Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Zander Frost, Chronicle Staff Writer
Moreau United — a “bipartisan alliance” — launched an effort to oust Moreau Town Supervisor Todd Kusznierz and gain a majority on the town board.
Retired water superintendent Jesse Fish is running for Town Supervisor.
Incumbent Democrat John Donohue and Patrick Killian will seek the two available town council seats versus endorsed Republicans, incumbent Alan VanTassel and Radici restaurant owner Carly Mankouski.
Mr. Fish said he retired as Moreau water superintendent in 2019. He said Mr. Donohue put the party together and approached him to run for Supervisor.
“We’re obviously not happy with the way things are,” Mr. Fish told The Chronicle. “And there’s a lot of people that aren’t. So it’s just time for a change.”
Mr. Donohue frequently calls Mr. Kusnierz a “bully.” Monday he called Republican council members Kyle Noonan and Alan VanTassel “enablers.”
“People haven’t had a choice, and they’ve got a choice now,” he said.
“They can have a career politician with two hand-picked enablers. Or they can have three just regular guys, not politicians,” Mr. Donohue added. “We want to be public servants and do what’s right for the people of the Town of Moreau.”
Mr. Killian responded via text, but did not take specific questions. He wrote, “My perspective is that I will not engage in any antics. The town, the village and our community deserves more then what’s been happening in our town!! Time for change.”
Moreau United said its candidates will take positions on big topics.
Like the planned Biochar carbon fertilizer facility?
“I don’t know,” Mr. Fish said. “I‘m not in favor of Biochar. Is it so deep that we can’t stop it from coming here? I don’t know.”
“To say, well, if I’m elected we’ll stop this. I can’t say that,” but “I don’t think it should be shoved down the people’s throats. I’m against Biochar. I don’t think it should be brought here.”
What about enabling solar farms in the Moreau ag district?
“That’s something that I’m not involved with at all,” Mr. Fish replied. But, “to help the farm farmers out. I mean, if that’s going to subsidize their income somewhat, and it’s not hurting anybody else, I don’t see why it’s turned into such a big issue.”
Mr. Donohue said, “I don’t want to see our agricultural district lined with solar panels. I don’t. But there are some projects that were proposed and are waiting on a solar law that would be perfect in the agricultural district.”
Mr. Donohue says some projects would allow farmers to continue farming. He said, “We should have a solar law on the books, sit down and hash one out, good, bad or indifferent.”
Moreau United also cites the Exit 17 sewer extension.
Mr. Donohue said in 2018 the sewer district extension “was specifically voted on and passed to be a stimulus for growth along the Exit 17 corridor.”
He says, “79 properties were going to vote on this, and people were promised that they weren’t going to have to pay for this thing, that there was going to be a big warehouse…[and] office complexes coming in, that they had people lined up to come in here…
“Well, none of that has come to fruition. You know, it just hasn’t happened.”
Mr. Donohue said, “The debt is going to be paid by assessed value of your property…These people were sold a bill of goods.”
Mr. Donohue said now, others “want to put all their eggs in one basket and spend millions of dollars on a ‘build it and they will come’ extension down to Saratoga County.”
Mr. Fish said, “Everything is lined up to go [to Glens Falls]…Everything right now is going to Glens Falls, everything that’s hooked up. So to spend another $4 million to go the other way to send everything to Wilton, I don’t know what the advantage to that is.”
Mr. Donohue suggests, “We could buy capacity as we need it right now from the City of Glens Falls, and see where we’re at and see how things develop.”
Mr. Fish said, “I don’t want to get into bashing people. That’s not what it’s about. I don’t agree with some things. But that doesn’t mean that I’m right and they’re wrong. It just means that I don’t agree.
Moreau United said it will hold a meeting at the Moreau Community Center on March 11.
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