Area voters will be able to cast their ballot in two local, village elections on Tuesday.
Residents in Minoa will decide their next mayor and two trustees Tuesday, March 20.
Voting runs from noon to 9 p.m. at village hall.
For results of the election, check EagleBulletin.com for updates Tuesday night.
Richard Donovan.
Running for mayor. Incumbent.
Donavan is the current mayor of the village of Minoa. He has been a resident since 1971, is the president of the Onondaga County Mayors Association and first Vice President of the New York Conference of Mayors. He’s married to Phyllis, has two children, John and Beth-Ann and four grandchildren.
Why are you running for office?
I enjoy working with a great staff to provide the services we do for our Village residents at the best possible cost. I firmly believe in working as a team and as a team we have and we will continue to accomplish great things that have and will in the future benefit our taxpayers. A couple of examples are the creation of our CERF (Cleanwater, Educational, Research, Facility) project as part of our Wastewater Treatment Facility which is working towards becoming a zero waste facility while creating energy from human waste. That project in partnership with SUNY ESF is using interns from SUNY ESF and ESM in a collaborative research and educational effort which benefit the village through the use of free labor while giving the students a valuable resume builder in a real life environment. The project will also start using food waste from ESM to create more energy while reducing to cost of waste disposal at ESM. Secondly due to the continued rising costs of State mandates, the retirement fund double digit increases and the loss of sales tax monies we found ourselves to have an underfunded and understaffed ambulance service. We went through a process lasting a year and a half of making changes in that department leading to the outsourcing through an collaborative agreement with WAVES Ambulance, a not-for-profit organization which gives us triple the management staff including a physician and a large employee pool while saving the taxpayers money and maintaining a community based ambulance. Lastly I’ve been truly honored to be elected by my peers to represent them as an Executive Officer of NYCOM (New York Conference of Mayors) I’m currently 1st. VP and next year as President I’ll represent our 581 member cities and villages across the state in an effort to influence our state elected officials to reduce the tax burden on our residents. Our main agenda items are and will be the onerous unfunded state mandates that all levels of local government and school districts are burden with. Governor Cuomo is taking drastic steps to that end and we will support him in that effort.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
I say in the environment we are in, experience. I have worked very hard to deal with the mandates and the economy that we have been dealt through no fault of our own. I have tried to think outside the box and try to work new ideas into a very old thinking and out-of-date state system. We’ve worked and we’ll continue work with the Town of Manlius and the Villages of Fayetteville and Manlius on many collaborative efforts which include such things as Codes, paving and sharing of various equipment. I’ve also embraced new technologies as they relate to our operations to make us more efficient in the delivery of our services to the public.
What are the Issues facing the village and what will you do to address them?
The biggest issue I’ve already talked about, state unfunded mandates. My serving on the NYCOM Board will give us a local voice to try to address those issues in Albany. Other initiatives, as President of the County Mayors, I worked with Camillus Supervisor Mary Ann Coogin President of the County Supervisors Association and Supervisor Bush of Elbridge to have a legislative breakfast in which we invited all of the County Legislators, The attendance was outstanding and the focus was to get the legislative bodies of our three levels of local government together to discuss on how to collectively work together in the future. With the help of Ryan McMahon, Chairmen of the County Legislature we are setting up committees to go forward with this dialogue with the hope of more collaborative and cost saving efforts throughout the county.
What do you love most about your village?
It’s a small, safe, comfortable community, with a great school system with wonderful people which creates an environment which makes it a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
Eric Christensen
Running for village trustee. Incumbent.
He is a 1979 graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius High School and married to Marlene, with a 23-year-old son, Kyle. He works for Alliance Bank and has lived in the village of Minoa for 25 years. He is also currently on the village board.
Why are you running for office?
I am currently a village trustee seeking re-election, and I am also a father, husband, taxpayer I remain devoted to helping create a brighter future for the families of Minoa which I enjoy serving.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
Because I am passionate, devoted, dedicated to the Village of Minoa.
What are the issues facing the village and what will you do to address them?
Some of the issues facing the village are, loss of a quarter of a million dollars in sales tax and unfunded mandates. How I address them is by working collaboratively with other elected officials. Myself and fellow board members are evaluating all of the service that we provide to see where we can make any reasonable cost saving changes without affecting the services we as a village provide.
What do you love most about your village?
Minoa is a great community with so much to offer. That is why my wife and I choose to make our home in Minoa and raise our son.
John Abbott
Running for village trustee.
He has lived in Minoa his whole life after graduating from East Syracuse-Minoa in 1979. He was a Minoa Fire Department member in his teams and rejoined in 1991, serving as board member, president and vice president. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and started Abbott’s Catering in 1991. He was also a member of the Lion’s Club.
