Citizens Demand a Voice At Town of Fulton Meeting

WEST FULTON — The meeting opened with a presentation on Narcan use by David DeSando R.Ph. former director of pharmacy at Cobleskill Regional Hospital. DeSando, who is retired, does Narcan training as a volunteer and sees it as a critical service to the community. Desando’s highly informative presentation painted a picture of the stark reality of opiate addiction and its effects on the community and warned against the villainization of those suffering from the disease of addiction. In all, even as a statistics-laden laden factually astute collection of information, his presentation amounted to an impassioned plea for citizens to get informed as the knowledge that he was sharing has proven to be life-saving. He included a QR code that when used, will produce a list of 64 locations in Schoharie County where free doses of Narcan can be acquired. For more information, visit: sccasa518.org/harm-reduction.

The rest of the meeting chugged along until the point in the agenda which used to include “Privilege of the Floor ''. At least four people had requested permission to address the board. The tension was palpable as some voiced their disapproval at having been denied the right to speak at the two previous town meetings in which the Town Supervisor, Phil Skowfoe had suspended the privilege. Citing the need to prevent counterproductivity after the December 2023 Town Meeting became heated regarding a property that he owns and which has been the subject of numerous complaints. Skowfoe says that prior to this meeting, he let Dean Rheinhardt and Al Hodder know that he was willing to hear their concerns. All POF matters were limited to two minutes and one subject.

Dean Rheinhardt confirmed that of several issues that concerned him enough to address the board, he was only allowed to address one which he felt was unfair. Reinhardt claims there is a need for greater accountability, responsiveness, and transparency from the town. Others voiced similar concerns.

His most recent request was in regards to an update on an issue going back to 2018 in which he claims that there is a lack of clarity regarding the completion of a project related to a previously abandoned portion of Bouck Island Road #2. Reinhardt says the town claimed the road using eminent domain after a dispute regarding its use, between the claim holder (who acquired the road after it was abandoned by the town) and Shaul Farms, who needed to use the road to access one of their fields. According to Rheinhardt, Shauls failed to honor the agreed-upon terms to continue usage and the claim holder then denied them access. Reinhardt believes that the town used eminent domain to claim the road to satisfy Shaul’s. Skowfoe says that he believes the road should never have been abandoned as there are two property owners there that use it.

Albert Hodder cited State Law 3-12 Public Participation in Town Board Meetings and Public Hearings, which states that “the public does not have the right to speak at town board meetings except as provided by rules created and adopted by the town board.” Hodder, who is a member of the town board interpreted this to mean that the right to speak should be at the discretion of the board, not the individual Town Supervisor.  

Skowfoe says he plans to meet with County Attorney Michael West to confirm in writing that the right to speak is at the discretion of Town Supervisors.