Three candidates seek BOE seats

Three candidates seek BOE seats
Posted on 05/01/2023
This is the image for the news article titled Three candidates seek BOE seatsDuring the annual school budget vote on Tuesday, May 16, voters will consider three candidates for three Board of Education seats, each of which carries a three-year term.

All board seats are considered "at large" rather than for a specific seat. 

The three candidates are: Susan Emerson Strasser, Steven Philbrick and Bruce Tryon.

The vote will take place Tuesday, May 16 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Hall of Flags at Cobleskill-Richmondville High School or by absentee ballot. 

For questions related to the vote or absentee ballots, please call Lydia VanEvera, district clerk, at 518-234-4032 x2000.

We are pleased to provide personal profile information provided by the candidates: 

Susan Emerson Strasser

Susan Emerson Strasser Headshot

Susan Emerson Strasser, a Board of Education trustee for the past nine years, is seeking reelection. 

As a Board of Education trustee, Strasser has been a member of the Strategic Planning, Policy, and Wellness committees and on the School Counseling Advisory Council.

In the community, Strasser has been a member of the Schoharie County Community Services Board, the Schoharie County Child at Risk Response Team Board, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Team, Schoharie County Home of Ongoing Learning. She has also served as a Schoharie County Medical Society delegate to the Medical Society of the State of New York House of Delegates.

Strasser, who has lived in the district for 25 years, is a family physician at the Bassett Healthcare outpatient offices providing per diem coverage and is the Medical Director and Consultant for the Schoharie County Department of Health. She earned degrees in biology and psychology from Williams College and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Her two children, Eric and Tristan, are C-RCSD graduates.

“My expertise as a physician with focus on mental health and toxic stress unfortunately feels of continued relevance as CRCS students, parents, and staff continue coping with the surge of behavioral and mental health issues arising from the stressors and altered social pressures of the pandemic. To allow all to focus on education, CRCS is having to provide not just education but also an effective response to this mental health fallout,” Strasser said.

“The pandemic’s economic losses were not borne evenly throughout our community. My 2020 statement ‘Effectively educating students in these new circumstances will require major shifts in practices without further burdening taxpayers’ remains true. I hope to continue supporting teachers as experts on classroom education, parents as experts on their child, and data analysis as crucial for optimizing academic and discipline practices and budget decisions.”


Steven Philbrick

Steven Philbrick Headshot

Steven Philbrick, a Board of Education member for the past twelve years and vice president for the past nine, is seeking reelection.

Philbrick is also a member of the Board’s Audit and Facilities committees.

He is retired after a 30-year career with the New York State Board of Parole, having served as deputy counsel and chief administrative law judge. Philbrick has a degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University and a law degree from Albany Law School.

His daughters, Erin and Sarah, both graduated from Cobleskill-Richmondville High School.

“I would like to continue to serve on the C-RCS Board of Education to provide the support necessary to ensure the best learning environment for all students. This will help facilitate the ultimate goal of positive outcomes for each and every student,” Philbrick said.

“ To reach this goal, we must be cognizant and respectful of the needs of the students, parents, staff and community members. A successful school district requires the commitment and support of all stakeholders."

Bruce Tryon

Bruce Tryon headshot

Bruce Tryon, who has served on the Cobleskill-Richmondville Board of Education for the past 15 years, is seeking reelection.


Tryon is a 1978 graduate of Cobleskill Central School District  and has resided in the district for the past 25 years.  He has served as the Board President for the past 13 years and is a current member of both the Audit Committee and Policy Committee


He currently is a member of the the Capital Region BOCES Board of Education, the Vice President of the Cobleskill Partnership Inc. Board, President of Schoharie County School Boards Association and a board member of the Marathon for a Better Life.


Tryon works as the Sales Manager at Division Street News Corporation (dba Times Journal), where he’s responsible for advertising, marketing and circulation. He  graduated from  SUNY College of Technology at Utica/Rome with a Bachelor of Professional Science degree majoring in business/public management.


His two children, Carley and Maggie, graduated from Cobleskill-Richmondville High School.


“The past 15 years as a board member here at Cobleskill-Richmondville Central Schools has been richly rewarding. The relationships and skills that I have developed will certainly help guide the district if I am elected to a 5th term on the board. I am deeply entrenched in both the C-RCS community and the community at large via my association with Cobleskill Partnership Inc. and The Marathon for a Better Life,” Tryon said.


“Cobleskill-Richmondville Central Schools will be faced with challenges that, with my experience, will benefit the district and community if elected. If elected, I will do my best to help the district provide the very best environment that allows the students we serve to succeed.”