Poll: Support for Casino Remains High

Support has fallen for a Howe Caverns Casino, but it remains well above a majority of residents according to our latest Schoharie News survey conducted on the proposed gaming facility. Howe Caverns bid, one of five in the Capital District, is now undergoing review by the New York State Gaming Commission.

With over two hundred votes cast roughly six in ten readers continue to be in support of the local project, while only 27% of residents are opposed, and four percent remain undecided on the subject. Interestingly enough, one in ten are withholding their support unless controversial owner Michael Malik is let go. 

Malik, as it was exclusively reported by the Schoharie News, has a questionable personal and financial background; one that was downplayed by Howe Caverns owner Emil Galasso in the Cobleskill paper's latest edition. 

The poll was open for six days and was located on the right-hand sidebar of the website. 

Poll: Plurality Views McAllister Favorably

A plurality of Schoharie News readers view Cobleskill Town Supervisor Leo McAllister in favorable terms, this according to a recent survey that was open from Wednesday morning until late Sunday evening. Roughly one hundred and twenty-five residents participated. 

What is your opinion of Cobleskill Supervisor Leo McAllister?

Favorable - 48%

Unfavorable - 27%

No opinion - 26%

Mr. McAllister is by far the most influential member on the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors, due to his enviable sixteen percent share of the weighted vote and his calculated business wherewithal on financial matters. He is currently half-way through his first year. 

The poll was open for five days and was located on the right-hand sidebar of the website.  

Vote in Our New Poll: What is Your Opinion of Supervisor McAllister?

No one man has more influence on the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors than Cobleskill Supervisor Leo McAllister and his coveted 16% weighted votes, which have proved pivotal in recent months on votes concerning the casino, stream bank work, and tax abatements. 

However, due to his significant role in county politics and his, oftentimes, decisive vote on policy matters, we are posing the question to Schoharie News readers in our latest poll of whether they view Cobleskill's Town Supervisor favorably or unfavorably in regards to his role as county legislator. 

Mr. McAllister is a successful businessman who has brought his financial know-how and private sector wherewithal with him to the county board. He was elected to the position last November after handily defeating then-Supervisor Tom Murray in the paradigm shifting elections. 

The poll will remain open until next Wednesday is located on the right-hand sidebar of the website. 

Poll: Readers Vote Down Full-Time Chair

Schoharie News readers overwhelmingly voted down our latest poll question that asked "Should the position of County Board Chair be made full time?" The proposal had been made several times over the years, but was reintroduced into discussion by Esperance Supervisor Earl VanWormer this legislative session. 

Should the position of County Board Chair be made full time?

Yes         - 20% (37 votes)
No          - 75% (142 votes)
Undecided - 5% (10 votes)

Many respondents left comments favoring the creation of a county executive or implementation of an public administrator/manager position. The Schoharie County Board of Supervisors recently established an Administrator Committee to study what effectiveness, if any, would result from implementing said changes in government. 

The poll was open for one week and was located on the right-hand sidebar of the website.

Vote in Our New Poll: Should County Board Chair be made Full-Time Position?

Many suggestions have been made for adding an additional layer of oversight to Schoharie County government, from the implementation of a county executive to simply appointing an administrator to oversee the daily tasks of county bureaucracy. However, one proposal has been largely ignored.

Therefore, we are asking in our current poll what Schoharie News readers think of making the position of County Board Chairman a full-time job, as Esperance Town Supervisor Earl Van Wormer has proposed in the past. The survey already has over one hundred votes and will remain open until Sunday. 

The poll is located on the right-hand sidebar of the website. 

Poll: Residents Strongly Disapprove of Terry

A recent survey of Schoharie News readers has found that local residents strongly disapprove of Schoharie County Planning Director Alicia Terry's job performance, with many voicing concerns over Mrs. Terry's handling of business development and the contentious AECOM stream bank project. 

With two hundred readers responding, 70% voiced dissatisfaction with the county Planning Director's performance in office, while only 25% viewed her work positively and the remaining 5% are undecided on her tenure's impact either way. The poll was located on the right hand sidebar of the website.

Mrs. Terry is seen as the last of the Conservative Party stalwarts in local government following the party's trouncing in the polls. She is the daughter of late Schoharie County Clerk Eugene Hallock.

