Glenville Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle gave his final State of the Town address last night. The Republican celebrated the progress the Schenectady County community has made in his 15 years on the job.
Koetzle, the first full-time supervisor in the Town of Glenville, delivered his 15th State of the Town Wednesday.
“We are strong, we are growing, we are vibrant, and we are fiscally sound. Looking back over our 15 years together, I can report that we are in significantly better shape than we were when I first began,” said Koetzle.
Koetzle will leave office to become Executive Director of the New York State Association of Towns in what he calls a bittersweet decision. The organization advocates for local governments at the state capitol in Albany. And while Koetzle has said he will leave in May, the Republican told town residents and local officials that he will stick around during the transition as necessary.
“Our comptroller has retired, our DPW Commissioner has left, the board is mostly new, our police department is facing a rash of retirements. These are troubling events and they have led to some instability in the short-term. And as such, I’m committed to stay as long as I need, on a limited basis, to ensure a smooth and stable transition. I will not leave this town unless it is a smooth and stable transition,” said Koetzle.
Koetzle said deputy supervisor Bob Kirkham Jr. will assume the role of acting supervisor upon his exit. A special election will be held in November.
As Koetzle looked back on his time leading Glenville, he highlighted preventing steep tax increases.
“This town, first and foremost, has always stayed under the tax cap. And it is the only municipality in the county, including the county, to do so without ever using gimmicks,” said Koetzle.
He spoke about quality of life investments in the Route 50 corridor, which have brought new commercial businesses to town.
“We turned a dark, empty corridor into a vibrant, thriving place of commerce,” said Koetzle.
He spoke about investments in public parks.
“In my tenure, we’ve expanded the park system and we added 40 acres of new parkland,” said Koetzle.
He spoke about the expansion of paths and sidewalks to schools.
“We got it done. We worked together with all these different communities and our children and residents are safer today because of it,” said Koetzle.
He pointed to infrastructure, including new water contracts with neighboring communities, and the town’s involvement in a class-action lawsuit to seek damages for low concentrations of PFAS in water supplies.
“I’m being told the award that Glenville may be in line for is over a million dollars, and that will help us buy the carbon filtration system needed to take the PFAS out of our water,” said Koetzle.
And he said he fulfilled his initial campaign promise to establish a town-wide event. The Glenville Oktoberfest has attracted crowds since 2010.
“This is a town event, but it has grown into the region’s premier festival, and I’m eternally grateful for all those who made that happen,” said Koetzle.
As he prepares to step down, Koetzle said his next chapter is exciting, and offers great opportunity for him and his family.
“But I’ll never forget you all gave a western New York kid a chance. And no matter where I go in the future, Glenville will always be considered my home,” said Koetzle.
