Richard Phillip Kline, (R), Oswego County Legislator, 12th District, town of Schroeppel, has announced his candidacy for reelection. Kline owns and operates his family farm in the Sandridge area.
A Pennellville native, Kline served an eight-year term as town of Schroeppel councilman and he has also been Schroeppel’s deputy town supervisor.
He has received endorsements from the Oswego County Democratic Party and the Oswego County Conservative Party.
“Over my past term as a county legislator, I’ve dedicated myself to addressing the issues facing my constituents and finding solutions,” Kline said. “I’ve attended 100 percent of all county legislature and the Economic Development and Public Safety committees on which I serve. In addition, I’ve attended all Government Affairs committee meetings.
“I’ve attended more than 85% of Schroeppel Town Board meetings during my term, plus town budget and planning meetings, and I serve on the town’s Water Committee working for adequate service and fire protection.
“I’ve also attended Village of Phoenix and Town of Hastings board meetings, the Phoenix School District 2015-16 School Budget Hearing, and the 2015 Oswego County Youth of The Year Awards at the Phoenix VFW.
“In addition, I regularly attend meetings of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) and I’ve nearly completed my certification through NYSAC’s Dennis A. Pelletier County Government Institute.
“It’s important for my constituents to know that my opponent in the upcoming Sept. 10 primary, John Brandt, has had limited attendance at these meetings. A representative cannot effectively serve his constituents if he’s not present at these meetings and active in these discussions.”
Among the issues Kline focused on during his term were accessibility of county waste transfer stations, the county’s 911 Center, efforts to reduce duplication of anti-poverty services and to promote redevelopment of old schools, churches and properties that have been off the tax roll.
“I believe we need to keep our waste transfer stations open and accessible to residents because not all towns have town-wide trash pickup,” he said. “My support also includes advocating for the transfer station imprinted trash bags for residents as an alternative to the punch card system. This is especially helpful to the elderly.
“I’ve supported a uniform fee of $3.60 per year for all county cell phone users to support our 911 center. At present, only property owners and landline owners pay a fee that supports 911, and it is not fair for them to shoulder this cost alone.
“I introduced and promoted Local Law Number One (now 485A) for rescuing and redeveloping school buildings and churches that are no longer in service. I helped establish the language of 485A so that an entity that purchases a school or church building for rehabilitation will receive tax incentives during the first ten years of ownership. This will encourage economic development and allow them to recover part of their investment while revitalizing our local heritage.
“I believe that our county government is too big and I support redistricting and reducing the size of county government in general.”
Kline attended Central Square and Phoenix schools, and he earned a Math and Science degree from Onondaga Community College. During his 26 years at UPS, Kline said he honed valuable skills that will serve his constituents well: “As a loss prevention supervisor, it was my responsibility to minimize loss and maximize efficiency over a large geographic area that included Albany, Syracuse and the Hudson Valley. I also taught supervisors basic skills in integrity and diversity training.
“I’ve brought all I’ve learned home to Oswego County and I want to continue to use my experience, abilities and skills to represent the best interests of the 12th legislative district. As a farmer who works our land I live by the credo: ‘When God wanted to get things done, He created farmers.'”
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