TOWN POSITIONS OPEN

Below is a list of open town positions that you can try for at the caucus. I'm giving the salary amounts from memory because I'm too lazy to look in my piles of junk to find the budget. It's here somewhere...

Voting positions open:

Supervisor - Pays about $6,500 a year plus expenses. Lot of work - 2 Year term

Town Board member - Doesn't really pay but you get $1,000 a year for expenses. - 2 positions for the regular 4 year term and because of resignations there are 2 other positions open with 2 years terms. Total of 4 open positions.

Non voting positions open:

Town Clerk - Pays about $6,500 a year, nice job for a semi-retired person. Lot of part time work - 2 year term.

Highway Supervisor: - Pays about $30,000 or so - Lot of work. - 2 year term.

Town Justice or Justice of the Peace - Pays about $7,000 plus another 2 or 3 grand for the Justice's clerk. Currently they are a wife and husband team so it's all in the family. Another nice job for a semi-retired couple. - 2? year term.

The town board members are 4 year over lapping terms. This is done to have continuity and to have at least 2 town board members with at least 2 years experience. This year 2 board members resigned and that is why all 4 positions are open. 2 are 2 year and 2 are 4 year.

Of all the jobs above the town board member position is the least amount of work and even the busiest person could fit it in their schedule. Once a month there is a meeting that usually lasts less than an hour. (Second Monday at 8 PM) If there is an issue before the board (Jet Skis on Little York lake etc) it can run longer. It is rare to have it run two hours. There are occasionally extra meetings called when there is an issue before the board that requires public comment such as a rezone or looking at the year end budget. I'm guessing this happens 3 or 4 times a year. You might also be called upon to drive somewhere in town to look at something which you can do whenever you're out and about. A case came up a few months ago for a request for a streetlight on route 11 and everyone was asked to look at it between meetings. You would also likely get calls from your neighbors asking for help on issues relating to the town such as a streetlight. You would also have some issues to read up on and I've seen members doing this at the meetings. Some take the papers home to read too. Being on the town board can be fun and you can help your neighbors who are not currently being represented. You can also help keep the town out of trouble by speaking up and voting against things that will generate lawsuits. You can also be a supporter of good by pushing for issues that help all of the people of Preble rather than a select few.

We need a more diverse group on the town board that represents all of the people. Right now only one segment of our diverse town is represented and that has been the basis for all the problems in the past. You CAN make a difference, you CAN find the time and you SHOULD run for office.