Former Town Board member Alan Boulant will soon be back in the role he says he should never have left.
Supervisor Chris Koetzle on Monday named Boulant to a Town Board seat vacated in late February by Sid Ramotar, who left to take a job with the United States Small Business Administration in Albany after being elected in 2009.
Boulant, a Conservative who owns Paul Perry Kitchens and Solid Surface Craftsman on Freemans Bridge Road, was chosen by a four-member selection committee out of nine candidates interviewed for the job, Koetzle said. The committee included Koetzle, board member Gina Wierzbowski, Town Attorney Michael Cuevas and Deputy Supervisor Jamie McFarland.
The all Republican four-member Town Board plans to vote on Boulant’s appointment at its next meeting on April 1. Koetzle said there is a consensus among board members that Boulant should fill the vacancy. Koetzle said his experience and ability to step into the role with ease set him apart.
“Al has always proven to be a strong advocate for the town residents, and passionate, and that came through in the interview,” he said.
Boulant, who served on the board as deputy supervisor from 2010 to 2013, left to run for the Schenectady County Legislature in 2013, losing to Cathy Gatta by about 100 votes. He said his motivations for serving the town aren’t political.
“There were things happening in the county, building-wise, contract-wise, that kind of defied common sense, so I decided to run for county Legislature, and it was probably the dumbest thing I could have done because I don’t have that make up,” Boulant, 52, said. “I’m not politically correct.
“I believe in this community, and I’ve been here almost 35 years.”
Boulant said a $330 million casino planned across the Mohawk River in Schenectady adds to his excitement about stepping back onto the board.
“The casino’s going to be a great dynamic for this area, and I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I know it’s going be a very positive thing.”
Koetzle said the nine candidates for the Town Board job were a mix of Conservatives, Republicans, an Independence Party member and one Democrat — Michele Draves, who is vice chairwoman of the Scotia-Glenville Democratic Party. Karl Batzinger, a registered Conservative and retired Glenville police officer, and Gary Kilmartin, a retired town Highway Department employee, were among the other candidates.
“We’re going to ask some of these candidates to serve in a different capacity, and I think that’s nice to have more people involved,” Koetzle said.
One of those roles could be a Zoning Board seat being vacated by Boulant, who was named to that board in January. Koetzle said he may have found someone to fill the upcoming vacancy through the Town Board interview process.
“Probably a couple, actually,” he said. “But we did find someone we interviewed who would fit that role nicely.”
Boulant will have to run for election in the fall to serve the remainder of Ramotar’s four-year term, which runs through 2018. The part-time Town Board job pays an annual salary of $11,369.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady County
