At least 4 seek vacated Seeber seat & say they’ll run in November

By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor

At least four candidates have applied to fill the remaining 11 months on in the term of Rachel Seeber, who resigned Monday as a Queensbury At-Large Supervisor on the Warren County Board.

Robin Larkin, Mike Parwana, Hilary Stec and Travis Whitehead all told The Chronicle they aim to run for an At Large seat in November, whether or not the Queensbury Town Board appoints them to fill the seat now.

Robin Larkin said she is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in private practice and secretary of the Queensbury Democratic Committee.

“I am a 19-year resident of upstate New York including eight years as a homeowner and resident of Queensbury,” at Glen Lake, she told The Chronicle. “I am a local business owner and active community member with professional and personal expertise in identifying issues and building consensus to solve problems.”

She cited “a robust skill set of conflict de-escalation, negotiation and compromise brokering,” with past experience with local government including in the Town of Ballston, where she previously lived. “My role as an election inspector taught me the importance of remaining neutral while fulfilling my responsibilities.”

Mike Parwana, a former chair of the Queensbury Democratic Committee, said he is a self-employed artist-blacksmith for nearly 27 years with a shop on the east side of Queensbury.

“I feel my selection would geographically balance representation on the BOS as the other 3 current at large representatives are from Ward 1,” he said.

He said his “primary” goal is “to replace the at-large election with a Ward based system in order to better reflect the needs of town residents.” A “further goal” is to advocate changing the Board of Supervisors to a county legislature.

In his lengthy letter, Mr. Parwana wrote in part, “There is a glaring lack of diversity in representation on both the town board and the county board. Having been born in Afghanistan, a predominantly Muslim nation, and being related to numerous immigrants who arrived in this country by various means in recent decades (many of them refugees) I feel I bring a set of experiences and valuable insight to discussions around policy, and it is important for members of the community to feel there is opportunity for all.”

He said he rejects the idea of “replacing one Republican woman” with another as “an affront to women themselves.” He referenced the Jan. 5, 2021 invasion of the Capitol and said, “I am and always have been a loyal American, that I reject sedition and insurrection, and that I am prepared to serve.”

Travis Whitehead opened his letter of intent with his objective, “To view public service from the other side of the table.”

Referring to the time limit on public comment at public meetings, Mr. Whitehead wrote, “It is tough to team-build in a 3-minute window, and so that hasn’t been my strategy.

“Three minutes is just about enough time to stir the pot, and I have a penchant for that as well, but I look forward to being free of the time constraints and to work in a more nurturing manner.”

He added in a message to The Chronicle, “While I feel I am best qualified, there is no chance they will choose me, but I hope to bring some visibility to the process.”

An electrical engineer with degrees from RPI in Troy, the Long Island native wrote that he moved to Queensbury in 2000, for work. He said he has a background in solar and wind power, working for corporations and on his own as GTW Engineering PLLC, “until about 2013 when I spent an increasing amount of my time directed towards public service.”

A self-described “watchdog,” Mr. Whitehead writes, “While I initially viewed my efforts as giving back to my community in a technical sense — as a consultant, pro bono — I have since discovered that I have a talent for asking the questions that are often overlooked and even less appreciated by local Boards that are not used to having their actions critically evaluated,” something he says is “natural in the corporate engineering world.”

Hilary Stec wrote, “I have been an active member of the Warren County Republican Committee for at least 20 years, holding varying roles: 4th Judicial District Women’s Group, Women’s Republican Club, State Representative, and most recently as Secretary, serving since 2013.”

Citing her career in Human Resources, “where I have helped businesses and their employees be successful,” Ms. Stec wrote, “My strengths of building relationships, excellent business acumen, working to solve problems, leading to organizational success is something I believe our county needs more than ever, as we work hard to enhance the quality of life here for all our taxpayers and the tourists who visit our area.”

She wrote, “I will endeavor to support all businesses, the lifeline to our economy as they are our job creators and offer the opportunity for our children to build their future in here, in New York.

“I will work closely with the state representatives to reduce the unfunded mandates and other tax burdens placed on us, while looking for opportunities on how we maximize services that are necessary throughout the rural areas of our county.”

“As a woman and a mother,” she noted also several issues impacting women in the workforce and child services that are “very important to me.”

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