By ADAM ATKINSON

CANTON – The new town supervisor has substantially downsized the number of board committees from 19 to 8 officially, with several other committees to come under board review to determine if they are necessary.

The downsizing was suggested by newly elected Supervisor Mary Ann Ashley during the town’s annual reorganizational meeting Wednesday, Dec. 3 to streamline how the board conducts business.

“I feel like we need to whittle it down,” said newly elected town Supervisor Mary Ann Ashley, as the board began discussing committee appointments.

Ashley dissolved the assessment, banking, and the budget/finance committees, all of which had membership of the full town board traditionally. The traditional business of those committees will be handled in regular meetings of the town council members.

The town board’s building and employee committees were dissolved and the business of those groups turned over to the supervisor and deputy supervisor to handle and then bring their recommendations to the full board.

The supervisor dissolved the historical committee as well. Ashley said historian Linda Casserly is available to communicate with any and all of the board members regarding business of the historian’s office at any time, and didn’t feel a separate committee was necessary.

Ashley tabled appointments to several other committees pending further discussion with the board. Those committees were the brownfield, waterfront advisory, insurance, and shared services committees.

LaMarche who sits on the waterfront advisory committee pointed out that the committee has pending business which will need to be addressed soon. Ashley said that she and Canton Village Mayor Michael Dalton planned to attend the committee’s Jan. 18 meeting. She said the group needs to have a “frank discussion on the leadership change.” The committee was previously chaired by former Canton Town Supervisor David Button, who lost to Ashley during the November election.

Ashley appointed board members to the remaining committees.

Town councilmen Tim Danehy and Bob Washo were appointed to the audit committee. Danehy and Councilman Jim Smith were appointed to the comprehensive planning committee. Danehy and Councilman Phil LaMarche were appointed to the economic development committee.

Smith and Washo will sit on the town board’s highway committee and Smith and LaMarche were appointed to the justice committee.

Washo was appointed to the joint village and town sustainability committee, and he and Danehy were also appointed to the web committee, another joint committee between the town and village.