Terresa M.Bakner, Esq., a partner at Whiteman, Osterman & Hanna LLP, represents clients in permitting, administrative and enforcement proceedings before State and federal agencies, such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Department of Public Service, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and OSHA, among others. Ms. Bakner assists in obtaining land use approvals for commercial, industrial, residential and energy projects and represents clients in projects involving brownfield redevelopment, wetlands laws and regulations, protection of endangered species and critical habitats, and the preservation of archaeological and historic resources.

Phil Barrett is currently serving in his 12th term as Clifton Park Town Supervisor.  During his time in office, Supervisor Barrett has successfully worked to secure private sector investment to redevelop the Exit 9 Commerce Area, permanently preserved 1700 acres of property which were added to the parks and recreation system, built 17 miles of new trails, lowered taxes, saved the taxpayers more than $1.5 million through operational reforms at the Town’s ailing ice arena, initiated a Full Day Summer Camp, instituted a model Ethics Law and many other important initiatives.   Supervisor Barrett served as the Chairman of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors in 2007. Currently he is Saratoga County Chair for Health and Human Services and Public Works.

David C.Brennan, Esq., is a Partner at Young/Sommer LLC. His representation of clients includes seeking governmental approvals, litigation of land use issues, representation of planning, zoning and municipal boards, environmental review and permitting, and conducting due diligence. Mr. Brennan has appeared before numerous boards to obtain approvals for a variety of projects, with a particular emphasis on the siting of telecommunications and solar energy facilities. He has significant experience addressing environmental issues that arise during project siting. Mr. Brennan previously worked as an engineer where he concentrated on project design, providing engineering services to municipalities and private developers. Additionally, he has served as a Town Justice for seven years.  Mr. Brennan has served as Town Attorney or Special Counsel to many local communities and brings his knowledge and experience as a former elected official and board member to bear on the tasks and issues that confront local governments.  Mr. Brennan graduated cum laude from Albany Law School with a concentration in environmental law and holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Lindsay Buck is the Senior Planner and Stormwater Management Officer for the Town of Stillwater with 17 years of experience in municipal planning  as well as the NYS DEC SPDES program.  She has written and implemented the Stormwater Management Plans for 3 municipalities in  Saratoga County. Lindsay is a graduate of SUNY Albany, a Certified NYS Code Enforcement Officer, and a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control.

Patricia Burke is a Local Government Specialist with the New York State Department of State.  Prior to her service at the Department of State, she worked at the New York State Office of Real Property Services.  Ms. Burke holds a master’s degree in Regional Planning from the State University of New York at Albany, with an environmental concentration that studied wind turbine planning considerations, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from St. John Fisher College in Rochester.  Prior to her public service, she was an editor for a national legal publishing firm.

Eric Butler is the current Town of Corinth Supervisor. Prior to being elected Supervisor, Eric served for 10 years as Planning Board Chair and 4 years on the Town Board. He has been a small business owner and managed multiple commercial print shops in the area. As a lifelong resident of Corinth with direct planning board experience and involvement in the development of past comprehensive plans, Eric brings a unique perspective to comprehensive planning in a small-town setting.

Melissa Cherubino is an associate at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP. Melissa advises clients concerning land use and zoning matters including compliance with the NYS Environmental Quality Review Act. She also has many years of experience as a municipal planner working with Planning and Zoning Boards.

Eric Connolly is a full-time high school Economics teacher and part-time Town Supervisor for the Town of Ballston. Six months into office, his town board passed a moratorium in an attempt to rethink growth while finding a way to preserve land located in Ag District #2. Admittedly, he came into office with very little municipal planning experience. “It’s all about working with the right planning professionals, asking a multitude of questions, and thinking in an out-of-the-box manner.”

Christopher Eastman has been manager of the Local Government Training program at the New York Department of State since 2009. He has also worked as a city planner, a county planner, and for the Preservation League of New York State. He received his master’s in regional planning from the State University of New York at Albany in 2002.

