Today, I post a candidate interview with George Gang, Democratic nominee for Dresden Town Supervisor. I provided candidate questionnaires to all those running for Town Supervisor in this year’s town election and will post their responses as received. Below are my questions and Mr. Gang’s responses.
Could you please tell us about yourself and why you are running for Town Supervisor?
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Public Administration. My work experience includes 22 years at a medical device manufacturer both in Quality Control and as Senior Buyer responsible for the on-time purchase of all raw materials. I have also owned and operated two businesses and managed a food coop. I ran two years ago because I saw that Dresden needed new leadership to bring Dresden’s fiscal health up to par with New York State standards. We have come very far over the past two years but their is more still to be done. The Town Council and I have worked diligently toward bringing the Town back into financial health.
Washington County may be trying to get Dresden to assume more responsibility for the Washington County Beach. If you are the next Town Supervisor, how will you respond?
Washington County would very much like Dresden to take over responsibility for the County Beach. The County realizes that Dresden does not want to take over this responsibility but also knows that due to the State Tax Cap we wouldn’t be able to afford such a move. As long a I am Supervisor this would never happen.
Town taxes went up significantly last year, where do you stand on Town tax increases in the future?
Taxes did go up quite a bit last year, appx. 10 3/4%, mostly due to some unusual circumstances but also due to low tax increases over the last ten years. Most importantly, the low increases over the years has left us with no fund balance in our General Fund. Over the last two years Dresden has had to borrow money in October to help pay our bills until new tax monies were received in January. This loan was paid back upon receipt of taxes but left us in the hole again for the following year. The Town Council and I are trying to close this gap, to avert borrowing in the future. We are doling this as prudently as possible, to keep tax increases small as possible yet build up a new fund balance. Next year the planned increase will be about half of the increase this year. We are still the lowest tax town in the County.
Are there any things you would like to see happening in Dresden in the future?
The Town Council and I are looking into getting a new Veterans sign for the Town. The present sign lists only WWII Veterans and is in great disrepair. We are gathering the names of Veterans going back to the Revolutionary War and hope to have a proposal sometime early next year. We are also continually working on getting High Speed Internet and decent cell service available to everyone in town. We are working closely with Washington County and some private companies to make this a reality.
As a prospective Town official, what do you consider your greatest strengths?
My greatest strengths are twofold: First, I am a highly organized person. The business of Dresden entails a lot paperwork, for both the County and State, that needs to be both on-time and accurate. Second, I am very good at getting to a consensus among differing personalities and ideologies. I look toward the future and work towards what is best for the Town of Dresden. I am open and honest in all of my dealings with the Town while listening to all ideas and suggestions.
Editor’s note: I would like to thank Mr. Gang for his responses. Interview questions and answers are published in the order in which they are received.