Robert Courtenay

What makes you uniquely qualified for this position?

I have 42 years of experience in a leadership position managing budgets in excess of $50 million. I know how to manage and impact a budget. You have to look at it 52 weeks a year to make sure you keep it balanced to avoid budget modifications. I will maintain a strong fund balance without wasteful spending, thus keeping taxes under control.

I am a problem solver. I have extensive experience in negotiating contracts. For example, no other member on our board was able to get the library contract signed. I was able to get it done with just one sit-down with the Chester Public Library. I answered the residents when they asked, and I saw to open town hall five days a week.

I was instrumental in bringing forward livestream so our residents could watch the meetings from home and be able to participate live. I was successful in implementing a timekeeping system that the New York State Comptroller’s Office wanted remedied back in 2019. These are just a couple of examples of the things that I have accomplished in my time as member on the town board.

What do you see as the supervisor’s primary role?

As the leader of the town government, town supervisors need to conduct themselves in a professional manner. The supervisor should work to prevent a hostile work environment.

A primary role of the supervisor is to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the town and make sure all departments are properly staffed. I intend to be a full-time supervisor, being in the office every day and always available to employees and residents alike.

How do you plan to involve residents in the decision-making process?

Another important role of the supervisor is to bring people together to improve the town. The Parks and Recreation Departments need a complete overhaul, with our parks neglected and the summer camp program abandoned. I will bring back the committees that were disbanded in prior years.

I want the residents to have a voice at the table. One solution will be to reestablish our parks commission to help brainstorm ideas to improve our parks and recreation programs.

If you received a $1 million grant to use for the town any way you wanted, what would you want to do with it and why?

There are many pressing issues. If the town received a $1 million grant I would want to use it toward the infrastructure that has been neglected for several years. I know how to bring people together. We need to fix our relationships with our county and state leaders, a relationship we currently do not have, which is evidenced by the stalemate in property negotiations. Lack of communication is holding back money that we could be getting to improve our town.