Salina — Salina Supervisor Mark Nicotra might not have had an opponent this year, but that didn’t stop him from working the campaign trail and going door to door.
Nicotra could be seen early Election Day morning near Heid’s in the village of Liverpool, waving to commuters and hoisting signs calling on people to vote for him.
Needless to say, Nicotra will return to office in Salina, having received 4,189 votes. He’ll be joined by fellow incumbents First Ward Councilor Colleen Gunnip (1,207 votes), Second Ward Councilor Jim Magnarelli (992 votes), Third Ward Councilor Jerry Ciciarelli (891 votes) and Fourth Ward Councilor Michael DelVecchio (986 votes). Town Justice Paul Carey was also reelected, gaining 4,106 votes. All are Republicans except Magnarelli, who is a Democrat.
“What we’re going to focus on is continuing to provide the residents with the services they’ve come to expect at a reasonable cost,” Nicotra said.
Nicotra also acknowledged that Salina, like many other towns, is struggling with failing infrastructure.
“We’ll have to do as much as we can within our means,” he said. “It’s a challenging area, definitely.”
In particular, the town is still in need of a new facility to serve as a town hall and highway building; voters rejected a plan to purchase the former Burdick Chevrolet building on Old Liverpool Road in 2011. In 2014, Salina officials created a fund to start saving for a new building, but there’s less than $100,000 in it.
“We’ve got that looming over us, as well,” Nicotra said.
Though he’s got his work cut out for him, Nicotra said he’s looking forward to continuing to serve the people of the town of Salina.
“It’s been an honor to serve as supervisor for the last six years and on the town board for the last 14 years,” he said. “I’m overwhelmed by the confidence [the voters] have put in my to run the town for the next two years.”
At the county level, incumbent Republican Judy Tassone handily defeated Democratic challenger Patrick Foster by a vote of 2,467 to 1,285 in the Fourth District, which covers parts of the towns of Salina and Geddes.
Meanwhile, Fifth District Legislator Kathy Rapp, also a Republican, will hold onto her seat, having defeated Bryan Seamans by a margin of 2,489 to 1,148. The Fifth District covers portions of the towns of Salina, DeWitt and Cicero.
