Author: admin

Dresden’s town-wide Christmas party will be held on Saturday, December 19th at 1:00 p.m. in the Dresden Town Hall. All are welcome and gifts will be given to all of the children. Food and refreshments will also be available.

Tuesday Machine Vote Totals (Unofficial)
Absentee Ballots still to be counted.

Below are the machine vote totals from Tuesday’s election. As of 3:20 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, 17 absentee ballots had been returned to the Board of Elections. All results at this point seem to be well outside the difference of absentee votes. However, the absentee ballots will be counted next week and I will update the final vote count then.

Town Supervisor			Votes
George Gang*			125
Joyce Banks			57
Town Board (2 winners)
John Barber*			140
Allen Wilbur*			106
(Write-in)			34
Town Clerk
Marcinda Wilbur*			107
David Fitzpatrick			62
Town Justice
Jack Eggleston (uncontested)*			141
Town Highway Superintendent
Richard Hobus (uncontested)*			150

   

* Projected Winner

A merged image created from two photos, one from the winter of 1915-16, and the other from the summer of 2015, shows where the hotel that burned in 1915 stood and where the “new” hotel was constructed. (Click image to see larger version.)

November 14, 2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the Hulett Hotel fire, which I chronicled in my book, The Hulett Hotel Fire on Lake George. After the fire, there was a trial which I also detail in the book.

Many people ask me, “Where was the hotel that burned located?” If you read the book, the “first Lincoln” picture shows the remnants of the fire and the construction of the new hotel during the winter of 2015-2016 on page 47. That picture would have been taken literally weeks after the fire.

So during this past summer, I tried to find the same spot where that picture was taken. I was able to line up “my” picture with that “first Lincoln” picture almost exactly, using the mountains in the background as a guide.

The cool thing about the picture from the winter of 1915-1916 is that it has an “X” mark on it, showing where the chimney for the fireplace stood from the original hotel. That area lines up almost perfectly with a tree that was taken down last year by the Association which now owns the property. The hotel that burned would have fronted on the lake in the area behind the two now-existing tennis courts.

Today, I post a candidate interview with Marcinda Wilbur, Republican nominee for Dresden Town Clerk. I provided candidate questionnaires to all those running for Town Clerk in this year’s town election and will post their responses as received. Below are my questions and Mrs. Wilbur’s responses.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? (Interests, hobbies, etc.)

My name is Marcinda Wilbur and I am the current Town Clerk for the town of Dresden. I have been married to my husband Allen for 14 years and we have 6 children. They were all students in Whitehall Central School and our youngest child graduated this past spring. We have 6 “fur babies” that we care for. Our German Shepherd’s name is Molly, we also have an Australian Cattle Dog and his name is Jack. The “old dog” is our Corgi and her name is Belle. We have three cats, two of which live outside and keep the mouse population down around our home. I enjoy gardening, fishing, and kayaking but mostly like to do anything outside even if it’s mowing the grass. My husband and I also have a small blueberry patch and sell berries out of our home. We also have a small Maple Sugar bush and are continuing to add to our production each year and really enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Could you tell the readers of the Huletts Current, what the duties of the Town Clerk are?

My current duties as Town Clerk include keeping and maintaining Town records as well as the Registrar of Vital Statistics and maintain the birth, death, and marriage records for the Town dating as far back as the early 1900’s. I sell the hunting and fishing licenses for each current year from my office as well as keeping records of licensed dogs. I continue to work closely with the Town Supervisor and the Town Board during the monthly Town Board meetings preparing minutes for each meeting and provide copies to each board member of resolutions and town policies. I maintain daily hours that my office is open, however I am also available by phone during the times my office is not open. I am also the Tax Collector of County and Town Taxes each year during the month’s of January until March 31 and am responsible for collecting, depositing, and accurately keeping record of payments for each tax payer for the town.

What should voters know is important about the position?

The most important thing to know about my position is that myself as well as the town board and Supervisor are here to serve the members of our town. We are approachable and are willing to listen to any cares and concerns of our citizens. The Supervisor is closely engaged at not only the town level but at the County level and sometimes it can be difficult to get in contact with him. Sometimes a question can be brought to my attention and I may be able to shed some light on an issue. If I don’t have the answer, I have the resources to get someone in touch with the right person to answer what they would need to know.

