Candidates for the Cazenovia Town Board election gave statements and answered questions Wednesday night on issues ranging from the health of the lake to the future of the town hall to the benefits of sharing municipal services to term limits. The discussion was part of the Cazenovia League of Women Voters candidate forum, during which the candidates for town supervisor and Madison County Court judge also spoke.
The big draw of the event was the town board race, which is not only contested but was the only race of the evening for which audience members could directly ask questions of the three candidates: Tom Driscoll, Jimmy Golub and Liz Moran.
During their opening statements, Driscoll, a businessman and board incumbent, said he has learned during the past two years that the town “can’t continue to do things as we have done in the past.” He said the idea of a town tax increase every year “needs to be addressed” and how and where the town spends tax money needs to be “analyzed.”
Golub, a farmer by profession, said he will bring his strong agriculture connections with him to the board should he be elected. “We need this perspective on the town board,” he said. “I will bring the same common sense, hard work and dedication I use on my farm to the town board.”
Moran, also an incumbent councilor as well as past supervisor, said she has the “skills, experience and temperament” the town board needs to “keep us moving forward.” She also praised the idea that in local government an election is not about partisan politics but about focusing on the good of the community.
During the question and answer portion, the candidates were asked about multiple issues affecting the town:
Shared services
Driscoll said he is a proponent of sharing municipal services as much as possible and that “it is important to understand that we’ve got to think as a community” rather than as a village or town or county. Having both a village and town creates a lot of “duplication.”
Golub said he was in favor of shared services that “saves taxpayer money” and would oppose actions that would increase town tax rates “substantially.”
Moran said the town has been sharing services for years and has “really tried to engender a culture of cooperation in the town and village.” She said studies have shown that municipal consolidation typically makes village taxes decrease but town taxes increase, so “shared services is definitely the way.”
Cazenovia Lake health
All three candidates agreed that, in the words of Moran, “The quality of Cazenovia Lake affects us all,” including in terms of property values, tax base, quality of life and recreation. Moran said the Blue Green Algae blooms affecting the lake this summer are “probably the most troubling development” about lake health, but that Cazenovia Lake is not the only sufferer. She said there are many changes occurring in all Central New York lakes from zebra mussels and other invasive species and the “warming climate.”
Golub said the issue of lake health comes up most often when he talks to voters. He said the town must continue to take a variety of actions to maintain the health of the lake. “We can’t turn our backs on the people that live on the lake because it’s important to us all.”
Driscoll said the “cumulative” approach to the lake of the past two years has been positive, but the town is “still mired” in deciding which approach is best. He said the town must support all the agreed-upon treatments, whether chemical, harvesting, drainage or others. “We’ve got to stop the bickering and understand we have a real problem,” he said.
Future of the town office
Golub said he hopes that renovating the Gothic Cottage and keeping the town offices in that historic building can be the “most economical” action by the board, and he would not want to spend more money to build a new town hall than the costs to renovate the current building. He said it is a difficult building in which to hold public meetings, and if the town decides to stay there, they should rely on the recommendations of the experts as to what is possible.
Driscoll said he is “woefully not in favor of some of the plans that have come in front of us” for the Gothic Cottage, which has been allowed to “decay” over the past many years. He said he does not believe it is a government or a taxpayer responsibility to maintain a historic structure. “I think we should be awfully careful before we spend another dime on that building,” he said.
Moran, who spearheads the town’s subcommittee on the future of the town hall, agreed that the building is “not suitable” for a town hall, and the town should make a decision on this in an “informed manner.” She said the services of the architectural firm the town has employed to study the Gothic Cottage renovation has been “very cost effective to date.”
Term limits
Driscoll said he is in favor of term limits in general for any elected official. “It is not an entitlement; it is a right the voters give us,” he said. “I believe in the notion of servant leadership.” He said it is important for new ideas and new “blood” to be incorporated into elected bodies.
Golub said he is in favor of term limits, and that it is “good to get a new perspective” through elected office turnover.
Moran said there is a “learning curve” to the jobs of councilor and especially supervisor. She said new blood in an elected position is good, but “in reality” it takes “a lot of time to serve” that typically only the older demographic of residents seems able to offer.
Town Supervisor Bill Zupan, who is running unopposed for reelection, also was invited to speak at the event. He said he was running for reelection because he wants to “give something back” to the community and because he enjoys the job.
“I’ve learned to listen to diverse points of view and get all the information I can before making a decision,” he said of his two years in office.
Zupan also encouraged everyone in the town to participate in the Nov. 3 election and make this the biggest vote total yet in a town election.
The three candidates for county judge also gave five-minute statements at the forum, although they did not answer audience questions. Marian Cerio (Dem), Patrick O’Sullivan (Rep.) and Kathleen Rapasadi (Con.) all offered up their credentials and reasons why they feel they should be elected to the 10-year term on the county bench.
Cerio, a Canastota native with 30 years as an attorney, said that while the county court judge presides over three courts – Family Court, Criminal Court and Surragate’s Court – it is Family Court that is not only the most important and heaviest caseload, but it is also where her “experience lies.” She said this experience will “serve me well as judge,” as will her other extensive legal experience and her eight years serving on the Canastota Board of Education.
O’Sullivan, a lawyer, municipal judge and professor of law, said this judicial election is for “an extremely important job” that currently is facing a huge caseload and an enormous backlog of cases that the next judge must confront.
“My experience as a judge, a trial attorney and an educator has prepared me for it,” O’Sullivan said. “I am the only candidate who has judicial experience. … I’m prepared to serve.”
Rapasadi, who has more than 20 years of legal experience and currently serves as a county assistant district attorney, said that what sets her apart from the other two candidates is her 17 years of service in the public sector as an ADA. She, like Cerio, said the most important part of the county judge job is the Family Court aspect of it, and her 22 years as a Family Court practitioner has prepared her for the job.
“I have the temperament, the compassion and the demeanor necessary for this post,” she said.
The election for Cazenovia town supervisor and board, as well as Madison County Court judge, will occur from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Cazenovia polling places include the New Woodstock Free Library, the Cazenovia American Legion Post 88 and St. James Church.
For more election information, visit the Madison County Board of Elections website at madisoncounty.ny.gov/board-elections.
