In a contentious year for the Steuben County town, the two newly elected members of the Corning Town Council decided to host an informal town hall meeting earlier this month.

Incoming council members, Democrats Linda Shock and Lauren Gaige held the town hall meeting to engage with their neighbors and constituents about concerns and expectations ahead of their three-year term, which begins on Jan. 5.

The term is reduced from four years to three years for this term only because of the even year law that was passed by the state legislature in 2023. Some county and town elections outside of New York City were moved from odd to even-numbered years.

Shock and Gaige worked with town resident and community organizer Joan Rosen to produce the town hall.

“People have questions. People want to know what a town council does,” said Rosen. “The meetings have become quite contentious. And I think the biggest thing that people want to feel— the residents, I want to feel that our voices mean something.”

The town meetings are sometimes confrontational. In the past six months, there have been some outbursts by current council members toward town personnel, residents and other visitors during council meetings.

Through records reviewed by WSKG and interviews with several town residents and personnel, the contentiousness has been ongoing since the town supervisor was elected in 2023.

Read the rest of this report here.

1 hour ago, Elmira Telegram said:

the contentiousness has been ongoing since the town supervisor was elected in 2023.

Sounds kind of familiar.