LivingADK Shares Webb Supervisor Candidates’ Viewpoints Ahead of Upcoming General Election
LivingADK is sharing responses from Webb Town Supervisor candidates Greco and Baker to questions submitted by community members, giving residents an opportunity to learn about each candidate’s views on issues affecting the Town of Webb ahead of the upcoming general election.
Scheduling conflicts prevented LivingADK from holding its customary “Meet the Candidate” night at View Arts. These written questions and responses provide another way for residents to hear from both candidates and make informed voting decisions.
Incumbent Tom Greco
What are the three most important issues facing the Town of Webb over the next several years, and what specific actions would you take to address them?
A stronger year-round economy
Tourism is the foundation of the Town of Webb economy, but we need more year-round economic opportunity for the people who live here. That means actively looking beyond traditional tourism businesses and making connections with the Herkimer County IDA, ANCA, and businesses and organizations across the Mohawk Valley and Adirondack Park. I will bring partners into our conversations, continue to listen to what businesses and entrepreneurs need in order to locate or grow here, and pursue grants, programs, and other resources that can help. More year-round jobs will strengthen the tax base, support local businesses, and give families more reasons to stay.
A strong civic culture
Webb has something worth protecting. People know their neighbors, volunteer, help one another, and are passionate about the place they live. I will continue to work alongside the nonprofits, civic groups, and volunteers already doing that work, and continue to look for ways the Town can support and strengthen a community-centered culture. The reaction to the last significant housing proposal showed how quickly an important community conversation can become a community fight. We need a different pattern: more listening, more participation, and a willingness to work through difficult subjects together. Let’s work together to create meaningful opportunities for all sides to be heard before disagreements become divisions.
Housing
Housing is tied directly to our ability to grow and sustain the community. Businesses need employees who can afford to live here. Young people who want to come home need a place to live. Older residents need options that allow them to remain in the community. There is no easy answer. Communities throughout the Northeast and across the country are working on the same problem. We need to build on the new Housing Committee, examine zoning and other tools available to the Town, and learn from communities that have found workable approaches. Just as important, we need to be willing to talk about housing again. The reaction to the last significant housing proposal made discussing housing off limits. I will reach out to communities who are making progress, and bring forward any useful ideas that can actually be considered by the community. We may not agree on every solution, but we can agree that finding a way forward is worth the effort.
What should the Town do to make Webb a more sustainable and attainable place to live year-round?
Webb has built an unusual amount of public infrastructure and community capacity for a town of its size. We own one of only two municipally owned ski areas in New York State. We provide municipal garbage collection, police protection, a strong highway department, public bathrooms, a seven-day visitor information center, and other services that both residents and visitors rely on. These are assets worth protecting. the same time, we are losing capacity in some important areas. School enrollment has declined. Our volunteer emergency services are aging and increasingly difficult to staff. Infrastructure gets older every year. The people who keep the community running, from emergency responders to business owners to municipal employees, need to be able to live here.
That means community development has to be about more than attracting visitors or bringing in businesses. We need to build a community that can support the people who live and work here. Housing is part of that. So are workforce development, infrastructure planning, emergency services, and finding new uses for underused buildings and properties.
The Town needs to become more intentional about community development. We have a tremendous collection of assets, but they do not automatically translate into a strong year-round community. A dedicated resource could help the Town identify opportunities, pursue grants, connect property owners and businesses with partners, and work with county, regional, and state organizations on projects that are too large or complicated for the Town to handle alone.
The goal should be twofold: continue to be an excellent place to visit and make sure Webb remains an excellent place to live. What is your approach to managing the Town’s finances over the long term, including budgeting, infrastructure investment, and maintaining the services residents rely on?
Long-term financial management starts with knowing the true cost of running the Town and maintaining what we own.
Webb provides a lot of services and maintains significant infrastructure for a community of our size. The Town Board needs good financial information to make decisions about what we can afford, what needs investment, and where changes may be necessary.
In 2026, I appointed Kelly Hunkins as Budget Officer, creating a dedicated role for looking at the Town’s finances as a whole. That position adds capacity to analyze financial data, work with department heads and Board members, and better understand the actual costs of Town services.
We also need to pursue outside funding aggressively. In 2026, the Town submitted a New York State Consolidated Funding Application and a WIIA grant application to address sewer problems. I want to build on that work and pursue grants whenever they can reduce the cost to local taxpayers.
The Town Board also needs to have open discussions about difficult financial questions, including the true cost of services, infrastructure needs, fees, and taxes. Good decisions require knowing the numbers and being willing to talk honestly about what they mean. We should not assume Webb has to figure everything out on its own. We need to ask for advice, listen to people who have solved similar problems, learn what is possible, and bring good ideas back to the community. Then we need to be willing to try something new when it makes sense for Webb.
What do you see as the Town’s most pressing public safety and infrastructure challenges, including substance use and drug-related concerns, traffic during peak tourism periods, and other demands created by seasonal population increases, and what role should the Town Board play in addressing them?
The Town Board is made up of people who live here. We know these roads, send our children to these schools, rely on the same emergency services, and care about what happens to our neighbors. That should shape how we approach public safety and community problems.
The Board cannot solve every problem, but it can make sure problems are heard and people are not left to face them alone. We can step out of our comfort zone, and do more, like holding listening sessions, inviting speakers and moderators, creating task forces and committees. We need to work with Inlet and neighboring communities facing similar challenges.
Mental health and social isolation deserve attention, particularly among young people and seniors. Substance use requires cooperation with organizations such as Public Health, the Department of Social Services and Catholic Charities. Traffic and road issues require working with the Department of Transportation. When the Town does not control the answer, we should know who does and advocate for our residents with county and state agencies, including our Assembly and Senate representatives.
