Richardson, left, in yellow shirt, discusses details of the report
MONTICELLO – The last Sullivan County Charter Commission, in 1993,
recommended abolishing the Board of Supervisors and moving to a county
legislature with the county manager and other key administrative positions
filled by legislative appointment.
Current Charter Review Commission Co-Chairman Larry Richardson said when
they started their work two and a half years ago, they did not comprehend
the scope of what they were getting into.
“It is a challenge to arrive at one conclusion but I’m very
pleased to say that we’ve done that and out of 13 members, 12 are
in support of this finding, one is not,” Richardson said.
Quoting from the report summary:
“The biggest question facing this Commission has been to determine
if our current Legislative/manager form of government best serves the
people of Sullivan County or if the people would be better served if the
Charter were revised to create the position of an elected County Executive
who would replace the appointed County Manager. After a great deal of
research the Charter Revision Commission has determined that the benefits
of a County Executive far outweigh the negatives.”
That was based on what Commission Co-Chair J.J. Hanson called “compelling
evidence” from neighboring Ulster, which in 2008, became the most
recent county in the region to transition to an Executive/Legislature
form of government.
“The executive had more direct operation as the county executive,
so at his direction, he could make more day-to-day decisions as an executive,
which allowed him to save finances more quickly,” Hanson said. “It
allowed him to make quicker decisions on the snap, so if something needed
to happen that particular day, he didn’t have to run the follow-up;
he could basically make that quick decision.”
The commission also recommended an elected comptroller, whose term would
be staggered with the county executive.
Not much would change for the county legislature, except terms would be
staggered. Four legislative seats, picked at random would be up for two-year
terms in the next general election. The other five would be elected to
the standard four-year terms. After the cycle is complete, four seats
would be up in one election year. The other five would be on the ballot
two years later.
There was little reaction at this point from legislators. Chairman Luis
Alvarez said they first have to read the report.
“And I don’t want to speak on behalf of all of them until
everybody comes and gives me their opinion,” Alvarez said.
Same response, essentially, from County Manager Joshua Potosek, who added
it is definitely way too early to speculate on his possibly running for
county executive, should the charter be adopted, likely following a citizen
referendum.
In Ulster, then county administrator Michael Hein did run successfully
to become that county’s first and so far only, county executive.
