Wonder where many of your local town officials have been lately? If you started looking Sunday, you should have tried the New York Hilton first, where the New York State Association of Town's annual Training School and Annual Meeting was drawing to a close with cocktail parties and adieus this evening, after three nights of speeches, vendor displays and intensive workshops for town planners, highway department heads, clerks, and even supervisors and board members for three full days. Among highlights this year was a webinar, and other live seminars, on the whole gas drilling issue. Other matters of interest included shared services, maintaining state and federal funding in light of current cost-cutting efforts, infrastructure needs including dam safety and local road repairs, and ways to keep up with culvert changes made necessary by climate change. According to reports we've heard from attendees this week, many grouped around televisions to watch Wisconsin events in between informational sessions. More as our local representatives return this week.