County to Hire Third-Party Vendor Pending Litigation With Local Newspaper

Bovina Supervisor Tina Molé (left) gets sworn in after reappointment as Chair to the Board of Supervisors. 2025 will be Molé's 9th year serving as chair and 24 years as supervisor. Molé took the time to reflect on some of the programs and projects that have most benefited county residents while maintaining a debt-free status. "The ability of this board to continue to be fiscally responsible while still providing substantial services to our communities is a testament to the work each one of you puts into this job," Molé stated.

DELHI—Delaware County Supervisors held their 2025 organizational meeting on Jan. 8, during which several appointments, designations, and other business were conducted.

The Hancock Herald and the Mountain Eagle were designated the official newspapers. Deposit Supervisor Rebecca Walley was absent. Supervisors Maya Boukai, Delhi, Wayland Gladstone, Andes, and Wayne Marshfield, Hamden, opposed the resolution. All three supervisors believed The Reporter, another local publication, should have been added to the list. Marshfield noted that Hamden designated The Reporter as they cover his municipality.

The publication was denied its county designation in 2022 after Supervisors voted to use the Hancock Herald instead. The main reason for the adjustment was the increased costs of legal notices at The Reporter.

Supervisors and County department heads later signed a letter accusing The Reporter of misrepresenting facts and editorializing stories. The letter states that while officials appreciate the increased interest in county business, they request an immediate change to create fair and ethical reporting on county affairs. The letter explained that County officials had attempted to clarify misinformation with little change or support. The letter further stated, "This flagrant manipulation of facts and the manner in which your paper (The Reporter) reports county business was one of the reasons the Board of Supervisors opted to change the official county paper."

The Reporter owners Kim and Randy Shepard gained support from Cornell and sued the County in December 2023. The plaintiff alleges the County has violated the civil rights of the publication. The case has now entered Federal Court, where the County has been mandated to collect all emails and text messages that discuss The Reporter.

Supervisors approved a resolution to hire a third-party vendor to review County correspondence and pull necessary documentation. The resolution states the fee may be covered by insurance and cost is left out of the resolution. County Attorney Amy Merklen said it is still unclear if costs will be covered and the county may be responsible. Supervisors Boukai and Gladstone voted against the resolution.

"Delaware County residents should not be responsible for paying this cost," said Gladstone.

While agreeing with Gladstone, Chair Tina Molé explained that they are mandated by the court.

"We walked ourselves into this we can get ourselves out," responded Gladstone.

The resolution rescinds a previous resolution approved at a special meeting on Dec. 23 which stated fees could cost up to $75,000.

At the meeting close, Supervisors entered into a private session for attorney-client privilege. The most recent court proceedings took place on Monday, Jan. 6.

Other appointments and designations were made as follows:

Molé was reappointed as County chair for the 9th consecutive year with James Ellis as vice-chair.

Colchester Supervisor Arthur Merrill was reappointed as budget officer.

Penny Bishop was reappointed as clerk to the board.

Judith Garrison was reappointed as the Democratic commissioner of elections for a two-year term.

Joseph deMauro was reappointed as director of information technology for a one-year term.

Wayne Shepard was reappointed as director office for the aging for a two-year term.

Joseph Ermeti was reappointed as public defender for a two-year term with a salary of $195,625 plus on-call pay incurred. Boukai, Marshfield, and Davenport Supervisor Timothy Kelso opposed Ermeti's reappointment. Marshfield and Kelso both said the opposition was due to the high salary.

Scott Glueckert was reappointed as Stop DWI coordinator for a two-year term.

Mark Dunlop was reappointed as director of the Veterans Service Agency for a two-year term. Dunlop was designated as overseer of burial for Armed Forces members and families.

Keith Weaver was appointed as the youth bureau director for a one-year term.

Several banks were designated official depositories including Wayne Bank, The Delaware National Bank of Delhi, The National Bank and Trust Company, JP Morgan Chase, and Community Bank NA.

*The reporter of this article was previously employed by The Reporter.