BUSTI - Earlier this year, it took the Busti Town Board more than three months to find and appoint a new council member.
On Monday, it took the board about three minutes to complete the same process.
During the regular bimonthly meeting, the board accepted the resignation of Richard Sanders. Sanders had served seven years on the board, last being elected to a new four-year term in November 2011. Jesse Robbins, town supervisor, told The Post-Journal Sanders is a retiree who has purchased a house in Florida, where he now lives. Robbins said in fairness to the taxpayers, someone who still lives in Busti should be on the board.
''Rick is retired, has bought a house in Florida and wants to enjoy it and not run back and forth. He was a wealth of information and has done a great job,'' he said. ''However, he just can't be gone this long. Once he is an elected official he is paid whether he is here or not.''
So right after accepting Sanders' resignation, the board appointed a new member to council Brett Mucheck. Mucheck was sworn in by Dale Robbins, who served as town supervisor for 28 years from 1977 to 2005. Mucheck said he is looking forward to getting to work as councilman.
''I am eager to make a positive contribution to the town of Busti. I am looking forward to working with each one of you toward the betterment of the town,'' he told fellow board members in a prepared statement. ''There is no doubt in my mind that we live in a wonderful town, and I trust that each one of these council members share my belief. Together, along with the citizens of Busti, we will continue to keep our town beautiful, encourage economic growth and insure it remains a safe place to live. A place we can all call home and be proud of.''
Mucheck told The Post-Journal. that he has moved back to his hometown after living in Florida. He hopes to encourage other Busti natives who have moved away to do the same.
''I came back. I had moved to Orlando, Fla., and I've made a commitment to get involved anyway I could,'' he said. ''I promised myself I will use the Town Board to create opportunities to keep youth here. We need to find ways to keep businesses here and support them, like Southern Tier Brewery, to keep young people here or to bring them back.''
Robbins said the reason the search process for a new council member was done quickly was because of the one completed earlier this year. After being elected town supervisor after serving as councilman, Robbins and the board needed to find his replacement. From January to April, board members interviewed 12 Busti residents who had submitted a resume to be a candidate for council. In April, Todd Hanson was selected to the board. Mucheck, if he wants to continue as councilman, will also have to run during a special election next November to finish Sanders' original term, which ends in 2015.