Our view: New Hartford transparency key to trust

Observer-Dispatch

Posted Jan 11, 2010 @ 05:03 PM

If New Hartford town Supervisor Patrick Tyksinski ever expects to regain the trust of town taxpayers, he needs to make his government much more transparent.

That certainly wasn’t the case in the town’s securing of an advance from Oneida County to stay afloat.
It’s no secret that New Hartford is in dire financial straits. But it mustn’t be a secret what town leaders are doing about it. Last week, it was learned that New Hartford received a $300,000 advance from the county to meet payroll and take care of other bills that were due. The problem is that Town Board members said they hadn’t been made aware of the transaction.

They most certainly should have been.

The money was received late last month — before Tyksinski took office — and came from anticipated sales tax revenue for the final quarter of 2009. It’s money due the town, but it’s usually not disbursed until February.

The advance had been authorized by former Supervisor Earle Reed, said Heather Mowat, who had been hired in June to help straighten out town finances but no longer works for the town.

Tyksinski, a certified public accountant and former town comptroller, said during his campaign that he’ll monitor town finances himself.

While his background would certainly suggest that he’s qualified to do that, the dual role might be more than one person can — or should — handle, especially given the town’s dismal record.

In this case, town officials and the people they represent should have been made aware of the $300,000 advance before the deal was cut.

As Town Board member Christine Krupa asked: “Was it our only option or were there other options?”

This is another example of the cloak of secrecy under which New Hartford town government has operated.

With just a little more than a week into his term, Tyksinski needs to set the tone of open government now in order to win back a rightfully skeptical constituency who are paying dearly for past blunders. Transparent government won’t right past wrongs, but it can provide some hope for the future.

No interest is being charged and the town does not have to return the money to the county.