Joseph Grasso, RLA, a regular contributor (as Speaker and Sponsor) at Saratoga County’s Annual Planning and Zoning Conference, has served on the Charlton Town Board for the past 9 years and the last two have been in the role of Town Supervisor.  Joe also works as a Project Manager at CHA Consulting, a 1,500 person multi-disciplinary engineering, architecture and planning firm headquartered in Colonie, NY.  Mr. Grasso considers his greatest passion (outside of spending time with his family) to be assisting Capital Region municipalities address their challenges associated with complex land use decisions and helping them to make wise infrastructure investments.

Norabelle Greenberger has ten years of experience in community, environmental, and transportation planning. Norabelle’s work and responsibilities have included developing community-based plans, including Comprehensive Plans, Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Nomination Studies, Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) plans, streetscape plans, economic development plans, and housing studies. Norabelle is experienced with many funding programs, project implementation strategies, and SEQR as well as securing and administering grant funds for public and private entities.

Jaclyn S.Hakes, AICP, is an Associate and Director of Planning Services at MJ Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. Ms. Hakes has assisted communities for over 21 years in balancing land use, transportation, environmental and quality of life issues through consensus-based planning. She has award winning experience in both the public and private sectors focusing on comprehensive planning, complete streets, public engagement, resiliency planning, public engagement, waterfront and downtown revitalization, zoning, SEQRA and NEPA. A graduate of the Binghamton University Environmental Studies and Geography programs and the University at Albany Masters in Regional Planning Program, Ms. Hakes also provides technical support to land use boards throughout the Capital Region. Ms. Hakes is a frequent guest speaker on planning-related topics at Skidmore College and the University at Albany. She serves on the Leadership Saratoga Advisory Board and is on the Saratoga PLAN Emeritus Board.

Richard M.Harris, AICP, serves as Coordinator of Building, Planning and Development for the Town of Halfmoon, overseeing the operation of the planning, zoning and building functions of the Town. Rich first joined the Town in 2013 and has over 25 years of experience in the fields of land use planning, development, environmental regulation, grant writing and government administration, serving in various capacities in town, county and state government. He is a graduate of Siena College and the State University at Albany, and is a Certified Planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners/American Planning Association and received his certification as a New York State Code Enforcement Officer.

Wayne Howe retired in 2019 from the Town of Milton after working for over 30 years as the Towns Building, Planning and Zoning Official.  Duties included directing staff and department operations regarding all phases of the building and planning process from pre-application through the final approval onto the issuance of the building permit to the completed certificate of occupancy.  Since retirement, Wayne has been busy as he has represented MJ Engineering LLC as a building and planning consultant before being employed by the Town of Ballston as a Deputy Building Inspector, a part-time position he currently holds.

Floria Huizinga is a Planner and Stormwater Management Officer at the Town of Malta.  She has worked with the municipality for over Twelve (12) years.  Floria is a certified NYS Erosion and Sediment Control Professional.  Floria manages the Town’s stormwater program to maintain compliance with the NYSDEC SPDES Stormwater Construction and MS4 Permit requirements.

Brent Irving is a Local Government Specialist with the New York State Department of State. Prior to joining the Division of Local Government Services, he was a transportation planner for the Capital District Transportation Authority for four years. Brent holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from the University at Albany, SUNY, and a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University in Engineering.

William J.Keniry, Esq., is a partner at Tabner, Ryan & Keniry, LLP.  He has practiced municipal law for thirty-three (33) years. He, and other members of the firm, are very active in counseling municipalities in connection with all aspects of municipal law and litigation that arises from municipal action.

Jenny Lippmann, P.E., is the Municipal Engineering Group Manager and an Associate at MJ Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. She has worked with municipalities for twenty (20) years through all stages of infrastructure project development and implementation and serves various local communities as a Town-Designated engineer for planning boards. In addition, Jenny has been an active member of the planning board where she lives for more than ten (10) years.