Our emergency services need that same advocacy. The Board must listen to the people who answer our calls, understand what they need, help them find available support, and speak up for them when county or state action is needed.
Public safety is more than responding when something goes wrong. It is knowing our community well enough to see where people are struggling, caring enough to act, and using the Town’s voice to get the right people involved.
Looking at your current or previous service in Town government, what accomplishment do you believe will have the greatest positive long-term impact? Is there anything you would handle differently?
I believe the Town’s greatest asset is its employees. As a Town Board member, I pushed hard for pay increases that brought every Town employee to at least $20 an hour, moving the Town toward a living wage. I am proud of the department heads we have hired, including Hannah Wheaton, Jeff Abrial, Jay Williams, Kris Johnson, Kevin Kress and Chief Mulcahy. Their professionalism, passion, and care for this community are raising the level of Town capacity and setting us up for the future.
As Supervisor, I have worked hard to rebuild trust within the workforce and to make sure procedures are fair, consistent, and compliant with labor laws and standards. I have documented the reasoning behind decisions so future Town officials have a clear record and can understand why decisions were made. A good government cannot depend on one person’s memory. We must leave the next person with a better foundation to work from.
As for what I would do differently, I came into the job with my own background and experience, but there was a great deal I did not know about municipal government. I could not have known what I did not know, and at times the learning curve was steep. The way through that is determination, asking questions, reaching out to people with expertise, and communicating with colleagues and residents. I would approach many things differently knowing what I know now, but I am proud of how I worked through challenges and what I learned from them.
Candidate/Former Town Supervisor Bonnie Baker
What are the three most important issues facing the Town of Webb over the next several years, and what specific actions would you take to address them?
One of the major challenges facing the Town of Webb over the next several years is our aging underground infrastructure. Many of our sewer and water lines are decades old and we cannot afford to simply wait until they fail to react. Developing a comprehensive 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year capital plan that identifies and prioritizes the areas of greatest need, establishes realistic cost estimates and coordinates water, sewer, road, and other underground work whenever possible. When we open a road, we should look at everything underneath it, so we are not paying to dig it up again a few years later. At the same time, we would aggressively pursue state and federal grant funding so that we can make the necessary investments while limiting the burden on taxpayers. Always keeping in mind “grants are not free money.” It shows fiscal responsibility, but we need to consider the required match and future operating costs before accepting them.
What should the Town do to make Webb a more sustainable and attainable place to live year-round?
One of the greatest challenges is making the Town of Webb a sustainable and attainable place to live year-round when we have very limited land available for new housing, as well as the aging infrastructure. We need to think differently about the housing we already have by possible changes in the zoning laws. Housing is not a one size that fits all issue. We have seen two former motels turn into apartments and those units are not consistently full. Before the town supports additional apartments or other housing options, we need to understand the actual housing needs and where the gap exists. We already have evidence that simply adding apartments doesn’t automatically solve the housing problem. One solution would be to pursue senior housing within our community. Many of our older residents want to remain in the Town of Webb but maintaining a home can become difficult. If we were to provide attractive, affordable senior housing with accessibility and services nearby we would give our seniors an opportunity to stay in the community they love. At the same time, some of the homes they currently occupy could return to the housing market potentially creating opportunities for younger families and year-round workers. Again, the aging infrastructure needs to be addressed first or all at once.
What is your approach to managing the Town’s finances over the long term, including budgeting, infrastructure investment, and maintaining the services residents rely on?
My approach to managing Town finances is to plan for long-term while remembering that we are spending taxpayers’ money. We need to provide the services that our residents depend on today while preparing financially for the needs we know are coming tomorrow and the future. The annual budget is needed to protect the services our residents rely on, public safety, roads, recreation, senior services, our transfer station, and other Town operations. Every department should be accountable for their spending and should be continually looking for efficiencies without sacrificing the quality of those services. Good financial management is not just about balancing one year’s budget. It is about looking ahead, maintaining healthy reserves, investing wisely in infrastructure, pursuing every appropriate funding opportunity and making decisions to keep the Town financially strong for the next generation.
What do you see as the Town’s most pressing public safety and infrastructure challenges, including substance use and drug-related concerns, traffic during peak tourism periods, and other demands created by seasonal population increases, and what role should the Town Board play in addressing them?
I believe substance abuse and illegal drug activity are among one of our public safety concerns. We are a small community, but we are not immune to the drug problems affecting communities across the country. Cocaine, Crystal Methamphetamine, Heroin, Ketamine and other dangerous drugs can be found here, and we cannot pretend otherwise. These situations affect not only the individual using the drugs, but their families, their neighbors, and the overall safety of the community. The Town Board can support law enforcement prevention and treatment efforts while making public safety a priority. Our comprehensive plan also recognizes the importance of supporting education and programs aimed at decreasing drug and alcohol abuse. We should follow through on our commitment by treating substance abuse as both a public safety concern and a community issue that requires cooperation, prevention and support.
Looking at your current or previous service in Town government, what accomplishment do you believe will have the greatest positive long-term impact? Is there anything you would handle differently?
I believe one of the greatest long-term impacts of my service in Town government was helping move forward the investment in our Wastewater Treatment Plant. The approximately $3.8 million investment was the beginning but it cannot be the end. Our aging sewer and water are directly connected to the health, safety and future of our community. We need to continue to aggressively pursue grants and other funding opportunities so that these necessary improvements do not fall entirely on the taxpayers. I believe these are important investments we can make for generations to come.
