Looking back, looking  forward: Jim Colligan prepares to end Shelter Island Town Board service

After eight years on the Town Board, Councilman Jim Colligan is keeping his promise to his wife, Margaret, and voters to stand by his own term limit.

As he winds down his service at the end of the month, he’s looking forward to traveling with Margaret and visiting their children and grandchildren as well as spending time with friends.

“We also wanted to do some traveling and see places that I have never seen before,” Mr. Colligan said. While he’s healthy at 76, he admits age was a factor in his decision, wanting to take time from the daily demands of his work for the town.

Recruiting younger people to public service and making room for them to take over leadership roles was another important factor in his decision, he said.

Nonetheless, don’t count him out when it comes to public service. “I do see myself coming back to work on some committees in the future, ” Mr. Colligan said.

Looking back on his Town Board career, he considers his leadership of the town’s Capital Planning/Grants Committee among the most satisfying times of his public service, pleased to have the Town Board adopt a capital plan to guide how to maintain and improve its assets.

For several years in the past, former town engineer John Cronin and former highway superintendent/public works commissioner Jay Card Jr. had fought to get town assets on a regular maintenance schedule, only to have past Boards fail to take up the idea.

This committee has been supported by grant writer Jennifer Mesiano Higham, Town Engineer Joe Finora, Police Chief Jim Read, and Highway Superintendent and Public Works Commissioner Brian Sherman.

Mr. Colligan also praised the work done by Senior Building Inspector Reed Karen, Town Board Administrative Assistant Kristina Martin Majdisova, Town Attorney Stephen Kiely, Information Technology Consultant Kevin Lechmanski, Town Clerk Amber Wilson, Recreation Director Bethany Ortmann, the staff at the Senior Center, including Manager Kelly Brochu and Laurie Fanelli and Town Social Worker Alexandra Hakim.

“I will miss my friends and colleagues at Town Hall,” he said. “I cannot say enough nice things about our volunteers who serve our town with distinction,” he said.

Along the way, there have been projects he had hoped would be achieved that have not yet come to fruition. He expressed confidence the incoming Town Board will continue to advance the Comprehensive Plan, seek amendments to the Town Code, continue efforts to create affordable housing, advance potable water initiatives and deal with septic improvements.

Mr. Colligan noted some 50 initiatives the current Town Board has accomplished in the past two years that should “serve as a good foundation for the new Town Board.”

As for regrets, during eight years, there have been a few, but he believes lessons were to be learned from them.

For example, he regrets approving some building applications and permits affecting structures that were too large for the lot sizes on which they sit. He also believes the effort to develop a municipal wastewater treatment plant could have been handled differently.“Hindsight is always 20/20, but we could have approached this project differently,” Mr. Colligan said. The effort is currently in limbo.

For those just elected and anyone considering a future run for a Town Board seat, Mr. Colligan has some advice: Know that the commitment requires a good deal of time to be effective and recognize you are part of a team and should listen to others and be willing to compromise on some issues.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t be passionate on issues you feel strongly about, but it never hurts to listen to the other points of view,” Mr. Colligan said.

He further advises that, as a liaison to committees, it’s important to treat the volunteers with respect while guiding them in a positive direction to accomplish specific aims. Treat everyone with respect, he said, while requiring that the Town Board is treated with decency and respect in return.

To the incoming Town Board, he advises members to prioritize three to five top issues and develop a realistic timeline to accomplish those goals. The outgoing Town Board has sometimes taken too much time, he said, which can “come back to hurt you in the long run.”

He’s grateful to the Town Board members with whom he served and wishes both Supervisor-elect Amber Brach-Williams and Councilwoman Meg Larsen the best in their ongoing service.

Mr. Colligan thanked outgoing Supervisor Gerry Siller and Councilwoman BJ Ianfolla for their hard work and leadership, as well as their friendship. “This is an amazing community,” the councilman said, “and I hope that my service has helped in some way, to make it even better.”