Vote in Our New Poll: Do You Approve of Alicia Terry's Job Performance?

On the sidebar is our new question: Do you approve of the job performance of County Planning Director Alicia Terry? Why or why not?

Poll: Readers Overwhelmingly Disapprove of Cuomo

Schoharie News readers overwhelmingly disapproved of Governor Andrew Cuomo's job performance in a recent poll conducted over the past week. Mr. Cuomo has faced a wave of bipartisan resentment over his widely unpopular gun control law, the "SAFE Act," particularly across Upstate New York. 

With slightly less than two hundred votes cast only 16% of readers approved of the first term executive's performance in Albany, while 80% view the rumored White House hopeful negatively. The remaining 4% were undecided.

This is in stark contrast with statewide polls that show Mr. Cuomo's approval ratings in the high fifties to low sixties as he prepares to take on Republican Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino in the fall. Schoharie County is expected to go strongly for Astorino after barely backing Paladino in 2010. 

Poll: Readers Split on Favorite NFL Team

Schoharie County's varied beliefs and politics are well known to the Schoharie News, as months of polling data have documented the fluidity of local politics. However, never before have we seen a result as inconclusive as our latest survey on Schoharie County's favorite professional football team.

Reflecting the diversity of New York sports fans, and the failure of all three local teams to successfully control their market, only 54% of county residents favor one of the New York franchises, while over one-third of them support a team out of state altogether. 

What is your favorite NFL team?

Other - 26%

New York Giants - 26%

New York Jets - 18%

New England Patriots - 11%

Buffalo Bills - 10%

What is the "NFL" - 10%

Please remember to vote in our current poll, located on the right-hand sidebar of the website, asking whether or not Schoharie News readers approve or disapprove of Governor Andrew Cuomo's job performance in Albany. 

Vote in Our New Poll: Do You Approve of Governor Cuomo's Job Performance?

Governor Cuomo's administration has had a lot on its plate over the last four years from fracking to gun issues to taxes to regulations. Do you approve of the way he's handled the job the last three and a half years? Vote in our sidebar to make your voice heard.

Vote in Our New Poll: What is Your Favorite NFL Team?

Over the weekend we asked our readers on facebook who their favorite National Football League team was; the response was varied between the three franchises that call New York home - the Bills, Giants and Jets - to the regional powerhouse New England and several teams spread across the nation.

Inspired by the impassioned debate, our new poll is concerned with the question of which professional football team is Schoharie County's favorite to root for on the gridiron. Now, we can't list all thirty-two teams, but our survey will feature the area's four regional franchises that each received strong support.

The poll is located on the right-hand sidebar of the website and will be open until Monday afternoon. 

Poll: Readers Approve of Gibson Job Performance

The latest Schoharie News poll has found that readers overwhelmingly support the job performance of incumbent Congressman Chris Gibson. He has represented Schoharie County and the rest of the 19th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since January, 2013.

Congressman Gibson was first elected to the House in 2010 over incumbent Democratic Congressman Scott Murphy in the 20th congressional district, and was subsequently re-elected to his second term in the 19th district following the redrawing of congressional districts in 2012. 

According to the survey, which one hundred and twenty two readers participated in, 67% (82 votes) approved of the Congressman's job performance, while only 25% (31 votes) disapproved and the remaining 7% (9 votes) remain undecided at this time.

Gibson is currently seeking his third term in office against Democratic challenger Sean Eldridge.

Vote in Our New Poll: Do You Approve of Congressman Chris Gibson?

After two years of representing Schoharie County in the House of Representatives, our next poll question is concerned with whether readers of this publication approve or disapprove of Congressman Chris Gibson's job performance in Washington. 

Gibson, who is seeking his third term in office this November, won Schoharie County's vote in the 2012 election by a two-to-one margin over Julian Schreibman. He is slated to face Democratic challenger Sean Eldridge in this fall's contest.

The poll is located on the right-hand sidebar of the website and will remain open until next Thursday.

Poll: Middleburgh Fastest Growing Community

According to a recent survey of Schoharie News readers, when asked which community they believed was the fastest growing in Schoharie County, Middleburgh was selected by a significant margin over both the county's economic hub of Cobleskill and a revitalized Sharon Springs.

