Next week, voters will elect three trustees and a mayor. Learn more about each candidate below. Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, and all voting will take place at Village Hall, 16 W. Genesee St.
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Village trustees (choose three)
Ruth Cico
Biographical info:
Baldwinsville has been my home for the majority of my life, with the last 13 years residing as a resident of our fabulous village! My immediate family lives within a five-mile radius of the Baldwinsville area, solidifying my roots to the community even further. I have been employed by Spectrum for over 27 years, in both management and support roles.
Why are you running for office?
I am running for office so I can give back to the community that I have lived in for majority of my life. Our community has so much to offer all walks of life and I have enjoyed the last four years as trustee and would like the opportunity to continue to serve our community.
Why are you the best candidate?
I feel that I am the best choice for candidate because I am passionate about what this area has to offer not only to its residents, but to the surrounding areas. One of the opportunities that I have had the privilege to organize is the village’s annual tree lighting. Over the past three years this event has become a huge family/community event that brings our community together.
What are the major issues facing the village, and what will you do to address them?
As a member of the board I feel that one of our major priorities is to continue to provide the level of village services and quality of life that our residents deserve. To accomplish the level that we have sustained it is incumbent upon us as a board to facilitate this while being fiscally responsible to the residents of our community. I believe that we have successfully accomplished this over the last four years that I have been a part of this board. It is my wish to continue this for our community.
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Andrew Dryden
Biographical info:
I’ve been a Baldwinsville resident for 41 of my 63 years. Wendy and I have been married for 39 years. We have a daughter, Kim, and son-in-law, Austin. I have been employed by Evans Chevrolet for 30 years now as the service director. We have lived in our current residence — 23 Edgewood Drive — for 25 years. I’m the past chair and current board member of Baldwinsville PAC-B, Inc., and Wendy is the treasurer of the Baldwinsville Volunteer Center.
Why are you running for office?
I was elected to the village board in 1994 as a trustee. I served as trustee and deputy mayor for seven years, then mayor for two terms.
I came out of “retirement” from public service last year when I was asked to fill the seat of long-time and respected trustee Rick Presley.
Why are you the best candidate?
When Rick stepped down, he was involved in complicated contract negotiations, a role that requires experience and knowledge. I have that experience and knowledge with which to fill this important role. I feel it would be a disservice to the taxpayers to have a person with no negotiating experience and no knowledge of contracts to step in in the middle of contract talks.
I bring 12+ years of experience with village operations, codes, rules and regulations, and believe I will be an asset to the village and to the village board.
I have no political aspirations, just a desire to serve my local community.
What are the major issues facing the village, and what will you do to address them?
Financial stability is always an issue, but more so now than ever before. With the governor’s arbitrary 2 percent tax cap, unfunded mandates, ever-rising state pension costs and the recent county sales tax distribution going to just the city, all of this has placed a heavy burden on the village finances. Consider that a very large percentage of the village operations are pure labor — with a full time police force and DPW crew — both union represented. This places a disproportionate burden on a CPI-indexed tax capped budget. Medical insurance alone is a 10 to 15 percent annual increase in a good year.
These issues require creative solutions and tight management practices. I have 40 years of experience in the private sector handling these types of situations. We will find reasonable solutions to the increasing cost while maintaining the level of services the residents expect and deserve.
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Eric Reinagel
Biographical info:
I’m a registered Republican, but I did not want to tie myself to polarizing national issues that have little impact on day-to-day village life and so I created the Honeycomb Party. The name derives from our community’s sports teams being known as the Bees, and the party’s symbol is a hexagon, which represents harmony and balance.
I’m 38 and have lived on Tabor Street for the past eight years with my wife and two daughters. My son would later join us. We love living along the Seneca River and walking the trail to enjoy music on Paper Mill Island or to check out something from the Baldwinsville Public Library. We attend United Church of Christ in Bayberry and can often be found at the Northwest YMCA.
I currently work as a supervisor for New York State Insurance Fund in Liverpool and previously spent the past three years arguing cases in New York Workers’ Compensation Court in Rochester.
In addition, I work as a Section III soccer official. My time refereeing and in court has taught me that your judgment is only as good as the perspective you see.
Prior to the Great Recession, I worked as a journalist in Binghamton and Meadville, Pennsylvania. I pored over budgets and a wide assortment of government issues from heated debates over dissolving Johnson City to maintaining a spillway where ducks walk on the backs of carp. I loved my time serving as a watchdog for the public.
Some of the most inspiring work for me involved my nationally-syndicated Wounds of War series, where I met so many brave men and women who served in Iraq.
Why are you running for office?
In December I lost a few important figures in my life and frankly I still feel the holes those losses left.
