Albion town supervisor says Culhane helped bring community leaders together

Posted 31 October 2017 at 2:53 pm

Editor:

No longer can local governments function efficiently without forming and maintaining solid working relationships with neighboring municipalities. This is particularly applicable for town supervisors who lead their respective town councils to better provide for the health, safety, and welfare of their constituents.

I have had the good fortune to know and work with Carol Culhane since I was elected as Town of Albion Supervisor four years ago. Most people do not know that Carol regularly gathered her fellow supervisors to discuss the unique challenges towns face. It was invaluable to meet and talk with other supervisors in a purely informational manner about how we better serve our respective towns. All of us came from different professional backgrounds, yet benefited immensely from our shared experiences. Each of us walked away more capable to serve as supervisors because Carol made it a priority to bring us together.

Despite what some candidates new to local government say, no one truly knows how to handle a town supervisor’s responsibilities in their first term. This is especially so if they have, for example, not been a regular participant at meetings, served on a planning board or on town council. We simply do not show up on January 1st of our first term knowing it all or even most of the job. It is a continual learning experience and no incumbent supervisor or candidate understands this better than Carol.

I cannot vote in the Town of Gaines, but if I could, there is no doubt my vote would be for Carol Culhane. She is everything you could ever ask for as Town Supervisor. And she is everything I could ask for as a friend.

Matthew Passarell

Supervisor

Town of Albion