Stephentown Candidate Profiles

by David Flint
Town Supervisor – Larry Eckhardt (R,C)
Larry Eckhardt is the Republican candidate seeking re-election to the office of Supervisor for the Town of Stephentown and is running unopposed. Eckhardt and his family operate Kinderhook Creek Farm on South Stephentown Road. He has been a resident of Stephentown for 52 years.
Eckhardt has been a member of the Stephentown Town Board for 12 years, 10 years as Councilman and 2 years as Supervisor. He believes that his tenure has been productive for the Town and hopes that, “Through continued cooperation and efforts of all Town officials, we can move forward with new ideas for improving the business and residential climate in Stephentown. Dreams followed by thoughtful ideas, then precise plans, then action with determination will be the path to a productive future for our wonderful and talent-rich town.”
Town Council – Bill Jennings (D,W)
Bill Jennings has been endorsed by the Democratic Party and the Working Families Party for re-election as a member of the Stephentown Town Council. He was elected last November to fill the last year of a vacant term. Jennings feels he has made a significant impact during his first year and looks forward to serving a full four year term. “I remain committed to working in a bipartisan way to do what is in the best interests of Stephentown. I am dedicated to moving Stephentown forward,” he said.
Jennings has lived in Stephentown for the past 34 years. He retired in 2004 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute after 35 years as a Professor, Department Chair, Dean and Vice Provost. He has served as an elected Fire Commissioner and Secretary for Stephentown Fire District #1, as a Member of the Board of Trustees and Treasurer for the Stephentown Memorial Library and as President and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Stephentown Historical Society. He is an EMT, firefighter and Treasurer for the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department. “I know the community well and believe I can continue to significantly contribute to its future,” Jennings said. “During my first year on the Town Council I have been instrumental in re-configuring the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals and in initiating a Land Use Regulations Update Committee that will report back to the full Town Board later this year. I work closely with all members of the Town Board to ensure that Stephentown runs smoothly and professionally. If re-elected, I will continue my focus on business/economic development, comprehensive planning and providing affordable and sustainable services to the residents of Stephentown.”
Town Council – Jason Guilbeault (R)
Jason Guilbeault is one of two Republican candidates for Town Council. He is a lifelong resident of Stephentown who has been an active member of the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department for nearly 15 years. He graduated from Berlin High School in 2000, after which he received his A.A.S Degree in Fire Protection Technology from Schenectady County Community College. Shortly after graduation, he spent two years in Baghdad and Al Asad, Iraq, as a combat firefighter. Returning home in January of 2007, he purchased land on Tinley Road in West Stephentown where he has spent the past four years building his home and establishing his career as a State Correctional Officer at Greene Correctional Facility.
He has been a volunteer for the Rensselaer County Search and Rescue Squad, has acted as an umpire for the Shatford Park Little League and as basketball coach for the Stephentown Youth Commission and is a member of the Stephentown Trail Riders Association.
As a lifelong resident of Stephentown who has been active in the community for many years, one of Guilbeault’s foremost concerns is securing for the Town a bright and prosperous future. Guilbeault said he hopes to serve Stephentown by taking a multifaceted approach toward providing needed services and ensuring that current and future residents may remain and prosper in Stephentown. His goals include attracting and encouraging new business, using his education and experience in emergency services as a professional EMT and firefighter to improve disaster response plans and to ensure the efficient dissemination of public information, expanding youth activities as well as services to seniors within Stephentown and coordinating community-wide activities to encourage greater community involvement from our residents.
Town Council – John Meekins (R,C)
John Meekins, a registered Conservative, is the other Republican candidate for Town Council. He is a retired Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York.
“Like our State and the rest of the nation, Stephentown is suffering under severe economic times,” Meekins said. “Furthermore, things do not look like they will improve much in the immediate future. Government at all levels has a lot of belt tightening ahead of it. If elected I will help accomplish this.”
Meekins sees some bright spots, however. Stephentown, he said, is fortunate to have an excellent library run by outstanding people. Noting that the Town currently provides a substantial part of the library budget, he said they deserve our support and pledged that if elected, he would donate his salary as a Town Board member to help in this regard.
Meekins expressed concern about the Stephentown elementary school building that has lain vacant for several years now. “It is turning into an eyesore in the center of town,” he said, “hardly a magnet for commerce or a symbol of prosperity. The Town should look into purchasing it to use as a civic center. Among other groups we have very active senior, veteran and youth organizations that could make good use of the space. Give these volunteers a dedicated place to carry out their work, and they will help make our Town a more attractive place to live.”
Meekins feels, too, that Stephentown, like surrounding towns, desperately needs a market. “Our residents currently must travel to Pittsfield or East Greenbush to buy their groceries. With the high price of gas, this is a terrible hardship. The Hannaford store schedule for New Lebanon has been cancelled. We should pursue having them or another big food chain open a store in Stephentown.”
Meekins and his wife Yvonne, a Registered Nurse, have lived in Stephentown for 35 years and raised four children in town. He joined the Fire Department early on and was an active volunteer in his younger years. He has been a member of the Immaculate Conception Church Choir for over 25 years. He also served on the Church’s Finance Committee and is a founding member and current Financial Secretary for its Knights of Columbus Council. He currently serves on the Stephentown Library Board of Directors as Treasurer and is a member of the Stephentown Veterans and the Stephentown Seniors. He has degrees in accounting and law and has practiced in both fields, first as an auditor and then for many years as a financial crimes prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York State Attorney General’s Criminal Division.
