Residents often ask what role the Town Supervisor plays in our town government. They also want to know why it's important for our Town Supervisor to have qualifications like mine.
To understand the role of the Town Supervisor, it's important to know that our town has a Town Administrator who functions as the Chief Operating Officer of the town and reports to the Town Board as a whole. As COO, the Town Administrator is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the town, and the town's department heads report to him.
So, who's the CEO of the town?
It's the Town Board – acting as a whole – and not the Supervisor individually.
So, what's the difference between the Supervisor and the other town board members?
Under NYS law the Supervisor is co-equal with the other four Town Board members, with the exception of having the following three additional responsibilities:
The role of the town's Chief Fiscal Officer is especially important at this time. Our town property taxes increased significantly in 2026 for the first time in years, and are poised to continue rising. In addition, at a time when interest rates have climbed significantly, the town is undertaking important projects that will need to be financed with tens of millions of dollars of long-term debt, most significantly, the Town Hall project and the Highway Department garage project.
Accordingly, it is crucial that the Town Supervisor be equipped with the necessary tools that a good education and professional experience provide, which I unquestionably am. I am a former C.P.A., a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, have excellent, diverse experience as a tax lawyer and a business lawyer, and I also have extensive investment banking experience in business roles through which I further enhanced my finance skills. In addition, I am keenly aware that the town's money is your money, and I have the fiscal discipline to spend your money wisely.
The most important things about the other two responsibilities (setting the agenda for Town Board meetings and presiding over them) is that they be efficient and that they be done in a fair, even-handed manner that fosters a constructive dialogue with resident and Town Board member participation leading to sound decisions and residents' trust in the Town Board. Accordingly, all Town Board meeting attendees, including residents and other participants, as well as fellow Town Board members, must be treated courteously. Open dialogue must not be discouraged or suppressed by belittling residents or others who express opposing points of view. Furthermore, a good supervisor must not allow meetings to drag on endlessly, but rather, must resist any self-indulgent temptation to monopolize discussions or otherwise speak too much. And it should go without saying that the agenda must not be set, and the Town Board meeting must not be run, in a manner that achieves, or even gives the perception of achieving, inappropriate results, such as preferential treatment for significant campaign contributors or for applicants who might present opportunities for personal financial gain for a Town Board member.
Residents who have watched or attended Town Board meetings with any degree of regularity during the past couple of years have questioned whether that's been the case. For purposes of comparison, you may find it helpful to view the following two meetings at which I have presided in my role as Deputy Supervisor during the last two years because the Town Supervisor was traveling: 4/10/24 and 3/26/25, and compare it to other Town Board meetings over which I did not preside, such as the most recent meeting on 5/13/26.