Why are you running for office?
I am running for office because I think I can help the residents of the Village of Minoa. I have been a member of the Minoa FD for over 30 years and was given and award from the fire department for Years of Outstanding Service and Dedication. I have been a member of St. Mary’s Church for over 40 years, I have helped run the Field Days, Church Picnics and also coached for MKAA youth sports and have been active in other village activities. I was also awarded the Presidents Award from the Town of Manlius Police Benevolent Association for Outstanding Volunteering Services, with all of these projects and volunteering that I have done I feel that I have gained knowledge of how the Village works and feel that I have fresh ideas that I can bring into the Village. I come from a large family and have several family members that still live in the area. I love living in the Village of Minoa and am looking to see a continued growth of our Village in the right direction. As owner of Abbott’s Catering and JR’S BBQ & Bakes I have become very familiar with the residents of Minoa.
Why are you the best candidate for this office? I feel that I am the best candidate for this position because of my involvement with the Fire Department, Churches, Community Events and Business experience I have gained through these, I feel I can make a difference and work with the other board members to continue to make Minoa a great place to live, raise a family, go to an excellent school district and see some new and continued growth in our village.
What are the issues facing the village and what will you do to address them? Financial issues in the Village are one of my main reasons for running for the board. The Village has lost its Ambulance from the Fire Department, thus meaning we had to cut out things that we need to be a productive Village. I want to help control spending to eliminate the unnecessary and be able to put into the necessary. To talk and listen to the people who reside in the Village to make it a better place.
What do you love most about your village? The thing that I love about Minoa is that it still has the small hometown quality to it, everybody knows everybody. I have many family members and friends here and I would like to see it maintain its own village charm with out all the financial burdens that a lot of other villages are facing.
Scott Parish
Running for village trustee.
He has lived in Minoa for 27 years, graduating from Faith Heritage High School. He lives in the house he grew up in with his wife, Whitney, and daughter, Adilyn. He teaches seventh and eighth grade English in the Central Square School District. He’s involved with Minoa’s Historical Society, a member of Lyncourt Wesleyan Church and a member of Minoa’s “Avenue East” Band.
Why are you running for office?
I’m running for office because I feel a sense of duty and responsibility to help maintain our village’s way of life during these challenging times. I want to do my part to help ensure that both the small-town feel and the sense of community continue to be hallmarks of Minoa. Financially, the village needs to continue to run as efficiently as possible and make the most of the resources available. Because of the recent change in Onondaga County tax laws, our village receives $250,000 less annually, which forces Minoa to not only run as efficiently as possible, but requires us to be more creative in addressing financial issues, without reducing key services to villagers.
Why are you the best candidate for this office?
My academic background, career as a teacher, and volunteer work have provided me with multiple opportunities to develop skills that I will utilize as a Village Trustee. Skills such as balancing budgets, satisfying federal and state mandates, working in a team-based environment, networking, and conflict resolution will prove to be of benefit. Additionally, I’m the best candidate for the position because I care deeply for the success of this village and the citizens who live here. My family could live anywhere, but we choose to live in Minoa. As a homeowner in the village and a parent, I enjoy living in a community that is safe, has a small-town atmosphere and friendly neighbors, and I want to work to make sure that those things continue.
What are the Issues facing the village and what will you do to address them?
One issue I feel our village is facing is a need to promote a sense of community and connectedness that extends to everyone – people of all ages and people living in different areas of the village. To address this issue, I’d like to promote more community events and different types of events that will appeal to young and old collectively, and to people from all the different areas of the village. The village is already in the process of scheduling more summer events at Lewis Park and Rees Field, which will certainly get villagers out together. Communication is also key, so I would like to do more work in establishing a village email database and promote the village’s webpage to increase the accessibility of information related to village business and activities.
In order to increase the tax base and make Minoa an even better place to live, I would like to see growth in local, owner-operated, small businesses in the village. We have several business models in our neighborhood which show that local businesses can be a success financially and can be a benefit to the community. The village board should be commended for their fantastic job in regulating the size and type of our local businesses, making sure that they are not a potential risk to the small-town feel of the village.
What do you love most about your village?
I love living in a village where I know my neighbors and am friends with them. I love walking to the library and local businesses and recognizing not just the person behind the counter, but everyone I pass along the way. Also, I love the community events that I have participated in for the past 27 or so years, such as the Fireman’s Field Days and the Memorial Day Parade. These types of events give us opportunities to come together as a community. I am proud to live in a village that welcomes and encourages community involvement, and I look forward to meeting and working with you in the future.
Minoa residents may vote from noon to 9 p.m. at village hall.