Charles “Chuck” Marshall, after stints in the New York State Assembly and municipal consulting, has been the Real Estate Representative for Stewart’s Shops since 2012.  Through his time at Stewart’s, Mr. Marshall has appeared before more than 500 municipal land use and legislative board meetings for approvals related to new store construction, existing store modifications and the expansion of their manufacturing facility.  In addition to being a former member of the Saratoga County Sewer Commission, he is now a member of the City of Saratoga Springs Planning Board.

James M.Martin, AICP, brings over 40 years of wide experience working in both the private and public sectors as an expert on issues relating to community planning, housing redevelopment and rehabilitation, economic development, zoning, data collection and analysis, and public outreach. Mr. Martin is well-versed in the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and the permitting requirements of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA). On the municipal level, he has experience as the Zoning Administrator in the towns of Moreau (2016-current), Corinth (2017-current), Queensbury (1992-1997), and the Village of South Glens Falls (2020 and 2021). He has also served as the Director of Community Development in the Town of Queensbury (1992-1997) and as the Director of Economic/Community Development for the City of Glens Falls (2002-2005). In these department head positions, Jim oversaw municipal services relating to building inspection, fire inspection, planning, economic development, zoning, and planning. Rounding out his varied levels of service to municipalities, Mr. Martin has also been elected to three positions: Town Board for the towns of Glenville (2019-current; and 2013-2017) and Queensbury (1999-2001).

Frank McCleneghen

Alanna Moran Alanna Moran is a Senior Transportation Designer in VHB’s Albany office. She received her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and has worked as a transportation consultant in the Capital Region for 20 years.  Her experience includes traffic impact studies, planning studies, parking evaluations, and detailed safety studies. She has provided technical presentations at numerous industry conferences.  In her role as a transportation consultant, she consistently finds herself representing public agencies and private developers to discuss traffic and transportation conditions at public meetings including planning board, zoning board, and other municipal meetings in the Capital Region and throughout New York state.

Blue R.Neils is the Coordinator of the Saratoga County/CCE Intermunicipal Stormwater Management Program.  Since 2004, Blue has been the I-SWM Program Coordinator, working to aid all efforts in Saratoga County to meet the compliance challenges of current State and Federal Stormwater Phase II regulations.  Additionally, since 2008, he is the Eastern Coordinator of the NY Stormwater Regional Training Centers. A partnership of four Non-Governmental Organizations across New York State dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art technical trainings of stormwater management design and planning to Stormwater Professionals throughout New York and western New England.

Ray O’Conor spent most of his career as the CEO of a local community bank. He left that position in 2012 to pursue a writing career. Ray has been deeply involved in the community. He has served as a Councilman and Deputy Supervisor on the Wilton Town Board. He also served as Chairman of Wilton’s first Comprehensive Planning Committee, Chairman of the Wilton Water & Sewer Authority, Chairman of the Wilton Open Space Committee, Chairman of the Wilton Ethics Committee and President of the Wilton Global Job Development Corporation.  Ray has also served Saratoga County as Chairman of the Saratoga County Planning Board and currently serves as the CEO of the Saratoga County Capital Resource Corporation. Other community service includes serving on the board of directors or advisory board of Saratoga PLAN, the Wilton Wildlife Preserve, Saratoga Center for the Family, the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, Saratoga Hospital Foundation and others.

Scott Reese is the Stormwater Management Officer and Zoning Administrator with the Town of Clifton Park.  He is responsible for the Town’s Stormwater Management Plan, advising the Town Board, Planning Board, and the Environmental Conservation Commission on all matters relating to stormwater regulations.  Prior to working in the public sector, Scott worked for himself and other consulting engineers in the Capital District Region focusing on stormwater management design. Scott is a graduate of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and is a Registered Landscape Architect

Ryan Riper, P.E., a Civil Engineer, is a Professional Engineer with over 28 years of Engineering experience in the private & public sectors with consulting firms, as an owner of a consulting firm and Director of Planning & Engineering for a municipality. He has a diverse background with design and development experience including residential & commercial sites, site planning/survey, wastewater treatment systems, drainage, hydraulic assessment, and soil investigations. Additionally, his experience includes bridge/highway design and inspection, diving inspection of bridges and dams. Mr. Riper utilizes his wide array of engineering experiences to provide engineering direction and guidance for projects brought before the Town.

