Meeting attendance important to Supervisors
By MICHAEL ANICH, The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
Fact Box
Attendance records
The following is a list of the Fulton County Board of Supervisors 2009 meeting attendance from highest percentage of meetings attended to lowest:
Johnstown 1st Ward Supervisor Richard Handy - 51 of 51 meetings, 100 percent.
Johnstown 2nd Ward Supervisor Mike Kinowski - 57 of 59 meetings, 97 percent.
Town of Broadalbin Supervisor Lee Hollenbeck - 58 of 60 meetings, 97 percent.
Gloversville 4th Ward Supervisor Anthony Buanno - 46 of 48 meetings, 96 percent.
Town of Perth Supervisor Gregory Fagan - 56 of 59 meetings, 95 percent.
Town of Oppenheim Supervisor George Capek - 42 of 44 meetings, 95 percent.
Town of Northampton Supervisor Linda Kemper - 49 of 52 meetings, 94 percent.
Johnstown 4th Ward Supervisor James Callery - 63 of 67 meetings, 94 percent.
Town of Mayfield Supervisor Rick Argotsinger - 30 of 32 meetings, 94 percent.
Town of Bleecker Supervisor David Howard - 60 of 64 meetings, 94 percent.
Town of Caroga Supervisor James Selmser - 45 of 50 meetings, 90 percent.
Gloversville 2nd Ward Supervisor Frank Lauria - 42 of 47 meetings, 89 percent.
Gloversville 6th Ward Supervisor Richard Ottalagano - 40 of 46 meetings, 87 percent.
Town of Stratford Supervisor Robert Johnson - 40 of 46 meetings, 87 percent.
Gloversville 1st Ward Supervisor Marie Born - 45 of 52 meetings, 87 percent.
Gloversville 3rd Ward Supervisor Michael Gendron - 53 of 62 meetings, 85 percent.
Town of Ephratah Supervisor Todd Bradt - 39 of 47 meetings, 83 percent.
Johnstown 3rd Ward Supervisor Jack Callery (chairman) - 95 of 118 meetings, 81 percent.
Town of Johnstown Supervisor Roy Palmateer - 45 of 57 meetings, 79 percent.
Gloversville 5th Ward Supervisor Michael Rooney - 36 of 54 meetings, 66 percent.
The following is the list for the Montgomery?County Board of Supervisors:
Town of Glen?Supervisor John B. Thomas (chairman) - 80 of 80 meetings, 100 percent.
Town of Root Supervisor John W.?Thayer - 78 of 80 meetings, 98 percent.
Town of Florida Supervisor William E. Strevy - 76 of 80 meetings, 95 percent.
Amsterdam 4th Ward Supervisor David J. Dybas - 74 of 80 meetings, 93 percent.
Town of Mohawk?Supervisor Edward Paton - 72 of 80 meetings, 90 percent.
Town of Canajoharie Supervisor Robert?F. McMahon - 67 of 80 meetings, 84 percent.
Amsterdam 3rd Ward Supervisor Ronald J. Barone Sr. - 64 of 80 meetings, 80 percent.
Amsterdam 1st Ward Supervisor Vito L. Greco - 64 of 80 meetings, 80 percent.
Amsterdam 5th?Ward Supervisor Karl Baia - 63 of 80 meetings, 79 percent.
Town of Palatine Supervisor Sieds Jonker - 62 of 80 meetings, 78 percent.
Town of Charleston?Supervisor Shayne T.?Walters - 62 of 80 meetings, 78 percent.
Town of Minden Supervisor Thomas L.?Quackenbush - 61 of 80 meetings, 76 percent.
Town of Amsterdam Supervisor Thomas P. DiMezza - 60 of 80 meetings, 75 percent.
Amsterdam 2nd Ward Supervisor Barbara M. Johnson - 59 of 80 meetings, 74 percent.
Town of St. Johnsville Supervisor Dominick Stagliano - 16 of 80 meetings, 20 percent.
