Five candidates running for two trustee positions

MILLERTON – On Tuesday, March 19, voters in this village will have five options for two Village Board trustee seats.

There will be two vacancies due to the end of two-year terms for Marty Markonic, who will run for mayor in the same election, and John “Jack” Thomas. Thomas was appointed to finish out Jay Reynold’s unexpired term after Reynolds moved from the area in December 2012.

The five candidates for the trustee seats are Christine Bates, Rob Cooper, Brian Jordan, Pamela Michaud and Peter Richmond.

Bates and Richmond were nominated at the Democratic caucus and Cooper was nominated at the Republican caucus, both held  Jan. 8.

Jordan and Michaud collected signatures to run for the positions for the independent Millerton Hometown party.

Below are profiles of four of the five candidates. Jordan could not be reached for an interview in time for this publication; this paper will continue to pursue an interview prior to Election Day.  

Christine Bates

Bates grew up in Rome, N.Y., and went to college in the Midwest, where she worked to create the nonprofit project Art Train.

“I felt our train could be run better. Several people I worked with said, ‘Why not go to business school?’ that’s how I ended up attending Columbia Business School,” she said.

Bates then traveled to Brazil for a job, which is also where she married her husband, Peter Greenough. Bates also spent two years in Korea before coming to back to the United States.

She raised her two children, Charlotte and Nick, in New York City before coming to Millerton in 2008.

“We knew what we wanted in a community and Millerton had it all. We absolutely loved it here and still do,” she said.

Bates is passionate about open communication in the village

“One of the major issues facing the village is the responsiveness of the government to the people living here. Right now there are no minutes on the village website since June. People have issues that they can’t get addressed,” she said.

She also believes that the village can be improved without raising taxes.

“I think a lot of people feel the tax burden heavily. We can do more by doing a better job with grants, improving the website and creating imaginative solutions to enhance our community,” she said.

Bates believes the community should vote for her because of her ability to solve problems.

“I like to find practical solutions. I have good ideas and I work hard. I have the time to be an active trustee,” she said.

While endorsed by the Democratic Party she does not affiliate with either party.

“I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I have voted for both parties in the past. I don’t think local elections should be partisan. I think [people] should vote for the best person,” she said.

Bates is running on the Democratic line on Election Day.

 Rob Cooper

Cooper owns Associated Lightening Rod on Route 22 in Millerton.

“My father started the business 40 years ago out of his house on Cooper Road. We moved into this location and I bought my parents out 12 years ago,” he said.

Cooper lives in the village with his wife, Tammy, and sons Robbie, Ryan, Marcus and Alex.

He previously served as a village trustee for three terms back in the 1980s.

“My wife got a job in Connecticut so we had to move there and I had to leave the board. We never sold our house in Millerton though and came back to live here after spending 18 yearsaway,” he said.

Cooper believes in maintaining the separate town and village governments.

“I think it helps to keep an eye on taxes for village residents. But I do think the two could work together more. I’d like to see more shared resources like the highway garage and I’m very interested at the possibility of both boards moving into the old elementary school building together,” he said.

He is also a member of the Friends of the Irondale Schoolhouse and is looking forward to moving the school building into town.

“It’s another cause I really believe in and I can’t wait to see the school in the center of the village,” he said.

Cooper’s history in the town has yielded a familiarity with many of the village residents.

“I know just about everyone in the village and I know their concerns, whether it’s a broken streetlight or taxes. If elected I won’t put things off. I believe when you put things off to save money you end up spending more to fix the problem in the long run,” he said.

He plans to put that belief to work, especially with maintenance and repair issues, if elected.

“I’ve worked with most of the people in the different town and village departments. I know them well and would like to work with them to get as much done as we can,” he said.

Cooper is running on the Republican and independant Liberty party lines, and is endorsed by the Republican party.

 Pamela Michaud

Michaud grew up in Westchester and received a degree from Syracuse University.

She has lived in the village of Millerton for 28 years and has two sons, Bjorn and Gregory.

Michaud has worked in various capacities including teaching and as a writer and editor, including writing a weekly column for The Harlem Valley Times.

“Voters may recognize my name as I have been very involved in local issues and often write letters to The Millerton News,” she said.

She believes that local government needs to be more communicative.

“I believe the most important issue facing the village right now is the need to strengthen the ability of the village government to represent residents and taxpayers in order to protect them from plans and projects conceived by those at higher levels of government, many of whom are out of touch with local needs and concerns,” she said,

Michaud also would like to see local government return to basics.

“I think people want the village to function smoothly in fulfilling its basic responsibilities without becoming involved in overly ambitious, financially risky projects. Many people are suffering in this economy. Like local families, local governments need to hunker down, stick to the basics and this is what I plan to do if elected,” she said.

Michaud’s history in local government is one of the reasons she believes she is a strong candidate.

“Over the past three years I have attended many meeting of various village and town boards and I am well informed on the issues before them. Many know me through my opposition to Millerton Overlook, which I opposed on several grounds including environmental issues, the poor record of the developer and the fact that it would have contributed to urbanizing the village. Those who know me know I care very much about the future of the village,” she said.

Michaud is running on the Millerton Hometown Party line and is not endorsed by either the Democratic or Republican party.

Peter Richmond

Richmond studied at Yale and Harvard and went on to an extensive career in journalism for several notable papers around the country as well as writing for GQ magazine for 13 years.

He was looking for a village to live in that afforded him the ability to travel to New York.

“I wanted to be close enough to New York that I could get there if needed to but far enough away so that you might have to stop on the way to the train because someone was moving cattle across the road,” he said.

Richmond settled in Millerton with his wife, Melissa Davis, and two children, Hillary and Max. He became interested in giving back more after a story he had written yielded interesting findings.

“It was a story on how to age well that showed that men in their 80s were on top of the world. The research showed that happened when you stop trying to beat the world and start trying to be your best and give back,” he said.

Richmond taught at Indian Mountain School and ran for the village Planning Board.

“I started to feel like a part of the village that I plan to be a part of for the rest of my life,” he said.

He would like to see balanced, responsible growth in Millerton.

“I would like the village to become more vibrant and I think that goes back to community and everybody helping everybody,” he said.

Richmond identifies as a “true Democrat.

“I’m not one of those MSNBC Democrats. I believe in democracy. I think that means that a community knows exactly what it needs. I’m also a patriot. I love the United States and translate that into our community, the village is my country. I think global and act local,” he said.

He feels voters should cast their vote for him because of his ability and willingness to learn.

“I have two strengths; my absolute passion and love of community and my socialness. I like to think. I won’t work on a gut feeling. I will listen and learn and use my intellectual capacity to put everyone’s point of view into consideration,” he said.

Richmond is endorsed by the Democrats and is running on the Democratic line come Election Day.