Matthew Rogers has over 24 years of experience in the fields of land use, recreation, watershed, regulatory, and environmental planning. He specializes in providing community planning guidance to both rural and urban communities as well as private clients. Matthew’s prior work with the New York State Adirondack Park Agency has provided him with a unique set of skills that he now uses to assist communities and private clients with the challenges of planning future growth, implementing proper regulatory procedures, and identifying realistic economic development opportunities. Matthew also served for six years as Planning Board Chair for the Village of Corinth.

Rob Rosborough is a litigation partner at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP. Rob’s practice focuses primarily on appellate litigation in the New York state and federal courts, and land use and zoning matters, including religious land use and civil rights suits. He also publishes regularly on recent and note-worthy developments in New York law at his blog, New York Appeals (https://nysappeals.com).

Monica Ryan is a Local Government Specialist with the New York State Department of State. Prior to joining the Department of State, she was a planning consultant for more than twenty years, specializing in zoning and community revitalization planning. Simultaneously, she was the planner for her town, working with the town’s boards and staff, residents, and developers on planning and development. Monica began her career in the NYS Legislature. She received her Master’s Degree in Regional Planning from the University at Albany and a Bachelor of Arts from Siena College.

John Scavo has been the Director of Planning for the Town of Clifton Park since 2008.  He has 23 years of professional planning experience, starting his career as City Planner for Cohoes in 2004. During this time Mr. Scavo also served as Chairman of the Cohoes Industrial Development Agency and was a founding member of the Cohoes Local Development Corporation.  In 2004, Mr. Scavo joined the Laberge Group, a municipal consulting firm as Senior Planner and Senior Community Development Specialist.  In 2008, Mr. Scavo became the Director of Planning in the Town of Clifton Park where he and his staff are responsible for overseeing long term planning and related initiatives, including but not limited to updating the Town’s comprehensive plan, open space program, zoning laws, and the trails master plan.

Mark Schachner is the Senior Principal Attorney of MILLER, MANNIX, SCHACHNER & HAFNER, LLC in Glens Falls and Round Lake. While the firm maintains a general practice of law, Mr. Schachner’s efforts are concentrated in the areas of municipal, environmental, land use and planning/zoning law. In Saratoga County, Mr. Schachner and his colleagues represent the Towns of Corinth, Greenfield and Wilton and serve as Planning/Zoning Counsel for the City of Saratoga Springs, Town of Malta and the Village of South Glens Falls. They are also Counsel to the Saratoga County Water Authority and LifeWorks Community Action (formerly Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council). Mr. Schachner is a graduate of Brown University and Boston University School of Law. He is author of the chapter entitled “Environmental Law – New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”)” in the book Pitfalls of Practice published by the New York State Bar Association and several articles on Open Government, Ethics and other issues in Planning and Zoning. Mr. Schachner has lectured about municipal, environmental, planning and zoning law matters at numerous seminars throughout the State and is a Vice President of the New York Planning Federation.

Nan Stolzenburg, FAICP CEP, is principal consultant with Community Planning & Environmental Associates who concentrates on planning for small and rural communities throughout eastern and central New York. She has been the principal consultant with 70+ communities over 27 years working on comprehensive plans, strategic plans, land use regulations and environmental planning.  She has developed agricultural and farmland protection plans for 12 NYS counties and worked to develop ag and environmental-friendly land use regulations for dozens of communities. Nan has been the award winner of several state and national planning awards, including in 2014 for writing the NYS DEC SEQR Workbooks. She has a BS in Environmental Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, a MS in Wildlife Biology from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a MRP in Regional Planning from the University at Albany. Nan is a Fellow in the American Institute of Certified Planners, a Certified Environmental Planner, and a Certified Wildlife Biologist. Nan has worked with MJ Engineering and the Town of Ballston on several land use regulation updates focused on farmland and environmental protection over the past few years.