Republicans declare their choices for Glenville positions

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bethany Bump

The Scotia-Glenville Republican Committee has endorsed mostly incumbents for the handful of town positions up for grabs this fall.

With a unanimous vote, the committee endorsed Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle for re-election, Sid Ramotar and Jim Martin for the Glenville Town Board and Tom Coppola for Glenville commissioner of public works and highway superintendent, according to a news release issued this week.

“I couldn’t imagine a stronger group of candidates to represent the town of Glenville and District 3 of the Schenectady County Legislature,” Scotia-Glenville GOP Committee Chairman Dave Lindsay said in the release. “We have been blessed to have leadership in the town of Glenville that has led to vibrant prosperity through responsible growth and controlling expenses all while staying under the 2 percent [tax levy increase] cap. To carry over strong management, fiscal responsibility and discipline into District 3 is a win/win for the town of Glenville and Schenectady County.”

Koetzle has served as town supervisor since 2010, during which time Glenville has seen its Moody’s bond rating improve and the addition of Lowe’s, Target and Panera Bread to the town’s main business corridors.

Ramotar is running for a second term on the Town Board, where he has served since 2010 as a liaison to the Efficiency in Government Committee, Board of Assessment Review, Grievance Day Committee and Park Planning Commission. The committee touted his involvement in expanding parking and access at Maalwyck and Indian Meadows parks, as well as his work with department heads to improve communication between departments.

Martin is the only non-incumbent endorsed by the committee. He is running for Alan Boulant’s seat on the Town Board. Boulant is running for the Schenectady County Legislature this fall. Martin has served as chairman of the Town of Glenville Small Business and Economic Development Advisory Committee and is currently chairman and CEO of the newly formed Town of Glenville Local Development Corporation. He has more than 30 years of experience in municipal planning, finance, project management and economic development, and he works as a senior planner at the LA Group, a landscape, architecture and engineering firm based in Saratoga Springs.

Coppola is running for a second term as commissioner of public works and highway superintendent. Since he began serving in that role in 2010, the town has consolidated plow routes, updated equipment without borrowing and reduced the cost of its leaf pickup program.

The committee also endorsed candidates for Schenectady County Legislature District 3, which includes the village of Scotia and the towns of Glenville and Niskayuna. They are Alan Boulant, owner of Solid Surface Craftsman in Scotia; Grant Socha, vice president of Socha Management Inc.; and Nicholas Gerace, a Niskayuna native and Army veteran.