DELHI - Three candidates are vying for the Delhi supervisor seat in November’s general election. Candidates include incumbent Republican Mark Tuthill, who is being challenged by Independent Peter Bracci who is running on the “Delhi History” line and Maya Boukai who appears on the Democratic and Independent “Delhi United” lines. The Reporter asked the following questions and the candidates supplied the following answers:
Q: Why are you running for the position?
MT: I have worked hard the last 10 years as supervisor to balance the wants and needs of town residents. There have been upgrades to highway equipment and improvements to town roads, but we have also provided a new pool and playground for recreational needs. This was all done with the most minimal impact to the taxpayers with grants and donations. I would like to continue the progress we have made by working with the village on mutual issues that still need to be addressed.
PB: Simple answer: I enjoyed the job. I miss the interactions with the people I had the privilege to serve with. Never do I remember having difficulty dealing with any member of Delhi town government.
MB: Someone asked if I would consider it. I and a few other community members had presented to the Delaware County Finance Committee regarding a host benefit for Delhi, since Delhi is the county seat, and the county owns about 23% of the village. Post-COVID, Delaware County has been receiving an additional $10 million in sales tax yearly, above pre-COVID levels. I suggested they use that money as a source for the host benefit. Delaware County is one of only a few counties in New York state that shares no sales tax with its towns and villages, so this was a reasonable and overdue request. I had already been informing myself about local government issues when I was approached to run. After taking some time to think about it, I realized I had nothing to lose by trying, so I said why not?
Q: What are your top three priorities as supervisor?
MT: #1 Right now I am working with the county and the three other towns that are going to be impacted by the Clean Path Transmission Line Project. I believe the NY State Power Authority (NYPA) needs to provide Delhi a Payment in Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) payment for all of the electrical grid infrastructure they own in my town. They also need to be accountable for any damages to town roads, etc., in Delhi as well as the other towns on the route through Delaware County.
#2 Work with the village of Delhi to help consolidate services and spaces where possible and explore avenues to share a joint office space to make it easier for residents to find the correct office for the business they need to conduct. Our two current offices are outdated and inefficient which causes several issues that are costing the taxpayers.
#3 Work to balance the needs of residents with the desire to promote tourism to help local businesses. I keep hearing people say they moved here because it’s such a nice place, which it is. In the next breath they want to make changes that would threaten the way of life we all know and love. We need balance.
PB: As your former town supervisor I left office with unfinished goals. The first goal is to resume where I left office sometime after I started and organized the first Delhi Historic Society. As an Independent candidate I will not be subject to the political whims especially at the state or national level. Goal two: secure funds to address the grave site of Delhi founder Ebenezer Foote, a significant member of the Continental Army and state and local political position such as judge and state representative. With that I hope to establish a yearly celebration of him. With a strong and vibrant historical society at 47 Main Street, it is my true expectation that we can accomplish these goals.
Another goal is to open up structured times where any one who wishes to address both the town and county boards. Their restrictions now prevent the public from speaking about issues of the day. I enjoy hearing from you! Without public comment how can we not be better prepared? Unfortunately the Delaware County board still does not allow structured comment. I shall, through a proposal as a county board member to allow public comment.
MB: My top priorities are transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility.
At the town level my first priority would be to reinstate privilege of the floor, and work with the council members to develop a privilege of the floor procedure. Currently town supervisors can eliminate privilege of the floor unilaterally, and I do not believe that this is in the best interest of our communities or democracy. I would request the town council codify privilege of the floor by requiring a vote of the council in order for it to ever be removed in the future.
Second would be to work with the village of Delhi to see where we can save money and improve services. I have been attending the mayors meetings, and support many of their ideas, one being a shared services study. Another area that needs attention is The Joint Comprehensive Plan. In 2012 a document was developed by many different residents of both the town and village of Delhi. I would love to update the plan and put a few community lead teams together to address and implement some of the ideas in this excellent document.
Third would be to inform the community that although only one person is supervisor, it’s going to take the entire community working together to solve some of the problems people have brought up to me. The majority of these problems are mentioned in the Joint Comprehensive Plan, so they are not new issues, but we need to bring everyone to the table to solve them and start taking action. The way I see it, my job is to be a door opener, not a gatekeeper. The community has so many unique and talented people, and we are doing ourselves a disservice by not tapping into our resources. Most of the problems in our communities are going to require active participation from groups outside the government.
