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Southern Ulster Times, Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Marlborough candidates chosen
By MARK REYNOLDS
[email protected]
Marlborough
Democrats
and
Republicans have chosen their candidates
for the fall election.
There are several positions open; Town
Supervisor, two Town Council seats,
Highway Superintendent and Town
Justice. At the county level the seat for
Marlborough Legislator is open due to the
retirement of Richard Gerentine.
The Marlborough Democratic Party
has only one candidate for the position
of Town Supervisor, Al Lanzetta, who is
seeking re-election. He said if elected this
would be his tenth year as Supervisor.
Mici Simonofsky is running for the Ulster
County Legislature.
Lanzetta described himself and the
Town Board as very “business-friendly.”
“We’ve changed a couple of zoning
codes to have the availability for people
to come into our community and build,”
he said.
Lanzetta said he is proud to have worked
with the late NYS Assemblyman Frank
Skartados in obtaining a member item
of $250,000 for sidewalk work in town. He
thanked Todd Diorio, of Local 17, as well
as the town’s Highway Department, for
their assistance on this project. Lanzetta
also pointed out that another $250,000 was
secured by Skartados to help rehabilitate
the TOMVAC building, which he is hoping
will start towards the end of 2020.
“I was very pleased with Councilmen
Howard Baker and Scott Corcoran
working together on that, formulating
that committee, and they came up with a
great plan,” he said.
Lanzetta was able to receive two other
member items that will be used for sewer
infrastructure work in the Route 9W
corridor. He has also followed up on a
$150,000 member item for the playground
at the town park that was obtained by NYS
Sen. William Larkin before he retired.
Lanzetta said work on this will start in a
few months.
Lanzetta said the rehabilitation of the
south pier at the Milton waterfront is
moving ahead. The board transferred
some funds for this, a few donations have
come in and he secured $10,000 from the
cell tower project that will be built at
the town highway department on Route
9W. In total, about $140,000 has been set
aside to pay for the engineering plans for
the pier. Some of the actual work on the
pier has to be done between August and
September to avoid disturbing spawning
fish. In all the project is estimated to cost
The Marlborough Republican slate: L-R Russell DeSantis for Town Supervisor, Tom Corcoran
for Ulster County Legislature, John Alonge for Highway Superintendent, Dan Jackson for
Town Judge and Ed Molinelli and Scott Corcoran for Town Councilmen.
$1.2 million and the Town Board will be
drawing up a bond resolution they will
discuss at a special meeting on August 5.
Lanzetta pointed out that in 2023 a $4.5
million road bond will be fully paid for,
leaving the town free of paying $350,000 a
year that could go toward this project. He
also successfully secured $313,000 towards
this project through a Consolidated
Funding Application grant.
Lanzetta is also exploring the possibility
of having a company erect a solar farm at
the landfill that would produce nearly
2 Mega-Watts of power. In addition, he
received $150,000, also from Sen. Larkin,
that was used to finish the painting of the
Milton Train Station.
“It’s completed now, it’s beautiful and
it’s a town building that is rented out
and we’re very happy about that,” he
said. “That’s like the cornerstone of the
whole thing that is going on in that area.”
He said he resurrected a $98,000 grant
from NYS Parks and Recreation that
will be used for a walkway down from
Watson Avenue, some plantings and a few
benches just west of the station.
Lanzetta pointed out that through
volunteers and securing member items,
he did not have to raise taxes on the
residents.
Lanzetta said Republicans Ed Molinelli
and Scott Corcoran will run unopposed
for their Town Council seats. He said
Highway Superintendent Gael Appler
Sr is retiring and he supports candidate
Republican John Alonge for that position
“100 percent.”
The Marlborough Republicans have
fielded a full slate of candidates; Russell
DeSantis for Supervisor, John Alonge for
Highway Superintendent, Dan Jackson
for Town Judge and Ed Molinelli and
Scott Corcoran for Town Council. Tom
Corcoran is running for the Ulster County
Legislature.
First time candidate, DeSantis has
owned a home in Marlborough for 26
years and said he wants to be involved in
the town. He said being employed by the
MTA loop bus transit system in northern
Dutchess County has prepared him for
what is involved in working with a county
government.
DeSantis said he wants to make the
roadways in Marlborough better and
push to make the town more affordable.
“I’d like to see Marlborough where
everybody wants to come here because
we are an apple industry and bring that
industry more and more to the farmers,”
he said.
DeSantis said he will try to prevent
taxes from increasing by bringing more
businesses to town.
“Marlborough is a very good area
Democrat Al Lanzetta is running for re-elec-
tion for Marlborough Town Supervisor.
where we can bring in some beautiful
industrial parks and I would make it
mandatory that there are lakes in front
and a lot of shrubbery and landscaping.
That would be a big help to Marlborough,”
he said.
DeSantis favors continued work at the
Milton waterfront, however, he says, “it’s
not what it should be, it really isn’t. Let’s
be honest, we can make it better.” He
would like to bring in boat slips and have
day and seasonal rentals.
DeSantis wants to make the train
station more profitable.
“Let’s bring in people where we have
an income coming in; whether we acquire
it and we run it as a business or we bring
in people that want to acquire it and make
it where the money is brought in.” he
said.
DeSantis said he would like to see
Marlborough producing more agricultural
products, be more of a resort town, have
more bed and breakfast establishments,
and continue to promote the pick-your-
own farms.
DeSantis said he is retired and is able
to dedicate 40 or 50 hours per week to the
position of Supervisor, if elected.
DeSantis described his outlook.
“I am very adamant, I want to make
changes and I want to do the right thing,”
he said. “I want to make Marlborough the
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