Village of Camillus resident Tonya Wilson is one of five candidates running for the village board in March.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday March 18 at village hall.
Tonya D. Wilson
4 Meadow Lane Camillus NY 13031
Occupation: My “day job” is an around-the-clock job as a happily married housewife and a devoted stay-at-home mother to three growing girls. My primary responsibility is the continuous adaptation to our needs as a family.
How long have you lived in the village of Camillus?
Since July 2002, almost 7 years.
Are you involved with any clubs or organizations?
{Q}If it involves my kids I do it{Q}: Camillus Babysitting Cooperative, PTA, St’ Joseph’s Mom’s n Tot’s, Ultimate Goal Mom’s n Totters, MOP’s – Mother’s of Preschoolers, Close to My Heart Scrapbook Club.
Why are you running for trustee?
I think the board needs a common voice. I am someone who has no vested interest other than the betterment of our community for the community as a whole. I have no personal agenda. I will support and evaluate the decisions the board faces with an open mind and a true consideration for what will happen from that point forward rather than dwell on what did not happen before.
If you ask residents, one of the chief concerns is whether anything can get done and done effectively. I want to get it done! I get that it needs to be done and if it can be done I want to help get it done.
What do you think you would bring to the table as trustee?
I see this community as a growing community that needs support from its residents. I feel that the board may get more support if it reached out more to its locals with interest groups and communications.
We need to get Camillus in the year 2009 and get communications out electronically with email and a website. I know that the website is in the works at this time. That will be great. Electronic newsletters or a posting of what is going on in our village will be a real asset to getting the community together. For the last several years you knew it is happening the week it is happening if someone remembered to tell you it was happening.
We need to get this community connected and post information that pertains to village concerns with responses from other villagers.
Letting the community know what it needs and getting involvement from the community to help get it done will get it done. There are so many of residents that do not even know what is going on in our own little village because we do not have adequate reporting or resources to get the news out.
The rumor mill is deep but definitely not the best source. Take my last-minute decision to run for this board position as prime example. I was not even aware it was open until I saw the newspaper with Mayor Grant’s resignation. Then to have two positions open made me think, “maybe I can be of some help.” I have the time. I have the motivation. I want to see this village thrive for the sake of our home and community.
When you think about your village, what do you consider to be the Biggest “missed opportunity” of village board?
I honestly cannot say. I had not been to a meeting until just last week. The one you recently attended was my first meeting. I am taking on this challenge of jumping in site unseen per say as an effort to help my community improve for its own sake.
I hear the issues and concerns that the board faces through the rumor mill. I have heard of all the head banging due to personal interest groups or lack of tangible support for an issue that then does not get addressed to please the complainant for failure to present the real need. I am going in hoping to try and pull this community together so we can talk about issues and tackle them as a community if it serves the community’s best interest, both socially and financially. What ever happened to getting to know your neighbors?
What is an accomplishment of the board that you applaud or admire?
I applaud the challenges of getting incentives to bring in new businesses with tax incentives. We need more businesses in our business district. It always comes down to taxes. You cannot open the papers or read the blogs and not know that taxes are the running forces of our world. What most fail to understand it that it takes people with ideas, motivation, and where with all to get a task done. All the tax money in the area is useless without the means and incentives to implement innovative ideas.
If elected, what is the first goal or project you would like to tackle or address?
Increase community communications as mentioned earlier. I want to see this area grow and gather together.
It was not until I walked the streets for my petition that I got to meet some of the residents and realized how “Out of the Loop” we are here due to lack of information. I had assumed it was just me who was “Out of the Loop”. We have a lot to be proud of here. We have businesses coming and unfortunately going because the local residents do not get out seeing what they are all about. Why is that?
We need to generate an incentive and interest in our community. Our lives are so busy and our community is not in tune with what is at issue at the local level. If we communicated regularly issues that are presented to the board, implemented and advertised events in our area, and got more involved I think we would all benefit.
How many meetings attended in last year (an estimate)?
None last year, last week’s was my first and only to date.