At the county level, my main priority would be to inform the community of what is going on in the various county departments, especially when the issue directly relates to Delhi. Encouraging transparency and accountability at the county level, and building relationships with other supervisors will also be imperative. Q: How do you propose to contain spiraling budgets and spending?
MT: I think I have shown that my background in business, and running the town as such, has resulted in a stabilized budget even with rising expenses. There may come a day where we have to make hard choices on discretionary spending to continue to provide the required services. This needs to be done without devastating tax increases to our population that may be on fixed incomes.
PB: We are all experiencing out of control in creating expenses not only in our personal lives but everywhere including the cost of government. NYS mandates (I believe) a maximun spending cap of 2% for local government and no such rule for state government. At the same time local governments are subjected to the cost of unfunded mandates! An almost impossible situation. I just read that the town of Hamden has had to raise their budget over 8%. As supervisor I will seek the most practical and sustainable budget. I will consider the numbers as I have to do with my own household. In the past I searched for usable and safe highway equipment. Use of available resources such as having SUNY Delhi construct our new courtroom. I noticed that since I left office the grounds around town hall have not been maintained to the level it was when I was in office. Delhi College has programs that I will call upon to revitalize the grounds of town hall. I did it once and now Ill do it again.
MB: I do bookkeeping for small businesses and am a cost-savings analyst for a multinational corporation. I’m very comfortable with budgeting, and fiscal responsibility is at the forefront of my mind.
At the town level, from what I have observed, there are minimal areas to jump in and cut costs right away. One area I know could potentially result in savings is in shared services, and this would be a longer term goal. While cutting costs is always at the top of the list, maintaining high standards and satisfaction among residents and town employees is also important.
One area I do not believe receives enough attention is the strategy relating to maximizing the town investments. The village discovered they could move some money into a different investment and make 3-4x the interest they had been making. In just a few months they had made $30k more than if they had leave it where it was. Cutting costs is important, but you can only cut so much. We need to be able to stretch every dollar and explore what other municipalities are doing to maximize the money we do have.
Q: When the county proposes action that your town constituents oppose, how will you vote at the county level and why?
MT: This is not a simple question. The easiest votes are where I feel the action is bad for Delhi and the constituents are overwhelming opposed. This was the case with the proposed McFarland Farm purchase by the county for a highway garage complex. I voted no and the project eventually didn’t happen. There are other cases where the county may be required by the state to provide services that are best located in Delhi. At that point I have to weigh the impact to Delhi, the county and our residents. There’s where the headaches start!
MB: I would vote no. It is unfortunate that the structure of the county government, by design, causes a conflict of interest. What is good for the county, might not be good for Delhi, and what is good for Delhi might not be good for the county. I can see how tough it might be to go against the current and vote no, when every other supervisor is voting yes. But if elected, the people of Delhi have put their faith in my ability to make those tough choices. Democracy is messy, and if elected, I am sure some tough decisions will have to be made. I believe by informing the community, soliciting feedback from them and seeking opinions from the town council, we can all work together to do what’s best for Delhi. If elected it will have been done by the people of Delhi, and my loyalty is to them.
Q: Why should voters vote for you?
MT: I am the most experienced candidate having worked in some form of local government since 1992. I am well respected on the Delaware County Board of Supervisors and have been elected vice chairman the last seven years. I have also operated my own businesses in Delhi since 2000. I will listen to all sides and make up my mind on what I believe is the best course for Delhi. I won’t lie to smooth things over, or to get votes. What I say is what I mean and what I will do. I also feel it is extremely important to know the difference between the town and the village. I represent both and they have different issues to be addressed. In closing, thank you for your support!
PB: For more information visit my Facebook page: Pete Bracci for Supervisor 2024.
MB: I believe that my background in bookkeeping and cost-savings analysis has provided me the foundation for running the town of Delhi. I also started, ran and sold my own small business in NYC before moving to Delhi in 2019. Additionally I have a bachelors and masters degree in psychology; and I know the extensive work I have done in this area will help me personally in the role of supervisor, and will also help me be a more collaborative leader. To find out more about what I have been discovering about our local government, go to my Facebook page www.facebook.com/mayab4delhiny
The Delhi supervisor seat is on the ballot for the Nov. 7 general election. Early voting begins Oct. 28.
The Reporter is sponsoring a moderated candidate forum for Delhi town council candidates on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 5:30 p.m., at the Delhi American Legion. Questions will be screened and can be emailed in advance to editor@the-reporter.net.
