Ryan easily won the Democratic primary and bumped Balcom from the party ballot line for next Tuesday’s election. Balcom remains in the race because she also filed as an independent candidate.

After the primary, Ryan said she believes that many people in town want leadership that is more open and responsive to their desires, and that her outspoken nature and willingness to challenge the board’s decisions struck a chord with residents.

In an interview this week, Ryan said her experience on planning and school boards and business acumen, acquired during a long career as a real estate broker, help make her the best candidate for the job.

But what really makes her the right candidate, she said, was her promise to make town government more open and inclusive than it has been in the past.

Ryan said she has heard too many complaints about the current supervisor and board not listening to residents, and she wants to change that.

``I want to give voters a chance to have a voice in government,’’ she said.

She is also campaigning on the need to provide the town planning board with the tools necessary to direct growth and development that best suits the town and not the developers.

``There was no plan in place to deal with development in the last 10 years,’’ she said. ``I know growth is going to come, but we need to be ready for it.’’

The site plan review law may provide sufficient land use regulation, but in order for it to be truly effective, the town’s 1988 comprehensive plan must be updated.

``If elected, one of my first challenges will be getting the comprehensive plan finished,’’ she said.

Ryan said she wants to protect the town’s natural resources and farmland. There is an opportunity for a new kind of agriculture in a town that once had many thriving dairy farms.

Another issue which presents a ``big, big challenge’’ is the revitalization of the hamlet of Hartwick. Ryan says she thinks it is another opportunity for the town, and she would work to bring small businesses back to the hamlet.

In keeping with better access to town government, Ryan said she would have regular weekly office hours where she would meet with residents. She would also make better use of the town’s website to keep people informed about what is going on in local government.

``I think people are ready for a change to open, inclusive government,’’ Ryan said.

Town supervisor Mary Balcom has been a fixture in town government for 25 years. She has served terms as clerk, town councilwoman and twice as supervisor.

Balcom agrees that development and finishing the comprehensive plan are top priorities for the town.

``We don’t want to limit growth. We have one corridor that needs growth and one corridor we’d like to slow down. It’s hard to slow one and allow the other to develop,’’ she said.

The town, Balcom said, has been working on the comprehensive plan for about a year and is getting to the difficult part _ taking what they learned in a survey of residents and crafting a plan for the future.

``We probably will have to have professional help from this point forward,’’ Balcom said. ``We want to get a plan in the end that fits our unique situation.’’

In the future, Balcom would like the town to try and breathe some new life into the hamlet of Hartwick. Many of the business that used to be in the hamlet were farm related, and as the dairy industry waned so did they.

Hartwick went the way of many small hamlets and revitalizing it will not be an easy task, she said, adding that it may be possible to attract some niche or home-based businesses. She and the town board are constantly working to keep the fire department and emergency medial squad well equipped, and recently purchased a new truck for the Hartwick Seminary fire company to provide better coverage.

Balcom admitted that being a longtime incumbent is not seen as a plus by some people, but she believes her experience in Hartwick government helps make her the right candidate.

``I have watched the town grow, and there is no place I would rather be,’’ she said.

Another important attribute she possesses is the ability to bring opposing viewpoints together in a compromise.

``I think my best trait is the ability to work through people’s ideas and come up with a compromise that best serves all parties involved,’’ Balcom said.

She would like voters to know she ``really would like their vote. I’d like to continue and complete some of these projects that were started.’’

Voters will also be asked to select two candidates for town board from a field of four _ Democrats Martha B. Clarvoe and Lynn A. Green, and Republicans David J. Butler and Kenneth W. Hotaling, Jr. Clarvoe will also appear on the ballot as an independent.

The election will be next Tuesday, Nov. 6.