When Heather Emerich resigned from her position as Pine Plains Highway Superintendent in June, after serving 16 years with the department and eight years as Superintendent, it took the Town a few months to find a replacement. Lisa Ferguson, who has experience in the field, was appointed to the position but resigned shortly thereafter when she discovered that her salary for the Highway Superintendent was not what she initially thought.
Ferguson spoke at the Town Board meeting on October 20, 2022, where she stated that she had misinterpreted the budget and thought the salary was larger for the position. She also stated the salary was not discussed with her during the interview process.
Confusingly, Ferguson’s name had been placed on the ballot during the short time she held the Superintendent’s position and when she resigned, it was too late to remove her name from the ballot. She reiterated at the Town Board meeting that she would not be available to serve if elected.
Fortunately for Pine Plans, a qualified alternate candidate has emerged to step into the breach. He is Carl Baden and as you have seen from yard signs around town, he is running as a write-in candidate.
Carl spoke with our correspondent Murphy Birdsall. Here is her report:
Carl Baden made the decision to run for Highway Superintendent after the ballots had been printed and, therefore, his name is not included. There is a strong and visible campaign to write in his name for the position.
Baden has “been asked for years to run,” but in the past would invariably respond that he was “a little busy right now.” This year, he guesses, “It’s now time for a change. I just have to jump in.”
Baden has been running his own business, Emerald Green Landscaping, since he started it in 1998. He has been driving a school bus for 17 years, is on the Zoning Board of Appeals and, with Ibis Guzman, runs Town Decoration Day. Baden also does set design for the winter school play and was on the Town Beautification Committee whose first project was the town park.
He graduated high school with, and is a good friend of, Heather Emerich, the former Highway Superintendent. Throughout her tenure in the position, he felt free to contact her if he noticed something around town that might need attention.
Baden and his wife, Amy Benack-Baden, have discussed the campaign and the possibility of being elected to the position. He said it was similar to the talks they had when they were getting ready to have kids, considering what preparations they had to make. Their oldest child graduates from high school this year, and they have instilled in their children that no matter where they are in college, they need to come home for Thanksgiving and stay until the day after Decorating Day.
Baden declares, “I’m passionate about my town.”
Note: Write-in candidates’ names are entered at the bottom of the column listing the office they are seeking. In this case, if you support Carl Baden, you should print his name in the last box at the bottom of the right-hand column of the ballot.
Another note: Carl is pictured as part of the acting troupe that performed in this year’s Evergreen Cemetery Lantern Tour.