Lumberland’s race for supervisor

By SANDY LONG

GLEN SPEY, NY — Two current Lumberland councilmen, Jay Shafer and Faber Wilson, will vie for the opportunity to run for the seat of town supervisor during the Republican primary scheduled for September 15 at the town hall in Glen Spey from noon to 9:00 p.m.

Shafer is completing his first term on the town council and also serves as the Lumberland representative to the Upper Delaware Council. Shafer, who was born and raised in the town, said the most important issue facing Lumberland residents is the town’s financial status. “We’re 2.9 million dollars in debt, and we need to bring back fiscal responsibility to the town,” he said. Shafer noted that top priorities should be “paying bills and making financial reports on time.” He added that the town’s tax assessment rate should be looked at to “make sure we’re not over 100-percent assessment.”

Shafer and his wife, Linda, have four children and four grandchildren based in the town. He and his brother, Jack, operate the family business, Shafer Brothers Construction.

Faber Wilson has lived in the Town of Lumberland for 20 years and will complete his ninth year as a council member in December and his fourth year as deputy supervisor. Wilson said he considers the top town issues to be finding ways to help people cope with rising taxes and “trying to hold onto the services we have, such as the highway department and constabulary, without raising taxes.” He said he would like to see the town kept cleaner and that he would encourage volunteerism to achieve that.

Wilson is a New York State corrections officer. He and his wife, MaryAnn, have one son who serves in the military and has been to Iraq twice.

Both candidates said they support natural gas extraction within the town as long as it’s done responsibly without impacting the town’s water and roads.