SCHENECTADY GAZETTE

October 16, 2015

Schenectady County Legislature,

Niskayuna Town Board hopefuls share
views
NISKAYUNA Open government and the new casino were among the hot topics when the towns candidates
for the Schenectady County Legislature gathered and sparred at a political forum on Thursday.
The League of Women Voters of Schenectady County hosted the forum at Niskayuna Town Hall for District 3
county Legislature, Niskayuna Town Board, town clerk and town justice candidates.
Running for re-election are James R. Buhrmaster and Thomas Constantine, who was not present at the
forum. New candidates for Legislature seats are Elmer Bertsch, Alexander Browstein, William Levering and Jill
Dunster. Bertsch and Browstein are both members of the Green Party.
I am running for the Legislature to raise the questions that arent being raised, said Bertsch. Some of those
questions include concern over Schenectady County giving $8 million a year to Metroplex without any public
review, and the meeting of the Legislature as a caucus.
Thats the publics business being conducted in a private setting, said Bertsch.
Buhrmaster noted the need for diversity in government, saying the system works best when there is a
convergence of ideas. In the current Legislature there are 10 Democrats, two Republicans and three
Conservatives. Im running again because I think I can make a difference, said Buhrmaster. Im very
concerned about the taxes here. There wasnt an issue 12 years ago. Taxes are an issue for everyone in this
county.
Jill Dunster, the lone woman running for one of the Legislature seats, is a resident of Glenville, where she lives
with her six children. Dunster has no political experience and has been a New York state dispatcher for 29
years.
With that experience, she was able to offer firsthand advice when the topic of county dispatching came up. I
know that the county dispatch is a lot harder. Its not just a matter of calling somebody. Theres so many things
in one incident that can go wrong. When you get one group together it runs very well.
The building of the Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor was also discussed. Both Levering and
Dunster were clear supporters of it, saying it will bring in revenue to the community.
In opposition were Browstein and Bertsch, who dont believe there is a demand for a casino, nor that it is a fit
for county residents. Levering and Buhrmaster pointed out that if the casino does fail, there will be an
opportunity for something else to replace it.
Its a false hope for economic development, said Bertsch.
Running for Niskayuna Town Board are Andrew Bigness, William McParlon, Lisa Weber and Nick Gerace (who
was unable to attend the forum). Of the current board members, Liz Orzel Kasper and Julie M. McDonnell have
terms that will be up in 2015.

Bigness said he is running as an independent voice for the Niskayuna community and expressed his concerns
about the boards Democratic-controlled makeup. If you look back in history, I can hardly think of a time where
one party controlled and it had gone well, said Bigness.
Bigness, who is about to become a father, said he was motivated to run to ensure that his child and all children
can grow up in a town that has voices from both sides.
McParlon and Weber both have children in the Niskayuna school district, which they both said gives them a
better insight into knowing the needs of the community.
Just because the town has Democrats on the board doesnt make it a board that doesnt operate well, said
McParlon.
That wasnt where their disagreements ended. When asked about the creation of an administrative assistant for
Supervisor Joe Landry, Bigness said he doesnt understand why a part-time position needed a full-time
secretary. Bigness did, however, say that the role of Supervisor should be made into a full-time job. McParlon
said the position was working to the towns benefit in getting projects done that have saved the town quite a
lot of money.
I dont see how it could be a part-time position to run a town like this, Weber added.
One thing all the candidates agreed on was the presence of a drug problem in Niskayuna, and the necessity for
a heightened awareness and cooperation among the Police Department, parents and schools.
Living in a suburb, we think were isolated and were not, said Bigness.
Running again for town clerk is Michele Martinelli and for town justice is Stephen Swinton, who have no
opposition.