BALDWINSVILLE — When Van Buren Town Supervisor Mary Frances Sabin took office in January 2022, the town councilor seat she vacated to run for supervisor remained empty.
Six months later, the town board has appointed Jennifer Sullivan to fill the position, but the vacancy on the seven-member board prompted Councilor Ron Dudzinski to raise the question at the July 6 town board meeting: does Van Buren really need seven town councilors?
Dudzinski noted that four towns in Onondaga County that have more residents than Van Buren have only five councilors on their town boards: Salina, Cicero, Lysander and Onondaga. (See the sidebar for a breakdown of the numbers.)
By the numbers
According to U.S. Census data, here is a breakdown of the actual population of the 10 largest towns in Onondaga County as of April 1, 2020. Towns in bold have seven town board members; the remaining towns have five town board members.
1. Clay: 60,527
2. Manlius: 33,712
3. Salina: 33,223
4. Cicero: 31,435
5. DeWitt: 26,074
6. Camillus: 25,346
7. Lysander: 23,074
8. Onondaga: 22,937
9. Geddes: 17,088
10. Van Buren: 14,367
Reducing the town board by two, Dudzinski said, would save money without compromising services for residents.
Each town councilor receives an annual salary of $8,350 and the town supervisor makes $48,800. The annual salary of six town councilors totals $50,100, so reducing the board by two members would save $16,700.
“I’m well aware that this board is very split on this issue, but I feel that this is the right time for us to be looking at this as far as a cost savings to the town,” Dudzinski said.
Dudzinski said he would like to see the issue on the ballot for residents to decide.
Supervisor Sabin was absent from the July 6 meeting, so Dudzinski said he wanted to discuss the topic further when Sabin is present.
Town Councilor Mike Hulchanski was elected to the town board last year. In his nearly seven months in office, he realized the job “takes a lot more time than I initially thought it would,” he said.
“If we’re doing the same amount with less people, it’s going to be more work no matter what,” Hulchanski said, adding that he would like to learn more about what other towns pay their board members.
Dudzinski presented salary data for three other towns: Lysander ($10,005), Cicero ($11,552) and Onondaga ($13,069). He said he did not run for public office for the salary and opposes giving town councilors a raise.
Town Councilor Wendy Van Der Water countered that Van Buren would have to raise salaries if the workload is to be shared among five people instead of seven.
“Additionally, we want good people … who want to participate in town government because they care about this community, they have integrity and are aware of the direction our future’s going in,” she added. “You’re not going to attract someone who has that integrity for saying, ‘This job is free.’ It just doesn’t make any sense that someone would make the time commitment, as Mike [Hulchanski] said.”
Van Der Water said her town councilor duties can take up to 20 hours per week.
“It’s not a two-hour-a-week job,” she said. “I am not in favor of the reduction. I think you’re going to burden four people more than they need to be and they’re going to get burned out.”
With fewer councilors, Van Der Water said, the town might have to rely more on the town attorney for negotiating collective bargaining agreements. Legal costs might negate the savings of reducing the size of the board.
Of the vacant seat, Van Der Water said, “We’ve managed to function this year with one less person. It doesn’t mean it’s right.”
Town Councilor Howard Tupper said the salary was $8,000 when he began. He is in his fourth term on the town board. He said he is in favor of maintaining the current size of the board and the current salary.
“We shouldn’t close out opportunities for the public to become involved in government,” he said. “With only five seats, that doesn’t allow as many people to run for office. It doesn’t represent a good, democratic approach.”
Deputy Supervisor Darcie Lesniak said she proposed a similar reduction about six years ago when she was a relatively new town councilor, but her fellow town board members convinced her that the current size works best. She said having more seats allows for a greater cross-section of the town to serve.
Councilor Mike Hulchanski made a motion to appoint Sullivan to the vacant seat. He said she was the only person who submitted a resume to the town board for consideration.
“She’s got good references, she’s got good business sense,” Hulchanski said. “Most importantly, I think she shows a commitment to the town board. She’s been to nearly every meeting, if not every meeting, we’ve had since the beginning of the year.”
Hulchanski, Van Der Water, Tupper and Lesniak voted in favor of Sullivan’s appointment, and Dudzinski abstained.
