A well-meaning piece of advice for Clayton Clark
- Tassilo von Parseval
- 38 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Ask any person in town what they think about Clayton Clark and the answer will invariably be: "He's a nice guy". Clayton, I have always agreed with this assessment ever since I saw you in action on the Greenport town board where you always sit to the left of Kathy Eldridge. You're affable and not someone likely to give grand-standing performative speeches. It's something that I always respected.
However, it's now becoming increasingly clear that you being the nice guy is actively working against you in your run for supervisor. Come the November election, people may remember you as someone who did not, and still isn't sufficiently, standing up to Kathy Eldridge as she is in a frantic effort of self-preservation while pulling Greenport into the abyss. It would be a shame if that became your legacy.
After your nomination for supervisor candidate by the Republican caucus late in June, you stated that you "can work with people that I don't always agree with. I am here for everybody. I vote for what's best for the town".
The upcoming town board meeting on Wednesday, September 9 is when this will be put to a test. The meeting, scheduled to be at a rather unusual and hostile 4 PM, has as its sole agenda item paying the bills. Once that is done, Supervisor Eldridge will ask for an immediate motion to adjourn.
If you truly vote for "what's best for the town", you can under no circumstances make or second that motion. If you do, you will forfeit your chances to become Greenport's next supervisor.
I really hope that you remembers what Greenport's most pressing issues are. Kathy Eldridge, who has been nothing more than a breathing empty shell of a supervisor for most of 2026, isn't one of them. The only bit of relevance she has left is the damage that she is threatening to bring upon Greenport.
Greenport's response to the flooding of July 29
This needs to be the first priority. For decades, the issue has been talked about and ultimately always deferred. It has now become so bad that whole buildings had to be condemned for collapsed basement walls. Other homeowners, most of them on Virginia Ave, have to deal with sewage backflow whenever there's more than a few inches of rain. It is not a tenable situation that can be ignored any longer.
During the workshop of the August board meeting, a vote was passed to entrust the Highway Superintendent John Mausolf, Water and Wastewater Superintendent Jimmy Rutkey and Town Engineer George Schmitt to come up with an honest estimate of what it would take to fix these issues. You voted yes on this motion. These findings would have been presented at the September meeting, except that Kathy Eldridge deleted it from the agenda.
If you care about Greenport and its residents, you will not allow Kathy to adjourn next week's board meeting until this item has been thoroughly discussed. Greenport residents, especially those in Lorenz Park, will be watching closely.
The appointment of a fifth town board member
When I heard of Frank Iaccino's resignation, I was certain that a replacement would be appointed at the next board meeting. The town board meeting in August, when all resolutions and motions ended in a 2:2 tie, made it abundantly clear why a fifth and tie-breaking vote is needed.
So why is it not on next week's agenda? It appears that Kathy would much rather see a hung town board than one that can pass resolutions. This harms Greenport, and it also harms your chances in the supervisor election in November. You can put an end to this charade and insist that a new town board member be appointed.
The chaos in Greenport's handling of payroll
For months, chaos has reigned in the town's timekeeping and handling of payroll. It appears to have affected employees in every department. John Mausolf has repeatedly pointed out the mishandling of payroll for his guys in the Highway Department. I hear the same thing happens in the Water Department and even the Town Court clerk's office. Bill's are no longer paid on time and as a result the town is accruing late fees.
This is basic stuff yet the town can't seem to get a grip on it. It needs to be discussed. The best opportunity to do so will be at the coming town board meeting. Please make sure that this will get the attention it deserves. It shouldn't be Maus's or Jimmy Rutkey's guys that pay the price for the incompetence of Kathy Eldridge.
Greenport's poor standing with NY State
This will become a major issue in the upcoming years when Greenport will want to apply for grant money from NY State to address its crumbling wastewater system. Greenport is behind every single municipality in the county when it comes to measures it has taken to become more climate-resilient.
NY State has noticed this and as a result, Greenport's chances are currently slim to none when it comes to financial help from the state.
The only way out of this is for Greenport to roll up its sleeves and start catching up. To that effect, I've sent numerous pieces of correspondence to each member of the town board. I had some vague hope it might be on the agenda for this month's town board meeting. I think if it had been up to you, it would have been discussed already but currently, you still seem too timid to tell Kathy that she's no longer in charge.
Debbie Mausolf is still not Town Clerk
This is a no-brainer given how vocal the vox populi has been on this issue. The town board, thanks to you, came one vote closer to appointing her after you did the right thing and abandoned Eldridge. The correct move is to try again—maybe you can talk sense into Guy Apicella and show him the light.
Who authorized the Flock camera by the town park entrance?
Jim Dolan brought this up at the August board meeting and his question was met with silence from the rest of the board. After a pause, Water Superintendent Jimmy Rutkey admitted verbatimly: "I don't know who put that there. It's not ours". The topic of Flock cameras has recently become a major issue in Columbia County. Caitie Hilverman, from Hudson, recently wrote an outstanding article about the issue. Just the other day, the Times Union published its editorial on it. Greenport voters, irrespective of whether they support Flock cameras or not, want to know how this camera wound up installed quite literally in the town park. Maybe it was former sheriff Don Krapf who decided he can skip the usual channels when he ordered the camera be put up sometime in the past ten months. Either way, we want to know how it happened. Please raise this very simple question at next week's town board meeting.
The choice between Greenport and Kathy Eldridge
Your brand has always been that of the pleasant and helpful guy. But being pleasant and helpful to Kathy Eldridge means turning your back on Greenport and its residents. As someone who vowed to do what's best for the town it's time for you to abandon her and realize that she is—politically and morally—a sinking ship. Turning away from her now is the only way to prevent her from doing more damage and keep your own chances to become supervisor alive. Maybe you are a personal friend of Kathy Eldridge. No one will hold this against you. But this can't be your priority. It has to be Greenport and its residents.
The town can't afford to lose the four months left until a new supervisor takes the rein in January. Remember that this year's election is not uncontested—John Porreca Sr. is a very well-respected figure in town who in his previous stint as supervisor had the guts to stand up to the fish farm and their questionable actions. I think the Town of Greenport needs a supervisor with guts. On November 3, I'd much rather see a ballot where both candidates are viable.
