News Contact Dan Ashley, Chairman @ 271-8744 January 4, 2011

from the North Greenbush Democratic Committee

Firing of Town Comptroller Act of Inexcusable Arrogance
North Greenbush Democratic Chairman Dan Ashley called tonight’s shocking firing of the Town
Comptroller by the Spain Desso led Town Board Majority an act of inexcusable arrogance.
“They have moved to cripple the Supervisor’s ability to prepare a budget by putting a political
flunky in the position who has an obviously conflict of interest as a full time salaried
department head, that of Assessor.

“For a year this majority refused to follow the law and provide a secure term for the town’s
fiscal officer. Rather than appoint him to the balance of the term they instead move to
compromise the independence of this office and the unbiased advise it provides to the
Supervisor and Board by replacing the Comptroller with a partisan operative”, stated Ashley.

The current Comptroller, Mr. Strenka, has served in the position for the past 3 years and has
helped produce consecutive no tax increase budgets while assisting in a deficit reduction
effort that the majority has basically ignored. They have rewarded him by firing him with no
warning or professional courtesies. They then sent the town clerk to the Comptroller’s office in
an attempt to seize control of the financial records to further impede the Supervisor’s dual
role as the Chief Financial Officer.

Ashley dismissed as absurd the justification for the move and effort to claim their appointee,
who is also the full time Town Assessor, has the expertise to do the job and without pay on a
part time basis. When Mr. Harkin was the part time comptroller many years ago, the town’s
budget was small and the responsibilities of the comptroller far less demanding. This was
nothing more than a raw power play to isolate and cripple the town supervisor, stated Ashley.