“I believe I know the people of Stephentown and their needs and have the skills and capability to address them,” Meekins said. “I would appreciate your support in the forthcoming election.”
Town Council – Alice Caton (D)
Alice Caton is running as a candidate of the Democratic Party on Row A for a seat on the Stephentown Town Council. She has lived in Stephentown for 35 years and loves the peaceful rural character and natural beauty of the Town. She is committed to preserving this country way of life, “while encouraging new jobs and development in a reasonable and responsible fashion.” “I am especially concerned that our Town should be affordable for senior citizens to continue living in their homes,” she said.
Caton has been a nurse practitioner for 30 years and is currently employed at Seton Internal Medicine in Troy. She raised her three children in Stephentown where they attended school in the New Lebanon School District. She served as the director of the youth program in Nassau and coached the girls’ summer soccer team in New Lebanon. She is presently a volunteer at the Rourke free clinic in Troy and Treasurer of the New York State Nurse Practitioner Association PAC.
“I have been active in protecting our community,” Caton said. I was an organizer of the group that opposed mining on Snake Mountain and participated in the DEC hearings which resulted in denial of the mining permit. I have advocated for environmental controls on pesticides in order to prevent breast cancer and have been involved in other health issues for women, children and men. I have experience in how government operates and how it should operate.
“This is my first time running for public office. If elected, I am committed to representing all of the citizens of Stephentown,” she said.
Town Clerk – Stephanie Wagar (R)
Stephanie Wagar is currently the Town Clerk of Stephentown appointed by the Town Board in August 2011 upon the resignation of Patty Gallup. She is now running for election to that post with the endorsement of the Stephentown Republican Party. She was the Deputy Town Clerk for a year prior to this appointment.
Wagar said she is confident that with this experience, along with her education, she can serve the residents of Stephentown with a level of excellence that they deserve. “I have learned many vital procedures from Patty in the year serving as her Deputy Town Clerk and have continued to expand that knowledge over the last several months as Town Clerk,” Wagar said.
Wagar is a lifelong resident of Stephentown, the daughter of Hank and Joanne Wagar. “I am running in this election because I am proud to be part of this community,” she said. “My goal is to provide our community with the best resources possible. I am dedicated, highly organized, energetic and willing to embrace technology and innovations to effectively manage the responsibilities of Town Clerk. I look forward to serving the Town of Stephentown for years to come.”
Town Clerk – Tammy Whitman (D)
Tammy Whitman has the Democratic endorsement for Stephentown Town Clerk. “I believe my background and experience are an excellent match for this important position,” Whitman said, “and I am excited by the possibility of serving my community in the role of Town Clerk.”
Whitman was born and raised in Petersburgh, attended St. Mary’s Academy in Hoosick Falls and graduated from Berlin High School. She moved to Stephentown in 1989 after marrying her husband, Stephen, who is a lifelong resident here. She was an Office Manager with W. J. Cowee, Inc. for 18 years and has served as Assistant Treasurer for the Berlin Central School District since 2005. For the past three years she has also served as the District School Tax Collector.
She served as President and Secretary of the Berlin High School PTO from 2002 to 2006 while her son attended high school. She also volunteered her time to organize and assist in fund-raisers and other events held at the school. She is a General Member of the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department and serves as the Rental Coordinator for the Fire Hall. She also organized a team to raise funds for a local family whose daughter is battling cancer.
“I would be honored to be elected to the position of Stephentown Town Clerk, which I consider a long term commitment and an ideal career path for me,” Whitman said. “I will bring dedication, respect and a sense of responsibility to the position.
“I am running as a candidate of the Democratic Party, although I am personally a member of the Independence Party. I pledge to work in a respectful, bipartisan way with all Stephentown residents,” she said.
Highway Superintendent – Aldie Goodermote (D,R)
Aldie Goodermote has been endorsed by both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party for re-election as Stephentown Highway Superintendent. He is a lifelong resident of Stephentown and a graduate of Berlin Central School. He first worked for 18 years at Sykes Store and then joined the Stephentown Highway Department in 1992.
Appointed Highway Superintendent in October, 2008, he was elected to the position with strong support in November 2009. Goodermote believes he has done his best to maintain and improve the roads of Stephentown since taking over. “I have brought honesty, integrity and accountability to the position. I continue to work full time as part of the highway crew, in addition to serving as Highway Superintendent, saving Stephentown the expense of a full salaried position, about $50,000 a year.
Goodermote recounted that with the support of the Town Board and the Board of Fire Commissioners he had implemented a Fuel Management System that accurately accounts for the fuel used by each Town vehicle and each Fire Department vehicle. “This was one of my first steps in moving Stephentown forward,” he said. “I also have instituted a policy of shared work and shared resources with Rensselaer County and other local towns that allows us to do things that we could not do just on our own.
“I hope that Stephentown residents have observed the improvement in quality and oversight that I have tried to bring to Stephentown’s roads. Despite a major flood in 2009, a really old-fashioned winter in 2010/2011 and extremely heavy rainfalls in 2011, including both a hurricane and a tropical storm, I am proud of the condition of our roads. I look forward to continuing to serve as your Highway Superintendent for the next two years,” Goodermote said.
Tax Collector – Ruth Rieger (R)
Ruth Rieger, running unopposed, was not contacted by us to make a comment for publication.