JOHNSTOWN - Various reasons are given by members of the Fulton County Board of Supervisors on why some members attend more meetings than others.
Retiring 86-year-old Gloversville 4th Ward Supervisor Anthony C. Buanno has always had among the best attendance at both monthly board and committee sessions. In latter years, he has gotten around with a cane and he had a heart attack in 2008. He often labors to climb the stairs at the County Office Building in Johnstown, where the meetings are held.
According to 2009 board attendance records obtained by The Leader-Herald through a Freedom of Information Law request honored by the board, Buanno again was Mr. Reliable.
He attended 46 of his 48 meetings this year for a 96 percent attendance record. That included board meetings, as well as Public Safety, Environmental Resources, Economic Development and Capital Projects' committees' meetings.
"I feel that you get an assignment and you've got to live up to it through the committee system," Buanno said. "I feel good about [attending] and that's why we have meetings."
Buanno's live-in companion, Shirley Savage, will take over Buanno's seat and she figures she'll keep up his excellent attendance record as the newly-elected representative for Gloversville's 4th Ward.
"Definitely yes," Savage said, noting she usually has perfect attendance at work. She works at Visiting Nursing Home Care in Johnstown and noted her bosses are "very flexible" to allow her to attend county meetings, most of which are during the day.
"I'm looking forward to it," Savage said.
One of the younger members of the board is 51-year-old Gloversville 5th Ward Supervisor Michael Rooney, who had the worst attendance of the 20 supervisors in 2010 - attending 36 of 54 meetings, for a 66 percent average. But then again he works during the day. He's a certified public accountant and he said he was very busy in his professional life in 2009.
"I had [work] schedule conflicts that I've corrected," Rooney said. "I've had great attendance in the past and I'll have great attendance in the future."
One of his conflicts, he said, was one that hampered his attendance on the Social Services Committee, but that has been corrected.
But during budget time, Rooney said, he asked the most questions and was the most involved.
On the flip side, Johnstown 1st Ward Supervisor Richard Handy was perfect when it came to 2009 attendance. He attended 51 of 51 meetings.
"I have also never turned in a voucher, not a nickel," he said. "I think when you take the job, you shouldn't be there for the perks ... You're supposed to go to every meeting you go to. If you can't attend, don't run."
Handy said he has missed only one full board meeting and one committee session in the 12 years he has served on the Board of Supervisors
Most of the supervisors' attendance for 2009 ranged between 80 to 90 percent.
Johnstown Town Supervisor Roy Palmateer was slightly below those numbers at 79 percent, to capture second worst county attendance for 2009. He's retired, but he said he also belongs to many civic groups, which also have conflicting activities during the daytime.
"It's just that I got myself spread too thin this year," Palmateer said.
He said those groups that take up his time besides his county duties include Glove Cities Rotary Club, Community Heritage Corp. and the Meco Volunteer Fire Department.
It also doesn't always mean that if you live close to the County Office Building in Johnstown -the county seat - that you'll probably be attending more meetings as well. Several Glove Cities supervisors were among those with the poorer attendance.
Northampton Supervisor Linda Kemper attended 49 of 52 meetings for a 94 percent attendance record in 2009, yet she lives further away from Johnstown than the majority of supervisors. She makes a 43-mile round trip to the Johnstown sessions.
She said she was actually on government business when she missed three meetings this year. Among the special meetings she attends are those associated with New York State Association of Counties, Adirondack Government Review Board and the Inter-County Legislative Committee of the Adirondacks. She said she's never purposefully missed a Fulton County Board of Supervisors meeting.
"It's never [not attended] because I've blown them off," Kemper said. "We made a commitment ..."
She said she tried to make one of the Fulton County meetings, but she was away at one of her other government meetings.
"I had been driving for five hours," Kemper said. "It's exhausting to tell you the truth."
County Administrative Officer Jon Stead said the attendance record of the board chairman is something else that is hard to measure.
