On Tuesday, March 21, two candidates will vie for election as Manlius mayor, including incumbent mayor Paul Whorrall and former mayor Mark-Paul Serafin. In addition, two incumbent trustees, Janice Abdo-Rott and Thomas Pilewski, and an incumbent village justice, William Barrett, will seek reelection to their seats unopposed.
Whorrall, Abdo-Rott, Pilewski and Barret are all running as Citizen’s Party candidates, and Serafin as a Vision Party candidate.
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21 at the village center, 1 Arkie Albanese Avenue in Manlius.
In order to give residents a better idea of the candidates that are up for election March 21, the Eagle Bulletin has submitted candidate questionnaires. Here are their responses:
Mayoral Candidates (Pick one)
Mark-Paul Serafin
Local political party affiliation:
Vision Party
Political experience:
Village of Manlius Planning Board Member (2005-2007), Village of Manlius Trustee (2007-2009), Village of Manlius Mayor (2009-2013).
Education:
Immaculate Conception Grammar School Graduate (1972), Fayetteville-Manlius High School Graduate (1976), Rochester Institute of Technology Graduate BFA/Graphic Design, Summa Cum Laude (1980).
Work experience/organizations involved with:
I have worked continuously as a graphic designer, art and creative director since graduating from RIT in 1980 at several local advertising agencies and in-house corporate/non-for profit art departments. I also taught a graphic design training program for OCM BOCES Adult Education for over five years. I began freelancing my design skills in 2002.
In 1982, I began drawing and presenting portraits to over 100 celebrities across New York state for various organizations including the Syracuse Rescue Mission, the CNY Ronald McDonald House, Strong Memorial Hospital, Special Olympics and Coaches vs Cancer.
In 2014 I had the opportunity to re-enter the education field and I am currently on the substitute teacher rosters for Jamesville-DeWitt, Bishop Ludden, Bishop Grimes and the Liverpool Central School District.
Organizations: Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, American Legion, Archie Van Patten Post 141 and CNY Scholastic Art Awards (Judge), parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church (Fayetteville), parishioner of St. Ann’s Church (Manlius) eucharistic minister and usher.
How long have you lived in Manlius?
Since 1968.
Why do you want to serve as Mayor of Manlius?
Manlius is great because it is good. Good at its core. Good at its heart. Good at its very essence. That goodness has helped shape my character and write my life story. That never failing goodness has inspired my faithful response to serve this village as mayor.
Manlius deserves a mayor who is passionate about preserving its core village values of continuity, spirit and the strong bonds of community our village has had since 1813. Manlius needs a mayor who has the vision to transform it into a sustainable, hybrid village for the 21st century and beyond. I am that mayor.
What do you believe is one of the biggest problems the village of Manlius currently faces? How will you address this issue?
The status quo approach to running our village is simply not sustainable. Our village tax rate has steadily increased since 2013 from $7.38 to the current $7.95 (per assessed thousand). And that does not yet include the crushing burden the 11 million dollar new fire house debt will put on our tax rate over the next 30 years.
As mayor, I would first meet with village department heads, review all village expenditures, verify all sources of incoming cash flow including the amount of the village fund balance.
Then, I would work collaboratively to right-size our village budget and get spending back under control which would hold the line on the village tax rate and enable the re-prioritization of all village services.
If we are restrained with our budgeting and conservative in our spending, payments on the 11 million dollar new fire house debt need not be passed on to village taxpayers.
What are your views of the consolidation of local governments and services?
Consolidation, shared services and consensus are more than just mere words — they are a call to action. As I have stated, the status quo approach to running our village is no longer sustainable or acceptable.
By working closely with county and state government officials, my vision would be to transform Manlius into a hybrid village for the 21st century. That includes smart consolidation and maximizing shared services at every level without losing our identity or the power of our collective village voice at the voting booth. I would also foster the comprehensive redevelopment of our commercial/retail districts which does not put an additional strain on existing infrastructure and resources.
If elected, what will be your top priority as mayor?
In addition to holding the line on the village tax rate while re-prioritizing all village services provided to our residents, one top priority will be analyzing the condition of our entire village sewer/storm infrastructure. Many of our village neighborhood sewer lines are over 50 years old if not older.
For a municipality to be a strong contender for any infrastructure grants (county/state/federal) the project needs to be “shovel ready.” That requires having plans, bids and costs in place at the time of application. Another top priority would be to reach out to the New York State DOT to put the Rt 173/Troop K Road bridge at the top of their replacement list. This bridge is not pedestrian-friendly or safe.
A new bridge must include sidewalks and lighting of a safe sidewalk passage from the Stoneledge/Glencliffe neighborhoods and Carriage House Apartments into our village.
Paul Whorrall
Local political party affiliation:
Citizens Party
Political experience:
Trustee seven years, mayor four years.
Education:
Fayetteville-Manlius HS, Fulton-Montgomery CC, Syracuse University.