Why should people consider voting for you?

I really like working for the constituents of Dresden and continuing to assist them with their needs. As small business owners located in this little community we cherish the closeness of our friends and neighbors and look forward to bringing commerce and prosperous opportunities to continue to reach out and use the resources available in our area. I will continue to efficiently operate the Town Clerk’s office with accurate record keeping and to assist the Town Supervisor and facilitate transparent policies as well as work closely with the Town Board to effectively operate the Town. I look forward to continuing as your Town Clerk.

Editor’s note: I would like to thank Mrs. Wilbur for her responses. Interview questions and answers are published in the order in which they are received.

Today, I post a candidate interview with David Fitzpatrick, Community Vision Party nominee for Dresden Town Clerk. I provided candidate questionnaires to all those running for Town Clerk in this year’s town election and will post their responses as received. Below are my questions and Mr. Fitzpatrick’s responses.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? (Interests, hobbies, etc.)

My name is David Fitzpatrick. I am a candidate for the town clerk position in the November 3rd elections for the town of Dresden, running under my independent ticket Community Vision Party. I have lived in the town of Dresden for 16 years now with my wife and 3 children. My hobbies and interests include golf, hunting, fishing, camping, and spending time with my loving grandchildren.

Could you tell the readers of the Huletts Current, what the duties of the Town Clerk are?

The duties of Town Clerk include office management, town board meetings and minutes, records management, public notices, issuing of licenses, etc, and of course collection of taxes.

What should voters know is important about the position?

Everything is important about this position. It reflects everything in and around the town of Dresden.

Why should people consider voting for you?

People should consider voting for me because I have over 20 years of managerial experience, 7 years working with the Town Highway Department for Dresden, another 10 years of local Laborer’s Union. I am looking to make a more convenient location for the town clerk’s office at the town hall and also post convenient and consistent hours. I will make this position my #1 priority, not only for myself but for the residents of Dresden also. Please come out and vote. It is very important and every vote counts. Thank you for your time.

Editor’s note: I would like to thank Mr. Fitzpatrick for his responses. Interview questions and answers are published in the order in which they are received.

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.

Today, I’m posting my questions to Allen Wilbur, one of two Republican nominees for the Dresden Town Board, along with his responses.

To begin, could you tell us about yourself?

Hi and thanks for asking the questions. I have lived in Dresden my entire life, I attended Whitehall central and Whitehall High school. I also attended the NYSDOCS academy in 1989 and proudly served as a Corrections officer for 25 years. I retired in 2014. My interests are all over the place, I am comfortable sitting in our huge gardens and blueberry patch, to riding our motorcycles to Maine for a vacation. Our Maple syrup business started out as a hobby, but has turned into a small business. I would like to see more small businesses start here in Dresden, maybe utilizing the resources we have here, farm lands and the lake frontage on both sides of the mountain.

You’ve served on the Town Board for four years. What do you consider your biggest accomplishments?

I believe we have worked hard to keep our town on the right track as far as taxes go. We have been hit with huge insurance premiums increases and I feel I don’t have a personal accomplishment, but as a whole the supervisor and the board have worked together to have a very open government and we have strived to do our best to keep taxes low as possible while still keeping our roads in good shape.

Why should people consider voting for you?

Why should people consider voting for me? My door is always open, and I have tried to be available to anyone who has approached me with a concern or problem. I have always looked beyond party lines and tried to do what is best for the entire town as a whole.

Taxes have always been a big issue in Dresden. Can you give us your thoughts on Dresden’s tax policy?

Tough question on our tax policy, all I can say is that I have tried as well as the board to keep our taxes in check to the best of our ability. We have come up against an increase in insurance for our employees, which hasn’t only effected us but almost all local communities. A lot of our town road equipment is 20 plus years old which also has effected us in repairs. We are working to upgrade, without being an excessive burden on our taxpayers.

Thanks for taking the time to inform the voters and good luck in the election. We all need people committed to making our town a better place. Is there one final thought you’d like to leave with the voters?

On a final thought, please come out and vote. We have a great little town and your voice counts. Please come to the board meetings, we are always open to hearing your concerns. Please let us know if we are doing the job you elected us to do. Thank you again – Allen Wilbur.

Editor’s note: I would like to thank Mr. Wilbur for his responses. Interview questions and answers are published in the order in which they are received.