Mayoral seat up for election - Debbie Middlebrook

MILLERTON ­­— Debbie Middlebrook has gained a lot of experience during the last five years as a village trustee in Millerton. In the middle of her third term, Middlebrook said she’s ready to become mayor.With the Democratic party’s support behind her, the Millerton native said she stepped forward after learning of Mayor John Scutieri’s decision to sit out the next election. “I’m interested in the community and I want to continue to volunteer and move forward with some of the issues,” she said, adding if Scutieri was seeking re-election she would not have entered the race. “I bring to the table strong organizational skills and experience managing my own business with fiscal responsibilities, budgeting, personnel and conflict resolution.”Both living and working in Millerton, Middlebrook said, will make doing the job easier, as she’ll be only blocks away from Village Hall. It will also allow her to keep in close contact with her constituents. But it’s the different issues facing the village that really drive the mayoral candidate to continue the work she’s begun on the board. “I probably sound redundant but I’m always excited when we can work on sidewalks and infrastructure,” she said before noting some of the locations where the village has been able to replace and repair battered and cracked sidewalks. Some of that work also called for replacing lighting, another improvement Middlebrook said she was pleased with. Another coup, according to Middlebrook, was the ban on wood-burning furnaces.“It was very important for this village,” she said. “Because these houses are very close together and if every neighbor had a wood-burning furnace it would be difficult in wintertime, and I thought that was important as far as the environment.”The focus must remain on infrastructure, according to Middlebrook, as it’s one of the municipality’s biggest challenges.“It seems that we still have to keep moving forward with sidewalks, and I would like to update the facilities for the water department,” she said. “I would like to explore additional shared services, perhaps with the town to see if services overlap and if there’s any room for [coordinating] services jointly.”She mentioned the police and recreation departments as two of the services the village and town currently share with great success.Another matter Middlebrook said she would address if elected is bringing closure to the audit. She said Scutieri did respond “but there are some points brought out we need to finalize and make a public statement about,” She said presumably the Scutieri will do so, but if not, it will be a “priority” for her. As a result of the audit Middlebrook said a personnel policy will also be established, something she said should also be done for the water district.As far as her specific assets, Middlebrook said she’s a great diplomat and an excellent listener, and tries to find resolutions when others cannot. She also brings her five years of experience on the board in tow.Ten years from now she’d like to see the village flourishing.“I’d like to see Millerton still thriving as it is now as a community,” she said. “I would like to see all the sidewalks completed, and hopefully the Rail Trail extension between Millerton and Copake — that would be great for this community.... Maybe update some of the lighting and bury some of the power lines. I don’t want Millerton to change too much. I want it to remain the same unique, friendly, small town. I don’t want it to be a city.”

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Legal Notice

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