"My name is Mary Ellen—better known as Mell—Carney, and I’m running for Town Supervisor for the Town of Highland. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY but always had roots in this town. My Dad is from Glen Spey and Mom was a Brooklyn girl.

"I’ve seen many changes here over the years. But what is happening now is particularly concerning to me. The law is not applied consistently and our local government lacks transparency.

"My first priority will be to thoroughly investigate our finances. The $900,000 of reimbursement grant projects were subsidized with monies meant to pay off our Highway Garage bond and pay cash for Highway trucks. The interest on those two debts totals $83,000 over the past three years. 

"While beautification projects are always welcome and appreciated, so too is fiscal responsibility.

"I’d like to see our high school students be more involved with local government. They have much to offer the community and are an untapped resource. Community socials and a volunteer outreach group for our seniors would be a welcome addition to the town.

"We need to heal and be a unified community again. I hope to make that happen."