Work experience/organizations involved with:
Retired U. S. Postal Service 34 years, Administrator Fire/EMS 14 years, Schepp Funeral Service six years, Manlius Fire Department 45 years, Chief Officer 25 years, NYS Association Fire Chiefs, International Association Fire Chiefs – Eastern Division President, New York Conference of Mayors Legislative Priorities Committee, New York Conference of Mayors Nominating Committee, Onondaga County Mayor’s Association, Onondaga County Consensus Review Advisory Committee, Fayetteville-Manlius School District Facilities Study Task Force.
How long have you lived in Manlius?
65 years
Why do you want to serve as Mayor of Manlius?
Being mayor is not about the title, it’s about the duties and responsibilities you are elected to uphold. It’s respect, pride and dignity in our village government and to the people we serve by managing our village budget, while maintaining the essential services the community expects. Four years ago, I ran for mayor because I saw that slipping away, a proud community falling to negative press and personal agendas.
As your current mayor, we’ve restored the relationship and trust within our village board, our residents, the local businesses and our neighboring municipalities. As mayor, I will continue to build on that trust and relationship.
What do you believe is one of the biggest problems the village of Manlius currently faces? How will you address this issue?
The “big picture” problem in the Village of Manlius is much the same as every other governmental unit in New York state — the massively cumbersome legislation funneling from Albany, without available funding sources to offset these costs other than with tax increases. Manlius, like most other communities, has infrastructure improvement projects that will need to be undertaken. Partnering with groups like the Onondaga County Mayor’s Association, the New York Conference of Mayors, and PERMA allows us to network with other communities and come up with cost-effective solutions to these issues.
Striving to find that balance between providing what is needed within the community and keeping costs as low as possible, while continuing to communicate with the county and state legislatures to work through some of these challenges is the best approach.
What are your views of the consolidation of local governments and services?
The term “consolidation” tends to mislead people to believe that there is a guaranteed savings through consolidation. When you look at most (if not all) government consolidation, the total combined budgets rarely decrease. Local government is the best government for the citizens. It is the place where their voices are heard the loudest and they are able to communicate effectively with their elected officials. The Village of Manlius has been sharing services with the town, neighboring villages, and the F-M School District and will continue to look at ways to reduce costs even further.
If elected, what will be your top priority as mayor?
First and foremost, I intend to continue to look at ways to cut costs. As energy costs have increased, I have been working with my staff, our board and outside agencies to research more energy-efficient options for lighting, heating and transportation.
We are currently working towards completing the last item of four required for the village to attain the Clean Energy Community designation through NYSERDA. Once this designation is granted, the village will receive grant funding intended to be used to offset the cost of LED street lighting upgrades and possible funding for an electric vehicle (EV) charging station.
Over the past four years as mayor, together with the village board, we have re-evaluated staffing levels in all our departments, have entered into cooperative agreements with other municipalities and agencies, and are looking at alternative funding sources for our necessary improvements.
Trustee Candidates (Pick two)
Janice Abdo-Rott
Local political party affiliation:
Citizens Party
Political experience:
Village of Manlius Trustee for eight years, four years as deputy mayor, seven years board liaison to the Department of Public works, eight years board liaison to the Beautification Committee and four years as past liaison to Parks and Recreation Department.
Education:
Fayetteville-Manlius graduate; attended Syracuse University, School of VPA; certified nursery and landscape professional.
Work experience/organizations involved with: Owner and designer of Creative Landscapes for 33 years; owner “The Station” at 603 East Seneca St., retail store and plant nursery; member of the Central New York Nursery and Landscape Association; charter member and past VP of the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce; past director of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; past director of the Manlius Restoration and Development Board; past chairperson of the Village of Manlius Parks Committee; past Ways and Means Direct Syracuse Jaycee; charter member and past president FM Jaycee.
How long have you lived in Manlius? I’ve lived in Manlius for 33 years with my husband John and two college age children, Trevor and Natalie.
What do you believe is one of the biggest problems the village of Manlius currently faces, and how would you address this?
Some of the issues we face in the Village of Manlius are unfunded state mandates, the loss of our sales tax revue, traffic and economic growth. There’s not a lot we can do about unfunded mandate from the state or losing our sales tax revenue.
What we can do, is keep our budgets lean, making sure every dollar is allocated wisely, and continue meeting the growing needs of our village. Under Mayor Whorrall leadership, and the board of trustee’s vision, we have worked together to keeping quality of life an important issue, along with great services we all have come to expect. With steady economic growth we’ve reduced the empty store front and brought new business to our village.
Why do you want to continue to serve as a trustee in Manlius?
I would like to continue to serve, simply because I care about my community. I see what a cohesive board and the mayor, have accomplished these past four year. People in the village want to go about the lives and not have to think or worry about what is happening in their village. They want to know the people they elect will and can take care of the day to day work and trust us to do just that, this board has been doing just that. Simply put, Paul Whorall is a good mayor, who truly cares about the people in the village.