These events all culminated around the same time I was able to stop commuting daily to Rochester because of a promotion.
I knew someday I would want to run as a trustee after covering local government for the first decade of my life, and so the culmination of events led me to create the Honeycomb party.
The time is right to plant my village in that freshly tilled hole, to plant public service that can grow alongside my beautiful family. I hope the village voters will make that dream flourish the first day of spring and help sustainably grow this village for generations to come!
Walking the streets and meeting so many wonderful people has already enriched me and I thank you all for receiving me in your homes and sharing your stories, joys and concerns. It’s truly inspiring to meet a Gulf War Vet who diligently clears his neighbor’s sidewalk so she can attend Mass or another neighbor who spends his free time building lean-tos so that hikers can enjoy a natural wonder like The Adirondacks (this gentleman can also do a crazy impersonation of Donald Duck that filled me and my daughter with laughter).
I look forward to meeting more of you on this journey and understanding your perspective on issues so Baldwinsville can keep growing in the right direction.
Why are you the best candidate?
There is certainly a benefit to having long-time residents serving on the board, but I can bring a fresh perspective from someone who has lived and worked in a number of different municipalities and is from a younger generation. I can better represent the young working families that often don’t have time to attend meetings.
In the past few years Paper Mill Island has also been an issue with live music extensively disappearing from the Island. I worked as a music director for Allegheny College’s radio station WARC and have had an extensive knowledge of music and concerts, having promoted shows in college. I will venture to guess I’m the only candidate who will be attending Paul Simon and Umphrey’s McGee this summer.
I would like to see the Island be used sensibly for night shows and not have those shows eliminated as in prior years. But I also want to strike a balance with cultural events to draw audiences to the community during the day. To this end I’ve already reached out to groups such as Shakespeare in the Park and Symphoria who have expressed interest in learning more about Paper Mill Island for performances. Earlier performance times could be a nice boost for local businesses while being less disruptive for nearby residents. I agree with Mayor Dick Clarke that Albany Symphony and the Syracuse Pops Chorus July 6, 2017, was “a smash hit” and we should learn from that example while keeping space on Paper Mill Island for great bands like The Alabama Shakes.
What won’t have a place on the Island are overly vulgar lyrics that can be easily overheard by the neighboring residents. I would wager that I will have a better understanding of the content and scene each band will bring to our community than most trustees as a former director of a college radio station and an avid concert goer.
What are the major issues facing the village, and what will you do to address them?
Voter apathy is certainly a concern but I can’t place the blame on the public. Our elected officials sure don’t make it easy.
Google “Election Day” and Tuesday, Nov. 6, shows up, but not in Baldwinsville. The Onondaga County Board of Elections has encouraged villages to make the change from the third Tuesday in March to November, and many villages have followed suit, but I’ve heard concerns that village elections would get lost in the midst of a national election.
I hate to say it, but when voter turnout is 1 percent of the population, your election is already lost!
The village elections are so lost that many residents I’ve spoken to are confused about where they go to vote (Village Hall at 16 W. Genesee St.) because they’re used to their November polling places.
The lack of civic engagement can be isolating to a board that doesn’t need to campaign and actively meet constituents who may be too busy with daily life to make it to meetings. I appreciate when a piano teacher in her home joyfully greets me and tells me, “No one does this anymore!” but that comment is systematic of a bigger problem and shows the complacency of our elected officials.
We need fresh ideas and exchange of ideas flowing in our government to keep Baldwinsville moving in the right direction. Changing elections to November would be a good start to this end, and in addition would save the village money by consolidating services with the county’s Board of Elections.
Another simple change by either the village or town of Lysander is to have council meetings on different nights. Currently both the Lysander Town Board and Village Board of Trustees hold meetings on the same night. Taxpayers should have the ability to oversee their government and speak in both municipalities where they pay taxes.
Keeping taxes down is important too, not just for longtime residents, but also to make this village an attractive option for younger generations that are unfortunately moving out of this state at increasing rates.
The village needs to continue to find creative ways to consolidate services where possible with the town of Van Buren, town of Lysander, county of Onondaga and the state to keep costs down while providing important services like police protection.
The village also needs to have all taxpayers paying their fair share for services. I will do my best to avoid Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTS) for projects/businesses that won’t create long-term jobs.
Finally, but probably one of the most important functions of village government, is long-term planning to maintain roads, plows, water and sewer lines and park equipment. The taxpayers of this community deserve to know that their entrusted funds will be used wisely to keep roads safe and infrastructure in good repair.
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Mark Wilder
Biographical Info:
Residency: Life-long village of Baldwinsville resident, currently residing on Syracuse Street (since 1992). Proud father of two daughters, both of whom are employed, independent and live in the area.
