BERNE - A disgraced former state Supreme Court justice who was convicted of shaking down attorneys and soliciting a $10,000 bribe about 10 years ago was appointed to lead Berne’s Planning Board as the Hilltowns political scene shifts to Republican dominance.

In a flutter of first of the year moves, the Republican majority on the Berne Town Board appointed former Justice Thomas J. Spargo as Planning Board chairman, made changes to regular meetings and introduced Second Amendment Sanctuary Town legislation, among other changes.

Spargo’s appointment and other changes approved by the Town Board, which has held a Democratic majority for decades before it was flipped in last year’s elections, was first reported by The Altamont Enterprise.

Town Supervisor Sean Lyons, a Republican elected to the office in 2017 , and town GOP chairman Randy Bashwinger (who is also the Berne highway superintendent) defended the board’s pick of Spargo.

“We know he has paid his debt. He’s doing all the things to expunge the record and clear his name,” Lyons said. “He’s a really good fit for the Planning Board.”

The conservative resurgence began with the election of Lyons and Councilman Dennis Palow in 2017, both of whom are Republicans.

Bonnie Conklin, a Conservative, and Mathew Harris, an Independence Party member, were elected to the Town Board in 2019. Both ran on the GOP and Working Families Party lines. This has left Joel Willsey as the lone Democrat on the government body.

Former town Supervisor Kevin Crosier, a Democrat who lost reelection in 2017, lambasted the appointment and feared Spargo’s influence on town policies far beyond his role as Planning Board chair.

“I think these people have no clue of what they’re doing. I think they’re being bamboozled by Mr. Spargo,” Crosier said of the town elected officials. “Our residents in our town are not going to be protected and looked after with Mr. Spargo at the helm.”

Lyons said he understands everyone's concerns about Spargo's appointment considering his history, but after learning more about the matter and getting to know Spargo, he said he has a fuller picture.

"Knowing the character and the person, I think helps us be a little more confident in the decision of appointing him," he said. "We just feel that his character is a lot stronger than what his convictions were."

Following his 2009 conviction, Spargo was disbarred by the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court and sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. He can apply to the court to get his law license back and a court’s grievance committee would scrutinize any application before it’s considered by the appeals court. Ultimately, the court will decide if it is in the public’s best interest to have Spargo practice law again.

Lyons said Emily Vincent, who had not completed her five-year term on the board, was moved to the alternate slot in order to bring Spargo on.

According to New York Town Law, planning board members can only be removed by a town board after holding a public hearing. The rule further states, “any planning board member may be removed for non-compliance with minimum requirements relating to meeting attendance and training as established by the town board by local law or ordinance.”

The Altamont Enterprise reported there was no public hearing held on the matter, and no reason given for bumping Vincent to the alternate post.

Lyons said Todd Schwendeman previously was chairman, and the shifts were made to bring Spargo on as the head because the Town Board felt Spargo would be "more in line to our goals of bringing more businesses to the town and being less restrictive to homeowners on home occupations."

Spargo refused to answer questions when contacted by a Times Union reporter on Friday, claiming he signed a “confidentiality” agreement that prohibits him from speaking unless in a public forum.

“I’m only going to speak about my Planning Board appointment and matters to the public in a public forum where anybody who has an interest in the Planning Board will be in attendance,” he said.

When asked about his prior convictions, Spargo hung up on the reporter.

Lyons was unaware of any confidentiality agreement, and apologized for Spargo being unwilling to speak with the Times Union. He said he would look into the alleged agreement.

"This is not the direction we want to head in," Lyons said of Spargo's actions. "I will look into this and correct this quickly."

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Part of the changes agreed to by the board Jan. 1 was designating the Times Union as the town’s official paper to publish legal notices, despite The Altamont Enterprise more regular Hilltowns coverage.

Crosier said the switch in official papers is a way to avoid scrutiny. During his 15 years in office, Crosier said he never came across a Berne resident who did not read the Enterprise.

The Town Board’s political shift has already influenced policy. The board voted to rescind an agreement with the county sheriff that provided metal detectors during board meetings and has introduced legislation that would make the town a “Second Amendment Sanctuary Town,” Lyons said.

The bill would essentially invalidate state and federal firearms regulations in the town, directing town officials to not recognize rules like registering a firearm or limits on ammunition. A public hearing on the proposal is set for 6:30 p.m. on March 11. The law enforcement impact of such a measure is unclear as the Albany County Sheriff's Office is the enforcing agency in the town.

While Lyons said the changes reflect the desires of the town and efforts to get more residents involved in local government, one of those shifts cut the number of Town Board meetings officials will have to do town business. The board will deal with town business every other month, while reserving the alternate months’ meetings for public forums, Lyons said.

Berne officials also agreed to move Town Board meetings to the community center to accommodate more people, the town supervisor said.

“I find it very positive for the town as a whole, to move forward and be ultra-transparent,” Lyons said. “The last two years have been really tough for Berne. We’ve had a lot of infighting and stuff put out in the papers that wasn’t a good image for the town. We want to make the town more positive.”