The Overlook is conducting a series of interviews with candidates running for office in the Nov. 4 election, offering readers the opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to shape their communities. In this installment, senior reporter Jim Rich sits down with Barbara Mansfield, the Democratic nominee for Shandaken supervisor, who is running against incumbent Peter DiSclafani on the Working Families Party line. Mansfield discusses her focus on improving communication between the town and residents, expanding cell service, advancing affordable housing, and completing a comprehensive master plan to guide Shandaken’s future growth. [The following has been lightly edited for clarity and concision]:
What do you see as the single most important issue facing the town right now? And how would you address it in your first year in office?
Barbara Mansfield: Well, I think it reflects the preliminary findings from the comprehensive master plan. There were three issues that were top, and one was to patch in cell service because we’re undercovered. Two was affordable housing and three was the environment. Now, that’s kind of vague in terms of the environment. We already have a lot of protections.
Because of the state?
Barbara Mansfield: Right now we are within a preserve, the Catskill Mountain Preserve. So there’s a lot of preserved land anyway. But that doesn’t mean that we still don’t have issues like there’s a lot of state land that at higher elevations, and they want us out of the floodplain. So we have to work with the state on what’s an environmental plan for getting us out of the floodplain. If you own so much of the higher elevations, how do we deal with that? That’s a bigger question for down the road. Cell service. There is a tower under consideration that got a lot of blowback from the community. But the tower is being reconsidered. Verizon is in its final week or so of considering whether to choose another property, and I think we really need it. We also have the opportunity of remote work. And that is not going to happen without cell service.
Many residents feel disconnected from local government decisions until an issue directly affects them. How would you improve transparency and communication between town and residents?
Barbara Mansfield: I think this is really the main reason I ran. We couldn’t get answers from the (Shandaken) Parks Department on cash flow and how much money we had to spend to repair things in parks. And it just seemed strange. And when we asked for answers, we got either no answers or different answers. So, I think consistency and knowing where our finances are, that’s a big one. But the other thing is that there needs to be a proactive element. Often in board meetings, [Supervisor DiSclafani] neglects to provide context for whatever is being discussed so people don’t really know what the topic is. The other issue is that there’s no outgoing. So one of the things I’ve told everybody is I want to have a regular supervisor newsletter outgoing to the public. Let’s talk about what we’re doing. Nobody has any idea what the town is doing to better the town.
Given budget constraints, what’s one area where you think the town could operate more efficiently? Or where would you like to see taxpayer money better spent?
Barbara Mansfield: I run a grant-making foundation for families and children, and we are doing a lot. And I don’t know that this is the ultimate solution, but we are doing some recreational programs that are under-supported, we don’t have enough money for. But if we were to join with a nonprofit, we might have better results. So I think that there’s a possibility for public-private partnerships with our recreation program.
Let’s go back to the issue that you’ve already identified at the top: Cell signal has been an issue in the town for as long as cell phones have existed. Despite the ongoing need for better service, the pushback, as you pointed out, is connected as well to the larger issue of this tension between commercial and residential use in the same area. And it’s talked about as far as the need for the business and tax revenue. So, the cell signal is sort of at the tip of that spear, but it is connected then to the wedding venues issue and other businesses. How would you balance the two?
Barbara Mansfield: I think it goes to what do the people want in terms of balance? And I think it’s not about what I want. The best stewardship of a supervisor would be to listen to what they want. So finishing the master plan this year is extremely important. I’ve already worked with [Deputy Supervisor] Robert Drake to author a grant for zoning consultants. So going next to take the findings from that master plan and writing a plan for zoning and land use, that makes sense. Because right now, nothing in this town comports with what the zoning rules are. It’s all out of whack. So that has to be fixed. And hopefully we get that. We’re hearing about that funding soon. And if we don’t get that, there’s a couple of other avenues for funding that.
I think you hit on the trickiest and most important aspect of this, which is: The listening to what the people want. Unfortunately that’s not a unified thing. There’s one group saying, ‘hey, we want this because it’s going to be beneficial to our business. And then you’ve got the neighbors who are saying, ‘well, wait, we want the exact opposite or some lesser version of this.’
Barbara Mansfield: Fortunately, we have really, really good consultants for the master plan. And rather than ask do you want A or do you want B, they’re asking questions in a range to what does this look like? So what does okay zoning look like? Do you want A, B or C on your scenic byway? Do you want this in your hamlets? Where exactly do you think it would be okay to have development? And it was really interesting when the live sessions that they ran, what the answers were. I was stunned when I found out how many people were supportive of the Phoenicia Elementary School becoming affordable housing. I did not expect that kind of support.
The town has had challenges in the past in coordinating with state and county agencies. Much of this centers on the fact that many town officials are volunteers and the town, writ large, has limited financial resources. What are the ways to fix this or make it better?
Barbara Mansfield: Again, I’ve mentioned this before, but what challenges are people having as volunteers to get things done and what help do they need? For example, when I was starting as a Parish Field manager, I realized we had no agreement for that as a park. And so I kept contacting the parish and the office, the archdiocese office, the office that rents their land and couldn’t get a response. And all the parishioners at Saint Francis got involved in that. And lo and behold, in a very short time, we had an agreement to rent Parish Field again. So,I think, through coordinated efforts like that, there’s a lot of lift when you have other people there to help you. But I think it’s important on the municipal side to recognize the work that people are doing. We don’t really have a vehicle for recognizing these amazing programs that are happening and people that are volunteering to do things that are really moving the needle on a lot of issues.
But is that a direct result of the financial constraints? And how do you tackle that? Because, what you’re saying makes sense, but at the end of that, if you can’t write the check to make that happen, then you’re right back in the same spot.
Barbara Mansfield: Well, the initial problem has been we’ve been spending too many years being not grant ready. So not having our financials in with the state and not having a master plan. So now that we are nearing complete grant readiness, that’s going to help.
What specific skills or experience do you bring that make you the best candidate to serve. And why you, as opposed to Peter?
Barbara Mansfield: I would say that I have a better understanding that the office is of a fiduciary nature. You have to do what is best for the town, not you personally. And that’s important to me. I have a 30-year nonprofit context for that kind of work. I also am a better communicator. I think many people have expressed frustration with not understanding where Peter stands on issues. I also have far more grant writing experience. And I think I work hard to be trustworthy.
Jim Rich is a senior reporter for The Overlook. You can reach him at jim@theoverlooknews.com.
