Crisis-plagued village to get new mayor
Music teacher unopposed to replace Borge in Hoosick Falls
HOOSICK FALLS, N.Y. >> The village will soon have a new mayor and a new member of its Board of Trustees.
Rob Allen, 39, is running unopposed to become the next village mayor, replacing David Borge, who is not seeking reelection after two terms. Allen, a music teacher at Hoosick Falls High School who has lived in the village with his family for about 10 years, has been a regular at village board meetings and speaks out during every public meeting about the ongoing water contamination crisis.
The village election will be held Tuesday, March 21, with voting from noon and 9 p.m. in the village hall. Village residents will also cast their votes to fill three open seats on the board, with current trustees Kevin O’Malley and Robert Ryan seeking re-election and Brian Bushner running for a third seat currently held by Deputy Mayor Ric DiDonato, who is also not seeking re-election. Bushner also works for the Hoosick Falls Central School District,as a community information officer.
The part-time mayor and trustee seats each carry two-year terms. Borge recently cited personal family reasons for choosing not to seek re-election, and his term will officially end March 31.
“I’ve already started meeting with people who are in charge of the various facets of the operations, to just start building relationships and get an understanding of what it is that I am walking into,” Allen said after Monday’s village board meeting.
Even though Allen and Bushner understand they are jumping into these positions during a difficult time for the village as it tries to address contamination of its water supply with a cancer-causing substance, both said they wanted to help the village overcome its challenges.
“This is a very important moment and a very important next couple of years for the community,” said Allen. “My wife and I talked a lot about it, and we really wanted to offer what we can to help this community to improve trust and communication between the board and the village. We really want to get things to start healing and to get things moving in the right direction.”
“First and foremost, I want to support Rob in every way that I can,” Bushner added in an email. “I also want to make sure that the rest of the board knows how much I appreciate all of the time and hard work they’ve contributed. Regarding the water crisis, I want to look for avenues of taking care of the immediate debts which may have not been explored yet. We need the establishment of a health fund for citizens, including medical monitoring. We need to extend water lines to locations with contaminated private wells.
“There’s no way little Hoosick Falls can do this — we need the polluters to step it up and help make meaningful things happen for us, or to work closer with the state so we have their clout behind us.”
Allen and Bushner said people haven’t been talking about a lot of the good things that have been going on throughout the village, since everyone is so focused on the contamination crisis.
“There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes that people really haven’t been focusing on,” said Allen. “There have been a lot of good things going on here recently, like with grants, and I want to make sure that those kinds of initiatives do not stop.”
“I also hope to accomplish things beyond the water,” added Bushner. “Hoosick Falls is a really great place to grow up, or raise a family, or start a business. I know a lot of places have leaders that say that, but just look at how our citizens have endured this
crisis — that speaks volumes about Hoosick Falls. I want to help market Hoosick Falls and show that we are so much more than a water crisis.”
With the Board of Trustees delaying action twice on proposed settlement agreements with SaintGobain Performance Plastics and Honeywell International, the companies identified as sources of the contamination, the next revised settlement agreement will most likely come under Allen’s administration. Earlier this week, the board voted to table a decision on the $1.045 million revised settlement agreement, after delaying action in January on the original
$850,000 settlement.
“One of the things I’ve wanted to make sure that I do is to make sure I get as much information as I can before I come to any decisions,” said Allen. “There is definitely a monumental weight on my shoulders as I step in, but at the same time, I am also relieved that there are so many experts out there willing to lend a hand and help with guidance.
“There are a lot of nuts and bolts that I have to hear about from the board members who have been doing this for several years now, and I will basically have to do what they do [during public meetings] and just listen to everyone.”