Governor appoints third member to Ancram Town Board; Lindsey says put town first

ANCRAM — Governor David Paterson released a statement Friday, Sept. 12, announcing the appointment of Jack L. Lindsey to serve as the needed third member of the Ancram Town Board. The decision was effective immediately.

The Town Board in Ancram has been the subject of controversy in the last few months. Following the board’s recommendation in June to purchase an existing building and land where the town garage could possibly be relocated, three of the board’s five members resigned within three days of each other for undisclosed reasons. Councilman James Bryant had served for 21 years; Councilman Gerald Roberts for 11; and Councilman Robert Podris for 22. There had been reports that town meetings were turning belligerent and many residents were unhappy with the way things were being run.

With only two remaining members (town Supervisor Thomas Dias and Councilman John MacArthur), the board has been legally unable to meet and conduct business since the third week in July, which is the last time that the board met. A quorum of three is required under town law to make any Town Board decisions, including paying bills and town employees who are paid by voucher.

"We have had bills of over $100,000 from some companies and we can’t vote to pay them," Dias said in a previous interview with The Millerton News. Dias was not available for comment for this story by press time.

After three weeks of interviewing and reviewing potential candidates, Paterson chose Lindsey, "a small-business owner and active member of his community," according to the statement released by the governor’s press office. Lindsey "understands the needs of his town and will serve the residents of Ancram well."

Lindsey said he is "very honored" that he was chosen by the governor.

"It’s a little puzzling," he said during a phone interview. "A lot of people in town thought that the governor was taking too long to make his decision. I’m glad that so much time was spent reviewing the candidates, though. It means he really put some thought into the process.

"I have two goals in all of this," Lindsey said. "First, there needs to be an effective code and guidelines for conflicts of interest read and instated into the monthly minutes. Secondly, I want to impress upon everyone how important it is for everyone to put the town first. We’re too small a community to make personal attacks on our fellow residents. We will paralyze ourselves."

Lindsey is the owner and operator of Doodletown Farms, an art and antiques business in Ancram. He has lived in Ancram for five years, and regularly attends town board meetings. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Decorative Arts Trust and also a member of the Ancram Preservation Board.

Lindsey’s term will run until Jan. 1, 2009. However, Lindsey made it clear that he will not run for election this year.

"I made it very clear with the governor [during the interview process] that all I want to do is make sure that the laws are upheld and that people are civil and behave properly. The fact that I’m not going to run for the position in November probably had a lot to do with my being chosen. All I’m looking to do is get the town board back in order."

There are still two vacancies on the Ancram Town Board; those positions can be filled by the unanimous vote of the newly constituted board. All three Town Board seats, however, will be up for election this November.