Stamford Seeks Justice Candidate

STAMFORD - HOBART– Jackie Lamport will not be seeking another term as Stamford Town Justice and the town is hoping someone steps forward to run for the position in November. Petitions for candidacy are due in mid-April and so far, no one has announced their candidacy. She again made the announcement at the March 13 meeting of the town board. Designating petitions are due April 1-4 and the first day to sign independent petitions is April 16  with dates for filing petitions May 21-28.

Nicholas Frandsen, of Bovina, was present to introduce himself to the board. He is an attorney who grew up in Bovina, left the area for several years, and has returned, opening an office in his home and very soon a new office in Delhi.

A graduate of Delaware Academy in 2003, he was a member of the state champion football team and went on to college before joining the Marine Corps. He is opening his office in Delhi and has been working out of his Bovina home. He purchased his grandparent's property and opened a family law practice. His staff includes his sister, who is a paralegal, and a law clerk waiting to pass her bar exam. They deal with real estate and commercial contracts as well as institutional law. They have done litigation for corporations, and planning and zoning for clients. He did not foresee instances of conflict.

Board members later appointed him as town attorney. Andrew VanBuren resigned from the position on Dec. 31, 2023, when his wife was seated as town clerk.

Council members also appointed John Dropp to the town planning board, replacing Art Turner, who resigned at the end of 2023.

The justice books have been audited and Supervisor John Kosier reported that Headwaters EMS  held a public hearing on its application for a certificate of need. The not-for-profit ambulance service will be shared in the towns of Harpersfield, Kortright, and Stamford. He said the response time for an ambulance is 10 minutes to Kortright, six minutes to Harpersfield, and four minutes to Stamford. 

Council members also discussed roadside spraying versus roadside mowing as a cheaper, easier method to control high grass and weeds. There may be some cases, such as organic farming, where they may have to revert to mowing. No applicator’s license is needed as there are no restricted substances in the spray, according to Kevin Rinehart. It will save on manpower, with spraying done in mid-June and September.

A motion was made to go "all-in" on spraying roadsides like the state and county have been doing. "It will save time, money, and repairs. 

A brief report on the inquiry for making Rich Road a private roadway indicated that once a roadway becomes private, it is very difficult to make it public. It would also create a loss of Comprehensive Highway Improvement Program funding to the town for the loss of a one-mile section of roadway.