The Valley community has grown exponentially since the devastating effects of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, due in part to the pro-active approach of local elected officials on both the village and town level and the resiliency of businesses and residents alike to recover. 

With more than one hundred and fifty votes cast, 45% of respondents believed that Middleburgh is the county's fastest growing community compared with only 23% who thought the same of Cobleskill and 17% that said Sharon Springs was tops.  

The poll was open for seven days and was located on the right-hand sidebar of the website.

Vote in Our Poll: Which Community is the Fastest Growing Economically?

With the communities of the County all recovering from recession or flooding, which one do you think is currently the fastest growing?

Vote in Our New Poll: Do You Approve of Assemblyman Lopez?

In our latest survey of Schoharie News readers, we are asking whether you approve or disapprove of New York State Assemblyman Peter Lopez's job performance as Schoharie County's elected representative in the lower house of the state legislature. 

Assemblyman Lopez was first elected to the State Assembly in 2006, after having previously served as Schoharie County Clerk, Schoharie Town Supervisor, and Village of Schoharie Trustee over the years. Lopez has regularly received over 60% of the vote in his re-election campaigns.

The poll is located on the right-hand sidebar of the website and will remain open until Saturday morning. 

Poll: Voters Strongly Approve of Jaycox

The latest Schoharie News poll has found that readers strongly support the job performance of Schoharie County Clerk Indy Jaycox, who has served in her current capacity since being appointed to replace Peter Lopez following his election to the Assembly in 2006. 

Mrs. Jaycox has since been re-elected twice to the position, most recently over perennial candidate and former Middleburgh Mayor Gary Hayes by a near two-to-one margin in November 2011.

According to the survey, which over one hundred and fifty readers participated in, 67% (104 votes) approved of the Clerk's job performance, while only 25% (39 votes) disapproved and the remaining 7% (12 votes) remain undecided at this time. 

We have previously surveyed the approval ratings of Sheriff Desmond, District Attorney Sacket, and County Treasurer Cherry; the last of which was marred by voter fraud.

Vote in Our New Poll: Do You Approve of County Clerk Indy Jaycox's Job Performance?

In our latest survey of Schoharie News readers, we are asking whether you approve or disapprove of Schoharie County Clerk Indy Jaycox's job performance as head of the local Department of Motor Vehicles office in Schoharie. 

Mrs. Jaycox, who was first appointed to the position by Governor Pataki after Assemblyman Peter Lopez was first elected to the state legislature, has subsequently been elected twice to head the countywide office that suffered severely from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Irene. 

The poll is located on the right-hand sidebar of the website and will remain open until Friday afternoon. 

Poll: Plurality Believe Officials Responsible for AECOM Debacle Should be Fired

Coming off the heels of Friday's vote by the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors requesting the New York State Comptroller's Office investigate the AECOM debacle, Schoharie News readers are deeply divided over what the county's appropriate response to the scandal should be. 

With over one hundred and fifty votes cast, 46% of readers believe that county officials responsible for the circumstances resulting in the stream bank project's $2.6 million budget shortfall should be fired, while 42% contend the county's should respond by covering the project's full costs to ensure final work is completed.

Leave the contract, halt all stream work	9 (5%)
Try to meet AECOM halfway	7 (4%)
Pay the full amount to make sure that the work is done	65 (42%)
Fire county officials responsible	71 (46%)
Other (please comment)	1 (0%)

If anything can be observed from these results, it is that the county is deeply divided over the stream bank remediation project and the fallout associated with revelations that AECOM had conducted work past the purview of their original contract, which had been altered without consent of the Board of Supervisors. 

Readers Blame "Good Ol' Boys," Local Government for Paltry Economic Growth

Over sixty percent of Schoharie News readers believe the greatest impediment to local economic growth is either the prevalence of a "Good Ol' Boys" attitude or the interference of local government (high taxes also received 12% of the blame). One hundred and five votes were cast in the survey since last week. 

What is the biggest economic impediment to local economic growth?

High taxes	13 (12%)
Regulations	5 (4%)
State Government	8 (7%)
"Good Ol' Boys" Attitude	38 (36%)
Local Government	26 (24%)
Low Population Density	6 (5%)
Inter-Generational Poverty	5 (4%)
The "Brain Drain"	1 (0%)
Other (please comment)	3 (2%)