Wendy Van Der Water previously served 2004-2007
By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
The Van Buren Town Board voted last week to appoint Wendy Van Der Water to the seat vacated by Councilor Rick Zaccaria, who resigned in March.
While Van Der Water is a fresh face on the town board, she is not an unfamiliar one: She previously served one term on the board from 2004 to 2007.
Van Der Water said she opted not to run for reelection in 2007 because she was juggling full-time employment with raising her son and serving on the town board. Now that her child is older, Van Der Water said she wanted to get involved in town government once again.
“I was going to run for election come November, and then Rick Zaccaria resigned,” she said. “The board approached me. … I was so excited about it.”
Van Der Water works for St. Joseph’s Health in the legal department, where she helps manage the hospital’s real estate portfolio and physician employment agreements.
“I absolutely think that I will be an asset to the board with the experience that I hold in my professional career,” she said.
With the addition of Van Der Water, the Van Buren Town Board now consists of four women and three men. Van Der Water noted that more women are getting involved in local government.
“It’s not just moms on PTAs, it’s women in government running the town. Even if you look at the county as a whole, we had Joanie Mahoney as the county executive, and Stephanie Miner as the mayor was a great stride,” she said. “I applaud our county for recognizing that women are just as good as men are.”
While she is optimistic about women’s increased involvement in local government, Van Der Water said local political parties need to foster an environment for young people to become more politically active in their communities. She is a member of the Van Buren Republican Committee.
“We can get younger generations involved in events they’re already attending. I think you need to go where they go,” she said. “I would love to see younger people running for the [town] board or even some of the subcommittees, or planning or assessment review.”
Van Der Water said she is in favor of term limits for elected offices to keep ideas fresh and to give more people an opportunity to run for office.
“I’m definitely 1,000% for it, whether it’s town government or national government. Some of these people get a little complacent,” she said. “I think more people would step up and run for election if they know there’s a vacant seat.”
Van Der Water said she suspects young people might find running for office overwhelming.
“But you can be involved where you can make a difference,” she said.
As for her second round on the town board, Van Der Water said she would like to see the town lower taxes, or at least maintain the current rate. She also would like to focus on increasing opportunities for shared services among neighboring municipalities.
“I think overall Van Buren’s in a good position. I really think this board’s done a good job. We have a good highway team. The parks are being maintained,” she said. “I’m very excited to be back on the board.”
