Supervisor: Upcoming re-election bid will be last
» Town Supervisor James Quigley says his run for reelection this fall will be his last bid for office.
Asked at a Thursday night meeting of the Town Board why voters should support a proposition to create the appointed position of town comptroller, Quigley said: “This will be my last run, guaranteed. So I think it’s imperative for the community, as a whole, to have a voice in this decision that will affect their future ... whether they want to ensure stable financial management from a professional.”
Quigley, 64, brought comptroller-like knowledge to town government when he became supervisor in 2010, having been chief financial officer for Rothschild Realty Management LLC in New York City, and he favors creating the job of town comptroller.
Town residents have praised Quigley’s work in overseeing the town’s finances.
“You have done a stellar job keeping Ulster’s taxes reasonable, and your audits have been invaluable,” Cynthia
Bell wrote in a correspondence. “I understand and appreciate your concern for the fiscal future of the town, but don’t know why you are already planning a replacement for yourself.”
The same letter, though, asked why Ulster’s budget is not significantly larger than those of other municipalities in the area. Quigley said its because not all expenses come from the town’s general fund.
“The [general fund budget] does not include ... the seven water districts; the three, and soon to be four, sewer districts; the seven lighting districts; and the five fire companies that have to be coordinated,” he said. “So all told, the numbers [in the letter] are understated.”
Under a resolution adopted at Thursday’s meeting, a proposition on the town’s November ballot will ask voters to allow the Town Board to appoint a comptroller.
Voter authorization is needed because the comptroller’s job duties would include auditing tasks that currently are handled by the Town Board.
The position, if approved, will be paid for out of $75,000 already budgeted for a bookkeeper and payroll clerk.
Quigley, a Republican, was elected to two-year terms as supervisor in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015. He then was elected to a newly approved four-year term in 2017.
If he wins this year, his sixth term will run from January 2022 to December 2025.