To the editor:
I am writing to show my support for Mark Venesky for Cicero Town Supervisor. He has accomplished many significant achievements in just two years.
He removed the old South Bay FD building from consideration to hold police and courts. Renovating those would have been costly, would have put our police outside the mainstream of the town, and would have eliminated the public transportation option for those attending court. Instead, we will soon have a beautiful, refurbished police department via a grant, and a new court adjoining town hall that meets all legal requirements and provides growth space for town hall.
He worked to ensure we finally initiated replacement of the old highway garage. This is a major commitment, but needed. Should he have authorized spending $30k in mailings to educate the voters? I think it was the right move, as most of us were uninformed to vote on this complex issue. Otherwise, the referendum would likely have failed and the town would have no building for our vital highway equipment. A prudent move, in my opinion.
He returned $650k to town funds. Who’s ever done that before? No one I can think of. And our town’s business assessment grew by $14 million, That was no accident. Remember a couple of years ago the comptroller predicted the town would go bust shortly? Yet, just a few months ago the town received a superior bond rating, a major turnaround for the town. Again, this was no coincidence, but an indicator of good fiscal management. And don’t forget he made a significant improvement in workplace accidents that reduced insurance premium and increased productivity. And just this week, a news article reported that the town of Cicero was the most prosperous town in Onondaga County and in the top 20 for all of Central New York. A coincidence? Not likely.
When Mark eventually leaves office, he will leave three new major buildings, a stable budget and a good credit rating. He’s achieved a lot in just two years. Yes, he deserves our vote.
David Kirk
Cicero
