New Mount Hope Supervisor Vows Greater Transparency

Paul Rickard (C) was sworn in as Town of Mount Hope supervisor by Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus in Otisville, N.Y., on Dec. 31, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

New Mount Hope Supervisor Paul Rickard said he’s eager to bring about the changes he promised on his nine-month-long campaign trail.

Transparency is on his Day 1 agenda, and in the future, the town board agendas will be posted online on Fridays for Monday meetings, subject to no last-minute changes except for emergencies, he said.

He also aims to produce a draft ethics law in the first month.

“We are going to hit the ground running tomorrow and start a new day,” Mr. Rickard said shortly after being sworn in by County Executive Steve Neuhaus on Dec. 31, 2023.

Having served as Mount Hope police chief for almost a decade, Mr. Rickard ran on his leadership record as a change agent and prevailed against then-Supervisor Matthew Howell in the Republican primary.

He faced no opponent in the general election.

“I’ve known Paul for probably 20 years,” swearing-in ceremony host and New York Assemblyman Karl Brabenec told The Epoch Times. “He is an exceptional leader, and he is going to do a good job.”

Aside from transparency, Mr. Rickard also pledged to host regular office hours to be more accessible to town residents and to keep the town tax levy stable.

“There will be a lot of changes with Paul coming on,” town Councilwoman Amanda Davis told The Epoch Times. “I am looking forward to those changes and being a part of them.”

Keri Lee Carey was sworn in as Mount Hope town councilwoman by Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus in Otisville, N.Y., on Dec. 31, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

Town Clerk Kathleen Myers, incumbent Councilman Christopher Furman, and new town Councilwoman Keri Lee Carey were sworn in along with Mr. Rickard.

A longtime community contributor, Ms. Carey ran for the town board seat vacated by her husband, Brian Carey, who became the Village of Otisville mayor in April 2023.

Ms. Carey told The Epoch Times in a previous interview that her top priorities were accessibility, transparency, and reviving past townwide community programs.

Mr. Carey, who had run for mayor in part to bring the town and village closer, told The Epoch Times, “I look forward to working with Paul and doing positive things together.”

Since Mr. Carey became mayor, he resumed a past village practice of financially contributing to the town-sponsored summer concerts and hoped for further cooperation, he said.

At the swearing-in ceremony, Mr. Neuhaus, who was the Town of Chester supervisor before being elected county executive, commented on the importance of local governments.

“Town board, obviously, is like your congress, and the town supervisor is like your president,” he said. “And the town supervisor job is a lot different than it was 10 or 20 years ago; you have to deal with all sorts of challenges and pressures that are put on towns by the state, and it is getting busier and busier.

“So, you want somebody that is even-keeled at the helm of your town, and I think you’ve gotten that in Paul.”