In the town of DeWitt, five candidates are vying for three councilor positions, while two are running against each other for the role of town justice. Below are profiles of the candidates that appeared in the Oct. 27, 2021 issue of the Eagle Bulletin.

Joey Chiarenza
DEM

Occupation: Landscape contractor

How will your experience serve you in government?
My 35 plus years of navigating my family’s business, Twin Oaks Nursery, has trained me to be able to become a great leader, and getting things accomplished in a timely fashion, and not abusing the funds allocated to get the job done! I think we at the town board have proved it in our past two terms! We are looking out for the taxpayers of DeWitt!

What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
The traffic that I -81will push on 481 highway that my residents are very concerned about adding  noise, traffic, pollution and endangering our residents of walking biking and enjoying a walk along the fantastic canal path !!!

What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
The state needs to sit down with the towns and villages that which are going to be impacted by the highway and meet our concerns of our constituents.

Sarah Klee-Hood
DEM

Occupation: Nonprofit, economic development

How will your experience serve you in government?
As a former military officer, I understand the importance of teamwork and setting aside personal agendas to achieve the goal, for the greater good. Working in economic development has afforded me the opportunity to understand and learn about our local constraints and how government is able to assist its community. As an engaged parent and community member, I have awareness of our local governments direct effect on our families, and I hope to bring forward legislation and support to continuously improve our community and maintain DeWitt as a community for families to thrive and build a life.

What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
At the most local level through to our national level, our communities are tired of the finger pointing, lack of accessibility to officials, and failure to deliver.

What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
I’m running a campaign based on:

– Transparency: ensuring all residents understand where the money goes, how the bills are paid and how this affects their daily lives.
– Accessibility: not only for those who are physically restricted but also for our residents to know who is responsible for which functions of the government and the ability to connect with them.
– Partnership: to increase the trust between our local government and community and a sense of shared responsibility when challenges arise.

Richard Kunz
REP

Occupation: Retired

How will your experience serve you in government?
After nearly 55 years of working, my experience spans construction, the Coast Guard and a volunteer firefighter. I understand 1st responders, I have not only lived and worked in the CNY but for 23 years on the West Coast dealing with municipalities both large and small as a government sales and finance representative from which I just retired. I have seen and sometimes initiated changes in the municipal purchasing system. I know how to maximize our tax dollars. if I have learned anything over the past 55 years, “communication is mandatory.” I am accessible. I will listen. Give me a call.

What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
Runaway spending and no diversity in town government. We have been run by a singularly focused, cut and paste agenda. When the people speak, they seem to be mostly ignored and the town seems to do whatever they want. I see my property taxes slowly and quietly creeping higher and I suspect it is being hidden in the complexity of the budget process. We have some great services we are in danger of losing if we don’t get hold of our spending. The town is narrowly focused, not on the entire town but the agenda of a few.

What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
1st I will bring a new and independent common-sense voice to the DeWitt Town Council. I am not a politician, I have no agenda, I am an independent thinker, and I don’t believe in single party party control which is what we have. My slogan is “I’m Listening” and I mean that. Not everyone wants more bike lanes, hiking paths and trees. Most of the people in my demographic, over 65, homeowner, retired or near retirement are looking for accessibility, safety and services. Those people in my opinion have been ignored because they don’t think they have a voice. As I drive through the town, I realize just how important the town council is and just how enormous the responsibility is to the residents of DeWitt. I work for you but can’t do it without support and the involvement of all the residents in the town of DeWitt.  

Bernie Ment
REP

Occupation: Certified loan closing specialist

How will your experience serve you in government?
I have been active in local politics for 20 years and have made many friends in local government.  When faced with challenges at the local level, it helps to have resources at all levels of government to help deal with local issues.  It also helps to have someone working for you who likes to think outside the box…I am that candidate.

What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
The Shoppingtown Mall project will present quite the challenge to find the right development balance once we learn the full proposal.  We need to protect the community from potential mistakes.  Additionally, there are currently no board members serving the community of East Syracuse, despite the geographic placement of the village in the heart of the town.  Government works best when there are rivalling ideas on the board.  All we have to do is look at Albany and Washington to see the damage being done by one-party rule.  Eight years ago, the Supervisor himself said that the town board should bear some resemblance to the make-up of the town’s residency.  With seven democrats on the board, that means that the 4500 Republicans and 7000 independents in DeWitt have no current advocates on the board at all.  It’s time to add some balance.

What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
It would be nice for everyone in the town to have an advocate on the board.  I myself have consulted with members of the town board on outstanding issues and have been met with a deaf ear to my concerns with little more than lip service paid.  With the Shoppingtown project looming and the single party makeup of the board, it’s time to get some fresh ideas and elect new faces to step up during the coming years with better alternatives than a simple rubber stamp of an agenda.  I am open to working with the current sitting members of the board, some of whom I worked with on their campaigns.  But the key is balance – one party rule if never good at any level of government.

Max Ruckdeschel
DEM

Occupation: Full-time dad

How will your experience serve you in government?
I have a master’s degree in urban geography and previously worked at the University at Buffalo Regional Institute doing policy research on many topics, including local governance and economic development. As president of the Community Library of DeWitt & Jamesville since 2018, I oversee a budget of over $1.4 million and make sure the library provides great services to the community with minimal tax increases. I also serve on the DeWitt Zoning Board of Appeals and was formerly a member of the Syracuse school board. I have an analytical mind and enjoy developing innovative solutions to persistent problems.  

