At its Jan. 2 organizational meeting, the Ancram Town Board unanimously approved a slate of largely routine resolutions and reappointments for 2026, then turned to a more consequential question: how to fill a vacant fifth board seat.
The vacancy was created when Colleen Lutz, formerly a council member, was sworn in as supervisor. The board now consists of Lutz, incumbent David Boice, newly elected Jennifer Boice, and re-elected Amy Gold.
Lutz outlined three options: appoint a fifth member to serve until the November 2026 election; ask the state to authorize a special election at the town’s expense; or leave the seat vacant until 2026. She raised concerns about maintaining a quorum — which requires at least three members physically present — and the possibility of 2–2 tie votes. Gold attended the meeting via Zoom.
No board member supported a special election. Gold favored an appointment, while David Boice and Jennifer Boice preferred leaving the seat open for voters to decide, citing past instances when the board operated with four members — and at times just three. Jennifer Boice said, “Maybe the challenge of a two-two tie vote would make us figure out how to compromise and to work together.”
The board agreed to revisit the issue Jan. 15, when members will bring forward names of potential appointees and vote on whether a viable candidate exists or whether to wait for the November election.
Among other reappointments, the unpaid deputy supervisor position was left undecided until Jan. 15. The role, selected by the supervisor and not required to be filled by a sitting board member, prompted Lutz to seek guidance from the town Ethics Committee because she is related to both Boices: her husband, Will Lutz, is Jennifer Boice’s brother, and Jennifer and David Boice are married. Ethics Committee chair Jack Lindsey said the committee would meet Jan. 6 and report back to the board. Drawing on his experience when Ancram operated with three board members, Lindsey also recommended appointing a fifth member for 2026.
In other business, Lutz introduced a change to the town’s meeting schedule, proposing monthly workshop sessions from 6 to 7 p.m. ahead of regular meetings on the third Thursday of each month. “This will give us an opportunity to discuss each subsequent month’s issues in an open forum in advance,” she said. Workshops may be canceled in months when they are unnecessary. Lutz said the Jan. 15 workshop will focus on reviewing the town’s 2025 year-end financials.
Gold reported progress on engaging a firm to update the town website and create official email addresses for board members, saying she expects the work to be completed sooner than a full calendar year.
Earlier that day, Lutz was sworn in at Town Hall by her father, Dennis Smith. Jennifer Boice was sworn in by Suzan Flamm, who also administered the oath to re-elected Ancram Fire District Commissioner Tom Miller.