Town of Caroline

Mark has now served five, two-year terms as Caroline’s Town Supervisor. He is a biologist, naturalist, and teacher. He and his wife, Ann Herzig, returned to Caroline in 2003 after living in Caroline during their graduate studies at Cornell. They have two daughters. Ruth is in the final year of her horse veterinary studies at Colorado State University, Mark’s alma mater. Freida is an artist with an interest in fiber arts and is entering a fashion design program this fall. Their family is completed by Sparky, a happy mutt, Uno, a half-blind cat, and some chickens.

Mark plans to continue work to hone land use regulations that will guide Caroline’s future toward the community’s goals, work to facilitate transition to affordable renewable energy technologies for the residents of Caroline, continue work with our municipal and county partners to provide countywide emergency medical response, complete the buildout of affordable, high-speed broadband in Caroline, complete the renovation of the Historic Town Hall, and complete construction of the Coddington Valley Rail Trail. We are making real progress in each of these areas. I look forward to continuing our work together to keep Caroline such a great place to live. 

Contact:  mwitmer48@gmail.com

I was appointed Town Councilmember in June 2023 and then elected in November 2023 to finish a vacated term on the Caroline Town Council. During my time as a Council member, I have developed an emergency response plan for the town hall buildings.  In addition, I have been serving as liaison between the Planning Board and the Town Council and as liaison between the Town Court and the Town Council.

Before joining the Town Council, I served the Town of Caroline on the Economic and Land Use Development Task Force, the Planning Board, and the Zoning Commission. 

I grew up in Endicott, NY, graduated from Union-Endicott High School, went to Fordham University and then to London for training as a bookbinder/conservator. I was the book conservator for Cornell University from 1995 until my retirement in 2021. My family and I moved to Dryden in 1995 and then to Caroline in 1996. 

If elected for a full term to the Town Council, I will continue working on disaster planning at the town level. In addition, I will support the Town Council’s work on ongoing projects, such as town broadband, renewable energy projects and renovating the Town Hall.

Our family moved to Caroline in 2017. Through the spring of 2022, I served as General Contractor on our new house on Slaterville Road. Today we enjoy our evolving farm, residing in a comfortable, passive solar home.

As we become more interwoven into the fabric of the Town of Caroline, I've enjoyed serving on the Town Board expanding community connections and strengthening my local roots. I look forward to applying what I've learned in the last year on the Town Board towards my goals. I will continue on the Agriculture Committee, advising on energy, sustainability and conservation and supporting small businesses.  

My business, Food Forest Farm, has been profitable for two decades. I see this as an asset when communicating with the public particularly as new economic opportunities arrive. I’ve volunteered on many non-profit boards, including roles as treasurer and board president. I make a conscious effort to listen and communicate well, especially during my roles in leadership positions, and as a youth and adult educator. Most recently I work part time as a Cornell Cooperative Extension Agroforestry Educator.

My day-to-day life revolves around being a land steward and farmer, homeowner, business owner, husband and Dad.

Attorney Nicole Pence moved to Caroline in 2003 with her husband, Eric Craft, after finishing her Ph.D. at Cornell University in the field of molecular physiology and genetics.  After earning her law degree from Cornell Law School, Nicole spent 11 years handling family court cases as an Attorney for Children and as assigned counsel in both criminal and family court.  She then joined the Schuyler County Public Defender’s office where she practiced criminal defense and family law. Nicole now works as an assistant county attorney in Tioga County where she compassionately prosecutes neglect and abuse cases in family court and advises the Department of Social Services to support their role in protecting children. 

Nicole brings 15 years of legal experience to the Caroline Town bench—including trials, appeals, and mediation. She has appeared in town and village justice courts throughout the State of New York, as well as County and Supreme Courts. Nicole supports alternatives to incarceration and problem-solving courts like treatment courts, so long as the safety of the Caroline community can be maintained. During her career as an attorney, Nicole has demonstrated a consistent dedication to equity, justice, and the rule of law.