VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – East Syracuse’s deputy mayor announced on Aug. 2 that she plans to step down from the village board at the end of the month.
Kimberly Liedka, whose only four-year term would have ended in November, has decided to expedite the process by removing her name from the ballot for the upcoming election and turning in her title before summer’s end.
This year’s election lead-up had put her in the running to be mayor of the village, but she said during what is thought to be her last Monday evening board meeting that her freed-up schedule will allow her to spend more time with her family.
“It kind of hit me when it was the last day of school and I took a picture with my kids,” Liedka said tearfully. “My oldest is going to be going into high school, and I’ll only have four years left with him before he goes to college. The term is four years, and it’s not fair to split my time. I feel that it’s 100% to the village or 100% to my family and obviously I have to choose my family.”
Liedka’s eldest son plays on a travel baseball team, while her two younger children are beginning to find a passion for the sport at East Syracuse Elementary School, where she teaches fifth grade.
“The older my kids are getting, the more things they’re getting into,” Liedka said. “To me, being there and supporting them and cheering them on is what’s most important right now.”
Despite her solidified decision to depart from the board come Aug. 31, Liedka said it will be difficult to do so, since she will miss her role as a voice of the residents as well as the days and nights spent working alongside her current colleagues.
In her final month in office, she looks to bring her deputy mayoral term to a positive conclusion, however.
“I feel that we have gotten ourselves on a good path,” Liedka said. “I’m in the middle of some projects right now that I am trying to make sure I get finished before I go, so at least I can leave on a high note.”
To add to the close ties that bind Kimberly Liedka to the village and its governing board, her husband, Danny, served as a trustee and mayor of East Syracuse before becoming an Onondaga County legislator for the seventh district.
The couple and their children will be moving to another part of the village this year, but the deputy mayor said residents will know where to find her if need be.
