To the editor:

To the residents of the town of Lysander,

I appreciate the opportunity to let you know that I am running for re-election to the Lysander Town Board. You elected me four years ago and I thought I would outline some of the things I have done and what I would be proud to continue to do.

I have made preserving Lysander’s greenspace and rural character, including protecting farmland, a priority by emphasizing smart development. This approach uses fact-based projections on the impact of new development on both current and future operational and infrastructure repair costs. Many communities have often ignored these future costs to their financial peril. We want to make sure that all costs, present and future, will be provided for by the new tax receipts. I am very pleased that fellow board members are agreed on this approach. Two new development projects we approved have followed this theme where significant greenspace land will be preserved at no cost to the town and at the same time, future operational and capital costs will be met by those taxes generated by these new communities.

I have made transparency in how town business is conducted paramount and am proud of the civility among board members and the public that has been engendered. We have good discussions, all the while respecting one another and the public that come to the meetings or who watch the proceedings on PAC-B TV. I have made it a goal to create tax rate stability and to avoid an up-and-down approach to taxation, as had been done in the past. To this end, I was responsible for having the board create capital accounts for expenses that occur only sporadically for big-ticket items such as vehicle purchases or building repairs — we add dollars to these accounts annually and thus avoid having to budget in a single year for these purchases.

I have been proud to serve as the town’s representative to the Canton Woods Senior Center, an agency much loved and used by our residents. We are lucky to have a facility like this and I look forward to continuing to be a part of this wonderful place.

We raised our family and have lived here for 35 years. Lysander is my home. I was lucky to have had a career in the Onondaga County Parks Department, where I was commissioner until I retired in 2009. Success in my work was all about teamwork and the ability to get along with people and to respect all, regardless of differing points of view. My degree from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry and my public administration degree from Syracuse University have given me the tools that help me in my work as your town board member of this great community. I would be proud to serve on the Board for the next four years and would be most grateful for your support.

Bob Geraci

Lysander Town Councilor