The 2011 Philipstown election campaign moved into high gear last night (Oct. 3) as most of the candidates for Town Board and Supervisor met for the first time to share their views on the current state and future of town government in a lively, sometimes serious and occasionally humorous atmosphere. The forum, sponsored by Philipstown.info and moderated by publisher Gordon Stewart, drew an audience of 65-70 people to the music room of the Haldane Middle School. The event was also broadcast live on the Internet.
The first half of the over two-hour session had Richard Shea, the Democratic incumbent Town Supervisor holding forth alone on the town budget, real estate taxes, infrastructure repair, government consolidation and more as the chair of his opponent, Republican Lee G. Erickson, sat empty. Erickson had refused an invitation to share his views.
Incumbent Republican Town Councilor Barbara Scuccimarra joined her Town Board colleague Nancy Montgomery, a Democrat, as well as Democrat newcomer, Dave Merandy, for the second half discussion. The three candidates, for the two available seats, offered varying perspectives on a multitude of issues, displaying their differences, agreements, as well as their mutual respect as participants in the town’s public life. The fourth candidate on the November ballot, Republican Katie Giachinta DeMarco, joined Erickson in not appearing for the exchange.
See our full coverage of the forum tomorrow (Oct. 5).