What you can do is show your support for the 365 days a year we work for you by voting on March 21.
What will be your top priority in your next term?
For the next four years I would like to continue working with Mayor Whorall and the board of trustees to right size our village. I’ve been working with the Department of Public Works to operate the department more efficiently while keeping up with the needs of the community.
I’m currently working on a project to upgrade the much needed electrical and HVAC at the Village Centre. I enjoy working with the beautification committee to help make our village streets an even more beautiful place to live. I recently completed a project to renovate the Gazebo next to St. Ann’s church. For 30 years I have worked to gave back to my community to help make it a great place to live.
I believe service to our community is our greatest gift of life. Please vote on March 21, to keep our village on the right path.
What are your views of the consolidation of local governments and services?
The villages and the town have done a good job on sharing services now, we can always work to improve things, but consolidating of local governments to a metro government is not a good idea. It won’t save on tax dollars, you will still need as many people to do the work as we do now. The past four years the village has made staffing cuts and lowered the number of trustees to four to down size our village government. Most people who live in a village choose to for the small village feel and appeal, it would be lost.
Thomas Pilewski
Local political party affiliation:
Citizens Party
Political experience:
Four years as a trustee.
Education:
MBA SUNY Oswego; BSBA-Marketing John Carroll University
Work experience/organizations involved with: Associate Professor/Department Chair of Business SUNY Morrisville
How long have you lived in Manlius?
Nine years.
What do you believe is one of the biggest problems the village of Manlius currently faces, and how would you address this?
One of our biggest challenges is controlling costs, since some of the costs are out of our control and are very expensive. These costs include insurance and retirement benefits for our dedicated employees that work very hard for all of us. I will continue to seek ways to reduce costs while maintaining the great services that our residents rely on.
Why do you want to continue to serve as a trustee in Manlius?
I wish to continue the good work we’ve accomplished over the past four years. We’ve made improvements that have increased village effectiveness and efficiency for residents, resulting in stable taxes.
What are your views of the consolidation of local governments and services?
I believe it is government’s duty to look for ways to reduce taxes and consolidation of services should be explored, without reducing services. Our village has been collaborating with East Syracuse, Fayetteville and Minoa for many years, so seeking taxpayer savings through consolidation is not a new concept for us.
What will be your top priority in your next term?
My top priority is seeking fiscal efficiency to realize savings without compromising our commitment to excellent service for the village and surrounding community. My top priority will always be seeking what is best for the village residents. It is a privilege to serve as trustee for this fantastic village.
Village Justice (Pick one)
Hon. William J. Barrett
Education:
Juris Doctor, Syracuse University College of Law, 1993.
Work experience/organizations involved with:
Over 23 years of daily litigation/courtroom experience; over five years of Village Justice experience; member of the New York Magistrates Association and Vice-President of the Onondaga County Magistrates Association.
Why do you want to continue to serve as Village Justice of Manlius?
Justice has always been a passion of mine. I believe that every individual should be treated fairly under the law and that the Judiciary is an important branch of our government that checks and balances the Executive (police and district attorney) and Legislative (law-making) branches.
I believe I have provided swift and fair justice to all that have appeared before me in an efficient manner and wish to continue my efforts for the betterment of our village. I have enjoyed presiding over 2,800 cases during my time as Manlius Village Judge and, in particular, being part of the success of defendants who have overcome obstacles in their lives and changed for the better due, in part, to their exposure to our court. I look forward to being a guiding light in defendant’s lives and providing steady, even-handed justice for as long as I am blessed to be justice.
What are the duties of a village justice?
The village justice presides (exercises authority or control) over all arraignments of defendants charged with felonies, misdemeanors, violations and infractions within the village limits. The justice presides over all misdemeanors, violations and infractions from arraignment, through pre-trials, motions, hearings, trial and sentencing, including the monitoring of the term of any conditional sentences.
The justice presides over all of the eviction proceedings occurring within the village. The justice presides over any small claims actions for disputes involving $3,000 or less arising within the village limits. The justice is responsible for the levying, collection, accounting and distribution of fines, surcharges and bail payments made to the court. The justice is required to attend Continuing Judicial Education and is required to remain knowledgeable of and proficient in the laws governing the cases involved in village court.
Why do you believe you are the best person to carry out these duties of village justice?
In 2011, I was approached by the village justice of Minoa, who also happened to be clerk for the Manlius Village Court and clerk for the Fayetteville Village Court, to apply to become the Acting Village Justice of Manlius.
My immediate reaction was to decline, in part due to the initial shock and, in part due to my existing workload within my successful private law practice. The judge advised me that I distinguished myself through my competence and demeanor during the occasions she had witnessed from the bench and thought I would be a perfect candidate. After consulting with my Wife, children and peers, I began to appreciate the honor of the request and accepted the chance to interview for the position. I won the 2013 election with 76 percent of the vote. I believe I was chosen for a reason and I have enhanced the community through my service as justice.
