Hurley Town Supervisor Michael Boms says he is ready for another term, emphasizing the town’s finances, infrastructure upgrades, and leachate as his top priorities.

Boms, who lived in Olive for 30 years before moving to Hurley in 2015, said he was dismayed to learn there was no reliable cable service—something his wife, a nutritionist, required for work. His political career began when the town declined to address the issue and he ran for town board.

“My name was well known in the community, and I won!” Boms said, referring to his 28 years of teaching science and coaching track at Onteora High School. “After a year and a half of advocacy, we prevailed, bringing Time Warner (now Charter) service to Hurley, without the exorbitant fees originally cited by the corporation.”

Energized by successfully challenging a $2 billion company, Boms served again. He later ran for supervisor when John Perry vacated the seat but lost in the primary to Melinda McKnight. Boms said McKnight “wreaked havoc on the town, treating residents disrespectfully and mishandling finances.”

After a second primary defeat to McKnight, Boms accepted an invitation to run as a Republican.

“I made sure it was clear I would not toe the party line, and I won,” Boms said.

Boms said much of his term has been spent “cleaning up messes left by McKnight and her deputy, Peter Humphreys, while also making good progress on infrastructure projects.” He said it cost the town $100,000 in accounting fees to clarify the McKnight administration’s financial mismanagement, citing the misuse of special funds for operational costs, a lack of bookkeeping, $300,000 in unpaid bills, and excessive contractor fees.

“What McKnight referred to as a surplus was actually just unpaid bills we had to cover a year later,” Boms said. “It was a slap in the face to Hurley residents.”

Boms said the town has worked with the New York State comptroller’s office to resolve financial issues and  can now focus on infrastructure and community services.

“We are building a new highway garage because our current one is condemned, we’ve approved increased ambulance and emergency medical services, we’re rehabbing the old library to become the Hurley Heritage and Community Center, and we are working with the county on pedestrian safety initiatives too,” Boms said.

He pointed to drainage ditches that force pedestrians onto roadways as a key safety issue. The town plans to cover and pave the ditches to create shoulders for walking and biking. Crosswalks are also being installed at the intersections of Main Street, Zandhoek Road, Hurley Avenue, and Millbrook Avenue, along with a speed safety zone around Myer Elementary School.

Upgrades to the playing fields at Hurley Park are also in the works, under the purview of Deputy Supervisor John Perry.

“Stormwater drainage continues to be an issue for us too, especially because funds were spent but not replenished by the previous administration,” Boms said. “We worked on four sites in 2024 and will address four or five more in 2025.”

A major issue facing Boms and the town is dealing with toxic leachate from the now-closed Hurley landfill, a designated Superfund site. Boms said the town’s attorneys are optimistic about securing a $1.325 million grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation for a study on how to clean up the site.

Boms said the problem worsened after Humphreys suspended extractions that should have taken place three to four times a week. He said the town became aware of this in July 2021, when the DEC issued violations for unlawful levels of contaminants.

“The berm surrounding the landfill is now vulnerable to bursting, putting both the reservoir and residents’ homes at risk,” Boms said. “And now, no leachate pulls are taking place because no one will accept it. We are stuck between a rock and a hard place and truly hope funding will come through so we can take all necessary remediation measures.”

Boms also criticized a tarp placed at the site by the previous administration, which he believes was unnecessary and possibly harmful. He lamented the removal of beneficial bulrush and phragmites plants that had helped filter heavy metals for more than 30 years.

“We’d love to bring those back, but right now, we don’t want to do anything to jeopardize funding of the study,” Boms said. “Fixing this mess could likely cost over $7 million.”

With the primary election set for June 24, Boms said, “We are busy listening to people and doing what needs to be done. We’ll just keep going at it.”