He said the chairman -who this year was Jack Callery - is considered to be an "ex-officio" member when it comes to the committee meetings. This means the board chairman is a member of the various standing committee, but isn't necessarily required to attend those sessions.
If you take into account all of the 118 meetings he could have attended, Callery attended 95 meetings, for an 81 percent attendance -third worst percentage. But Stead said Callery's attendance was "excellent" this year for a board chairman.
Stead has worked for the county since the early 1990s and he's observed that most supervisors have good attendance, albeit there is no strict "requirement."
"When I look at the attendance, I think the attendance of the Board of Supervisors has been very good," Stead said.
To make a true commitment to public life, Kemper said "you have no life."
Not only is her county attendance good, but she said she attends 100 percent of the Northampton Town Board meetings, as well as other special town sessions, such as those of the zoning commission.
"People don't realize it, I go above and beyond," Kemper said. "There's no doubt about it."
Montgomery County
John Thayer, Root supervisor, had the highest attendance rate of any town supervisor on the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors at 98 percent attendance for 2009 meetings. Thayer attended all of the 12 regular board meetings and missed only two of the 60 committee meetings.
"I'm not the brightest bulb in the box and there are a lot of people who have good ideas," Thayer said. "My own thoughts might be incorrect, so I go to the meetings to have a better informed opinion and be a better decision maker."
Thayer said he especially likes to attend the committee meetings to hear the discussion.
Thayer did not want to comment on his colleagues who have attended less meetings.
"They have to make their own decisions," he said.
Donald Stagliano, St. Johnsville supervisor had the lowest attendance record at 20 percent. Stagliano attended two of the 12 regular board meetings and 13 of the 60 committee meetings.
Stagliano did not return a phone call for comment.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at johnstown@leaderherald.com. Reporter Amanda Whistle contributed to this story.
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JohnSteady
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12-28-09 1:23 PM
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This is a slow news day article! Taxes going up just to help pay for Jon Steads big fat raise so he can do spread sheets on attendance and sit in his office thinking of ways to eliminate departments.... oops his secret memo said he didn't do that. He blamed Albany, Washington and Civil service for the county woes. He did offer to decline his big increase either.
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JohnSteady
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12-28-09 9:11 AM
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See how many attend "Meetings" in Lake George or Saratoga and stay over night at the cost to the taxpayers! In today's modern world of Tele-conferences we shouldn't be sending Supervisors or Directors for a day at the races when they could be in a conference room doing work. Sorry people but you have a job to do and it doesn't include bringing your spouse along for a mini vacation. So for the big fat pay raise he recieved, jonny boy has a flow chart of the attendance records for the supervisors?
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FOREREEL
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12-27-09 3:41 PM
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FC BofS spend alot of time doing business which benefits all of us that live in FC. We should be thankful for the dedeciation demonstrated by the excellant attendance this article points out. We should remember that most also attend meetings not on the Supervisors calendar, but important to the county's well being. e.g. Meeting with other elected officials like the Governor and our US Senator's just to name two such meetings. We all complain about our elected officials but we must realize they do us all a great service. For that I say thank you for your time and dedication on our behalf. Happy New Year and may I suggest we have a positive outlook this coming year.
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FOREREEL
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12-27-09 3:41 PM
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FC BofS spend alot of time doing business which benefits all of us that live in FC. We should be thankful for the dedeciation demonstrated by the excellant attendance this article points out. We should remember that most also attend meetings not on the Supervisors calendar, but important to the county's well being. e.g. Meeting with other elected officials like the Governor and our US Senator's just to name two such meetings. We all complain about our elected officials but we must realize they do us all a great service. For that I say thank you for your time and dedication on our behalf. Happy New Year and may I suggest we have a positive outlook this coming year.
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poppy0302
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12-27-09 8:54 AM
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they should go to all the meeting there the ones that whated to be a supervisors and they also get paid to do it
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