leeds Hose Company, a member of the Catskill Elks Lodge 1341, a former assistant scout leader, and a coach for Catskill Minor League Baseball.
TOWN BOARD Patrick A. McCulloch
McCulloch, of 17 Grace Court, has been a town resident since 1986.
Her served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1998 to 2002 and is married with two daughters.
As a member of the Town Board since 2016, McCulloch said, he has worked to balance the budget, sustain the property tax levy and maintain a fund balance.
He also worked to finalized the development of the Leeds and Jefferson Heights Sewer District, including finding additional funds to offset the cost of the work.
Campaign literature from McCulloch said he also worked to update the Catskill Ambulance and worked with the town highway superintendent to make repairs to aging equipment.
The literature says McCulloch will continue to put fiscal responsibility at the forefront, work on economic development in tandem with reviewing the to comprehensive plan, and create job opportunities.
McCulloch is an active member of Catskill Fire Company, was a village trustee from 2007 to 2015 and is chairman of the village Planning Board.
Mark Vian
Vian, who lives at 66 Bogart Road, Palenville, has lived in Catskill for 13 years.
He is a restoration ecologist and project manager for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
Vian is married and has two children.
“I’ve enjoyed living in Palenville a while now, and it’s time to give back,” Vian said. “I’d like to offer my experience writing grants and managing grant programs and help bring state, federal and private resources to my community.”
Of his priorities, Vian said: “In the face of a changing climate, a changing economy and changing technology, Catskill will have to be proactive to protect public and private infrastructure, continue to grow good job opportunities for young people, and improve access to health services for our aging and more vulnerable residents.” The supporting advertisers on this page, because they care, present these animals, ready for immediate adoption at the Shelter on Wiedy Road (off Sawkill Road) in Kingston.Thank you, everyone, who has opened their home to one of our wonderful animals.There are many wonderful, loving dogs, cats, puppies and kittens at the Ulster County SPCA waiting to be adopted. We are open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30am to 3:30pm.; Thursdays open until 7pm. Closed Mondays. • (845) 331-5377 • www.ucspca.org Check out the Subaru Pet Hall of Fame @Pets.Subaru.com Ruges Subaru & the Ulster County SPCA are committed to the prevention of cruelty to animals. Give a little love and open your heart and home to a shelter pet.
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Paul H. Vosburgh Jr.
Vosburgh, of at 85 Cauterskill Ave., is a lifelong resident of the town and has been on the Town Board since 2016.
He is a crew leader for Greene County Solid Waste, where he has been employed for 29 years. He is married with two children.
Vosburgh said his experience includes overseeing work activities, instructing and directing employees, conducing regular inspections, negotiating contracts, and working with labor and management to troubleshoot workplace issues.
As a Town Board member, Vosburgh said he has looked for ways to cut spending, purchase things are needed rather than wanted, and worked on projects that most benefit taxpayers.
He said he will continue to make fiscal responsibility a top priority, find ways to reduce property taxes, share more services with surrounding municipalities, leverage the Greene County Industrial Development Agency to aggressively attract new business, and keep engaged with existing businesses to ensure their continued success, among other things.
••• Running unopposed for re-election in Catskill are Town Clerk Elizabeth C. Izzo and Highway Superintendent Shawn Beers. Both will be on the Republican and Conservative Party lines on the ballot.