Employment: Director of geoscience services at Environmental Products & Services of Vermont, Inc. Education and training in geology/hydrogeology with 30-plus years of experience in site environmental investigations and remediation projects. Registered professional geologist with New York state and certified professional geologist with American Institute of Professional Geologists.
Party Affiliation/Community Involvement: Village board trustee since 2009. Currently running with Village Party candidates. Department of Public Works Committee Member and Committee Chair for Union Contract Negotiations.
Former Town of Van Buren Appointee to the Board of Directors Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA), Audit and Operations committees.
Statement
Since joining the village board in 2009, I have helped run village government, and the village is currently in a solid fiscal position as a result of the village board and mayor’s efforts. However, the village continues to face economic challenges due to the loss of sales tax revenue from Onondaga County and the loss of property tax revenue due to PILOT agreements made by OCIDA.
Over the last few years, the village board has been able to offset these losses with tight control over expenses, by generating revenue from the sale of Village-owned property for development, and through revenue production from the sale of drinking water. I played a key role in sale of Lock Street riverfront property to an outside developer. The future sale of homes on this property will be a source of additional tax revenue to the Village.
The village is very fortunate to have a high-quality, groundwater-based drinking water supply. The rates the village charges for water used are low compared to OCWA and other providers; however, the water sold is still a major revenue generator for the village and we need to protect this resource. One of the tasks the DPW Committee has undertaken recently is a thorough evaluation of the village water supply wells. We have a plan in motion to upgrade our current supply wells and to look for potential targets for additional water resources so they can be developed in the future if they are needed. With my background as a hydrogeologist, I have been able to contribute to this effort. The village water and sewer funds are currently in good shape; however, the infrastructure comprising these assets is older and we are in the process of planning to make sure the infrastructure is upgraded as necessary to maintain them. I am running for office to help complete these and other endeavors I believe will help the village maintain its solid fiscal position and grow in the future. This March, I ask for your vote and your continued support.
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Mayor (choose one)
Dick Clarke
Biographical info:
My wife (Linda) and I have been married 32 years with three sons (Steve, Jim and Ed McIlroy) who all graduated from Baker High and seven grandchildren, two of whom go to Baldwinsville schools. I retired from the Syracuse newspapers after 36 years as a reporter. I also coached boys basketball in Baldwinsville for 18 years (including six as varsity coach). I have worked at the New York State Fair since 2008 (sports activity area). I am a moderate conservative (recently registered Republican); I turned 71 in January. We have lived in Candlewick since 1987 and we love the neighborhood. I graduated from Baker High School in 1964 and Southern Illinois University in 1970.
Why are you running for office?
Baldwinsville has been my home for 60 years and I love my hometown (my parents grew up here). There are many obstacles, including a lack of support from the state, that make the job tougher. But if you want good things for the village, you have to be ready to roll up your sleeves and fight for it. This job can rip at your soul at times, but the rewards, the positive things that we’ve accomplished, encourage me to want to accomplish more. I see our trails (which we will be paving this year) and our sidewalks and our parks — it makes me proud to be a part of the board that thinks this is important.
I hope people realize how hard the trustees work to help accomplish so much in the village. Six of the seven board members went to high school in Baldwinsville with the seventh settling here after high school, so they have a vested interest.
Why are you the best candidate?
As mayor of the village, time, energy and (com)passion are a necessity. I believe I have all of those ingredients to bring to the job. Also, I served five years as village trustee and a four-year term as mayor to get a firm foothold on what the job requires. I work well with others — as a former coach, I take a team approach.
I’ve seen some of the highs and lows in Baldwinsville and I think a certain amount of history is required. My experience working with kids and with seniors is invaluable for this job.
I’m a good listener and a good communicator. I’ve learned to take criticism and still be objective. We had people upset that Paper Mill Island was not the entertainment vehicle it once was. We — as a board — listened and have taken steps to rectify the situation.
I care; I return phone calls from village residents because it’s important.
What are the major issues facing the village, and what will you do to address them?
As always, our major fight is to provide as much in the way of services as possible at a reasonable cost to taxpayers.
Some costs that we have no real control over — insurance, for instance — rise higher than the rate of inflation, yet we must deal with a tax cap when it comes to raising revenues. We are working hard to be creative to find news sources of revenue while finding less-expensive ways to get the job done.
We try to be responsive to businesses and their issues.
As always, we try to keep the river as a focus in our development.
Quality of life is a huge issue constantly — people want to like where they live, so codes enforcement is crucial, our police response is critical, our DPW efforts are essential to maintain the infrastructure. And as mayor, I need to work with those people to make sure they have the tools to do the work required and know what we, as a village, expect of them.