What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
DeWitt is a mature suburb with large areas that are zoned commercial and industrial.  The town has aging infrastructure and little undeveloped land.  There are vacant industrial and commercial properties throughout the town, including the former Shoppingtown Mall.  Vacant residential properties, or zombie homes, are beginning to show up in some of our older neighborhoods.  Because of the age of our residential developments, many of our neighborhoods are not walkable and it is difficult for our population to age in place.  The tax cap places a limit on the amount of revenue the town can raise for large infrastructure projects and improvements to the town.

What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
DeWitt needs to work with all interested parties, including the county, the Village of East Syracuse, and local and national businesses to facilitate redevelopment of vacant industrial and commercial properties.  The town has added mixed-use zoning to our code, but nothing has yet been developed under these guidelines.  We need to focus on getting mixed-use development realized in DeWitt and determine where it will work best. The town’s zombie home program needs to be expanded in coordination with the Greater Syracuse Landbank, with a focus on getting new families in our neighborhoods.  There are many areas of the town where sidewalks would greatly improve the walkability and safety of our neighborhoods.  Paying for and maintaining the sidewalks will take innovative funding solutions and a long-term outlook, but it is a necessary investment for the health of our community.  The town must also maintain its commitment to environmental sustainability.

Margaret Driscoll
REP

Occupation: Attorney

How will your experience serve you in government?
I have represented over 2,000 clients in the town and village courts in Onondaga County including hundreds of clients in front of the current sitting justices in DeWitt. I have run my law office in Syracuse for over 15 years and have extensive experience dealing with cases involving mental health, substance abuse and domestic violence issues. In addition to having a law degree, I have a masters in social work that assists me in understanding the needs of our community. I have represented hundreds of clients since the pandemic began and have learned what an asset technology (virtual appearances) can be.

What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
Individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues that have gone untreated are the biggest challenge in our community, and they can contribute to criminal behavior such as assault, burglary, theft. The isolation and illness brought on by the pandemic has only exacerbated these challenges. Syracuse City Court has many mini courts to address these problems. They are called “Problem Solving Court,” and include but are not limited to Drug Court, Mental Health Court, Opioid Court, Domestic Violence Court and Veterans Court. The town and village justice courts need to address the same challenges in an “all inclusive” way in one court. Since Covid began, we have seen an increase in substance abuse, mental health and domestic violence in our communities. The pandemic shutdowns and slow downs have caused a backlog in adjudicating cases in the courts. I have the extensive experience in many courts to address these challenges.

What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
The increased rates of depression, anxiety, isolation, substance abuse and domestic violence that we have seen is of concern to all of us. We have some great resources in our community to treat mental health and substance abuse, but they are strained and more services are needed.  Having treatment resources available, connecting with treatment providers and learning from other courts will help us address these issues and may help recidivism rates. In regard to the covid backlog of cases, we can look into starting court earlier in the evening, maybe starting at 5 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. We can also explore the possibility of a “DA Night,” where defense counsel can conference cases with the District Attorney’s office. We can use virtual appearances (technology) where in-person appearances are not needed. Using and improving sign-in sheets for both clients and attorneys will also help adjudicate cases in a timely manner.

Sam Young
DEM

Occupation: Attorney

How will your experience serve you in government?
I am a lifelong resident of the DeWitt community. I have nearly two decades of public service experience in DeWitt, including serving on the DeWitt Town Board, Police Commission and JD School Board.

Professionally I am an attorney and Director of Advocacy at Legal Services of CNY, where I serve the legal needs of the poor in our community. I have practiced law for nearly three decades, solving clients’ problems in the areas of criminal, civil, traffic and housing cases. My combination of professional and public service experience makes me ideally suited to serve as DeWitt’s next town justice.

What do you think are the biggest challenges in your community?
As a DeWitt Police Commissioner, I have seen the number of people impacted by the opiate epidemic. The abuse of opiates is responsible for a large number of the crimes and deaths in DeWitt. Untreated mental illness also accounts for a large number of police interactions and criminal cases, increasing the criminal docket.

DeWitt is located at the nexus of Interstates 690, 481, and 90, which generates a high number of traffic violations, and results in a busy traffic calendar for Dewitt Town Court.

As a result of COVID-19, our town courts have been challenged by the limitations imposed by rapidly-changing laws and orders responding to the COVID pandemic. Thousands of CNY residents are in danger of evictions as a result of COVID-19 hardships. State law has imposed a moratorium on eviction proceedings, but that moratorium will end in January, which may give rise to a flood of eviction cases.

What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
Town court must adapt and change with the public-health realities of COVID-19. Our courts must be as accessible as possible to attorneys and parties needing to appear remotely. Court congestion can be reduced by continuing to allow people with traffic and some criminal cases to resolve their matters through correspondence rather than court appearances.

I have kept abreast of all developments affecting our local courts as a result of COVID-19, including changes and restrictions to eviction proceedings, and am prepared to implement the changes to the law, while being accessible and fair to all parties.

We must address problems of opiate addiction and mental illness using problem-solving approaches, by employing community resources to address the causes of resulting behavior, rather than by focusing solely on punishment. Only by understanding and addressing the underlying causes of these cases can we reach solutions which prevent re-offending and promote community safety.