January 5, 2009
It appears to us that Sardinia Town Supervisor Kathy Balus has been especially graceful in the aftermath of the Town Board election in which the two candidates that she endorsed, Ron Kenyon and Chuck Tobin, lost. She has genuinely welcomed the two new Town Board members and has worked hard to make sure that they are up to speed on issues and have materials and information that they need and or request in order to best serve the residents and voters of the Town of Sardinia. Given the nasty tone of the election campaign and the scathing personal attacks that characterized Montgomery and Hanno’s campaigns, it may come as a surprise to some that Balus can be so professionally level headed and personally giving. But those that know her are not surprised. Her personal confidence and genuine concern for the interests of the people of Sardinia combined with her professional approach to work and governance is a Balus trademark. She serves and leads the Town well at a very difficult time.
Clearly Supervisor Balus has not worked in a vacuum. The character of other Town Board members is consequential. That is a given. And so is the basic fact that leadership is important. Balus is the right leader at the right time for Sardinia.
One of Balus’s best traits is her ability to work with others and to inspire leadership and participation. Her willingness and openness with the Town Board has been reciprocated in spades. She, and we the taxpayers and voters have been rewarded with Town Board member’s investment in diligence, preparation, and work sessions. This commitment has generated both a professional attitude and approach to often complex and demanding issues.
Since taking office she has worked hard to ensure that all voices on the Town Board and that residents voices are heard. She has worked hard to make sure that decision-making takes place, not in the back rooms, but in the light of public scrutiny and participation. Her fiscal approach is sound and accountable. She has worked to make sure that the bookkeeping and record keeping of the town’s finances are conducted professionally, above board, and are open and available to the public. She responded promptly to an audit of town records by NYS, and proposed and implemented remedies to problems identified. She initiated an audit of Waste Management payments made to the Town under the Host Community Agreement which has exposed some payment mistakes by WM. This has saved the town money and created an important precedent regarding accountability. Waste Management, to its credit, has been cooperative and responsive. She has worked to bring better summer youth and recreational programs with responsible staffing and scheduling; worked to restore and repair essential public resources including the Town Parks, and the Old Town Hall; worked to modernize the phone and computer systems used by Sardinia Town officials and the Sardinia Courts; worked to find new funding to plan and build sidewalks in Chaffee and with the County to insure paving and infrastructure improvements on County roads. She has worked to upgrade the Town pool facilities in Veterans Park; conserve public records and other documents that have been deteriorating in poor conditions in the basement of the Community Center. She has worked to bring events to residents including Labor Day in the Park, Earth Day, Summer Concerts, and to make events such as the Senior Flu Clinic non political. (This year it was held after the election, not before). She works hard to make sure that the public’s interests are represented in important issues such as Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals membership, policies, and initiatives. She has honed in like a laser beam on pushing public scrutiny and day light on approaches to new water district concepts, Planning Board funding and disbursements, and the granting of zoning variances for such projects as the Gernatt Gravel Mine in the center of the RT 16 corridor. She has worked with organizations such as the Sardinia Historical Society, the American Legion, and the Chaffee Sardinia Volunteer Fire Department to recruit membership, strengthen programs, and help chart a proactive course for the future. She has made new hires, new appointments, promoted volunteerism, and re-appointed a long dormant ethics panel for the Town.
Kathy Balus is an unusual public servant. She lives the job of Supervisor 24/7. This means a good deal of personal sacrifice. She often struggles to balance the needs and love of family with the relentless exactness of leadership. She doesn’t work for the money, doesn’t demand power. She works for the betterment of the community, and in this she is tireless and driven. She listens to people. She acts. She has fulfilled her original campaign pledges to bring new ethical and professional standards to Sardinia government and to expose decision making to the candle of public scrutiny. She has made internal, infrastructure and public space improvements. And she has diligently safeguarded the Town bank accounts. Because of her, and because of the relationships that she has crafted, Sardinia a better place to work, to invest, and to live. Because of Balus, Sardinia has an opportunity for a better future. She has demonstrated that she has the political will and personal graciousness to continue to make good things happen.
