David J. Callahan
133 Park Way, Camillus
Background 6th Ward Councilman for the last 4 years, first elected in 2005; 10 years on the West Genesee School Board. Local businessman for the last 23 years.
Occupation Recently retired from Davis-Callahan & Co. as Manufacturers Representative
Endorsed by Republicans, Independents
Given the current economy and budget crises at the state and county levels, which areas of the budget do you feel the town could cut back to alleviate the pressure on taxpayers?
Like last year, we have been able to provide a budget for 2010 to the people of Camillus with no increase in the tax rate for Town, Water and Highway. This was done by the Board working together with department heads to keep the same services with no increase to our taxpayers. With no increase in the tax rate it would be difficult to justify cutting services at this time. We do, however, continue to lobby the state officials about cutting costs they keep pushing down on the local communities.
In what ways do you think the town could consolidate services with villages, neighboring towns or the county to increase efficiency and keep costs down?
We have already consolidated animal control with the Town of Van Buren, and we just consolidated the Town of Elbridge assessor’s office into Camillus. Both towns pay Camillus for these service and we did so without any additional staff added. We are looking at other departments but we need to study it more to see how it could affect the residents.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment thus far in your position?
Keeping the 6th ward residents informed on a regular basis through emails and newsletters was a goal from the start. I have done that and as I campaign I ask people to get on my email list for updates in between the mailed newsletters. In addition, as Finance Chairman, I now have our Board meet monthly to go over actual results compared to the budget. This makes certain we are on track and gives us the ability to make corrections where necessary. This helps immensely when it comes to budget preparation for the next year.
What specific projects or goals are you most interested in completing or pursuing in your next term?
Maintaining a tax rate with no increases is number one. For a project, I want to see Camillus Park become something better than it is. It is an awesome property and I want it to serve more people than just as a pool. It could have better walking and biking trails as well as updated playground equipment. Picnic areas with shelters would also be nice. This is long range and cannot be done overnight but it is worth looking into to see if could become a viable project.
