Tannersville leaders react to village government staying
TANNERSVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The "painted village in the sky" avoided being turned into a Hamlet Tuesday night. Tannersville residents voted 58 yes and 207 no, according to unofficial Village results.
“It’s time for us to move forward and move on and work to make Tannersville a vibrant and exciting community for everyone,” said Mayor David Schneider.
Despite the unofficial results, Trustee George Kelly is not ready to move on like this never happened. “The vote was an embarrassment. It was a mandate. The people that pushed this dissolution got their heads handed to them. It’s a stain on Tannersville and I’m asking for anybody that promoted this dissolution process, any politician, I'm asking for their resignations.”
Mayor Schneider told NEWS10’s Anthony Krolikowski before the vote that if the Village dissolved, it would save taxpayers around $100 every year. Many Village employees could transfer into the Town of Hunter and most services in the area are already being shared by the two municipalities. “I can hold my head high the last two years and what was done and like I said, we move on,” explained Schneider.
Previous Mayor Dr. Lee McGunnigle was also against the proposal. He thought there was no reason for the Village to consider dissolving. “The Village was very fiscally sound, had plenty of money on hand and there was no duplication of services.”
With the vote over, Mayor Schneider is looking toward the future. “We have a solar project that was brought to us about three years ago. We finally got the contract from the State. We have Upper Lake Park which is brought back and grown and going to be finished by spring.”
Village positions, including the mayor’s seat, will be up for election this March. Both the current and previous mayors are expected to run.