MEET THE CANDIDATES: Three running for Cazenovia Town Board

By Jason Emerson

Editor

During the November elections, Cazenovia voters will elect two town board members from a choice of three candidates: incumbents Kristi Andersen and Pat Race, and challenger Pat Vogl. The Republican has sent identical questionnaires to all three candidates in an effort to help our readers learn more about each, to make informed decisions at the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Below are each candidate’s responses, listed in alphabetical order.

Kristi Andersen

Educational background and professional history

B.A. Smith College; Ph.D. University of Chicago.
Taught political science at Ohio State University, and then from 1984-2016 at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.

Community service and previous political office history

Girl Scout Leader
Friends of the Cazenovia Public Library Board
Cazenovia Children’s House Board of Directors
Cazenovia Library Board of Trustees
Cazenovia Forum Board of Directors
Cazenovia Area Community Development Association (CACDA) Board
Morrisville State College, Chair of the College Council
Cazenovia Town Board, 2006 – present

Why are you running for election/re-election to the town board?

I enjoy serving on the town board. My colleagues on the board and the town staff members are a pleasure to work with. I have accumulated a great deal of knowledge about municipal law, zoning and planning, agricultural issues, environmental regulations and lake health through my years on the town board, and I am confident that I can continue to make a positive contribution to the community.

What do you see as the most important issues facing the town board over the next four years and why?

I’ve talked about consolidation, economic development and the health of the lake in response to other questions.

An important issue facing us all, and certainly the town, is how to deal with global climate change, which in particular produces more extreme weather conditions, heavier rainfall and snowfall and will certainly have impacts on our agricultural economy. The town is working to make our infrastructure more resilient (for example, by installing larger-capacity culverts).

What is your position on the possible consolidation of the town and village?

I am currently chairing the town-village committee looking into the possibility of consolidation. This interesting challenge is another reason I chose to run for re-election.

All the members of this committee, I believe, are committed to gathering the data and having the conversations with community members, town and village employees, and others that will help us figure out whether consolidation can actually save the taxpayers money and whether it would allow us to deliver public services more effectively. The two municipalities already cooperate and share services in a number of areas, so consolidation would need to provide benefits beyond what we’ve already created.

What is your position on the current efforts to keep Cazenovia Lake healthy, including chemical treatments, the use of the weed harvester, benthic mats, etc.?

There is no single way — certainly no one easy or inexpensive way — to keep the lake healthy and (relatively) weed-free. The chemical treatments we have used accomplish one goal: reducing the amount of Eurasian watermilfoil. The harvester helps keep weeds from being a problem for lake recreation, as do the benthic mats.

The town has also worked to create less winter run-off from its roads, and (via retention basins and other engineering solutions) to reduce and slow run-off from the watershed. We are now developing lakeshore building/development guidelines to help homeowners stop erosion with the use of good landscaping practices and native plants.

It’s important to note that we have developed these approaches in conjunction with the village and the Cazenovia Lake Association, and have used research by faculty and students at SUNY Oneonta, ESF and Cazenovia College to help us develop our science-based lake health strategies.

What is your position on economic development in the town of Cazenovia? Do you favor aggressive growth and fostering of development, or would you prefer to limit new construction to keep Cazenovia a less commercialized town?

We should be attracting more young families to Cazenovia. We need affordable housing both for them and for seniors who may want to downsize.

I don’t think the choice is between “development” and a “less commercialized town,” rather, we should be pushing for “smart growth” — retail, service and manufacturing businesses that fit with the scale of the community; encouraging a wide array of enterprises and services right here in the community; good design and historic preservation; and an emphasis on walkability and “bike-ability.” We also need to continue to work with and support Cazenovia College, a critical and economically important part of our community.

Why should people vote for you? What distinguishes you as a candidate?

I have quite a bit of experience at this point, but I remain curious and flexible in my thinking. I like it that my work on the town board has put me in touch with a diverse set of people from all parts of the town. I am now retired and have a bit more time to devote to the Cazenovia community.

People should vote for me if they want a representative who is hard working, easy to get in touch with and has good connections to educational, non-profit and business institutions.

Finally, I would note that I am the only woman on the town board. Research shows that groups containing both men and women make better decisions. So voters may want to think about the downside of a town board composed entirely of men!

Pat Race

Educational background and professional history

I am a 1975 graduate of Cazenovia Central and a 1979 graduate of Curry College (Milton, Ma.) with a bachelor’s degree in political and historical studies.

Community service and previous political office history

I have coached Pop Warner football and youth hockey for over 30 years. I have always tried to be an active participant in the community when needed.

Why are you running for election/re-election to the town board?

In 2005, I ran for the town board in order to be more involved with the community as a whole. Since then, I have been able to be part of numerous things that I believe have been beneficial to Cazenovia.

Our highway department has modernized and expanded its level of service with virtually zero additional expense to the taxpayer. We developed a new Comprehensive Plan, in conjunction with the village that is taking the community forward into the foreseeable future. For the first time ever, a thoughtful and funded approach to the health of Cazenovia Lake was initiated. Our three water districts have been upgraded and maintained to a higher level than ever.

These and many other projects are why I ran for town councilor, and why I would like to continue to see them through to fruition.

What do you see as the most important issues facing the town board over the next four years and why?

Cazenovia! You have touched on a lot of the biggest issues we face as a town board with the other questions in this questionnaire. There are always “things” to be addressed: water quality in Mt. Pleasant water district, salt/sand usage in the lake watershed, sidewalks in New Woodstock, drainage on Ridge Road. But by far, our most important issue is Cazenovia.

Since John Lincklaen, Cazenovia has been the best place in the world to live and it is our task to do our part in keeping it that way into the future.

What is your position on the possible consolidation of the town and village?

If consolidation is viable, I am all for it. The “village” will always be the “village” and the “town” will always be the “town” whether there is one government or two. The question is whether it will be worth it. Can we make it fiscally acceptable to our citizens while maintaining (if not increasing) the level of service that they expect and deserve? It is way too early in the process to have the answers to those questions. But they are questions that we should make a concerted effort to find the answers to.

What is your position on the current efforts to keep Cazenovia Lake healthy, including chemical treatments, the use of the weed harvester, benthic mats, etc.?

I was the first person that people approached regarding chemical treatment of the lake back in 2006. I worked with them to present the desire to then-Supervisor Liz Moran, and the program began.

I was fully in favor of the town inserting an “environmental line” into the budget which focuses on the health of the lake. I was the person who researched and presented a weed harvesting program to the rest of the town board in order to enhance overall effort. Benthic mats have been greatly successful as a shoreline weed control method. And sections of the lake have been designated to attempt and assess the viability of biologic treatments (moths, weevils, etc.).

So I guess the short answer is I’m “all in” on lake health and the only way to approach it is with a multi-pronged approach.

Growing up in Cazenovia during the 60s and 70s was a true privilege. The community was vibrant, thriving and self-sufficient. Car dealers, shoe store, clothiers, three grocery stores, appliances, etc. You could find it all in town.

Over the course of time, those qualities dwindled, turning the town into more of a “bedroom community.” This created stagnation, lost revenues, declining school enrollment, not to mention the inconvenience of having to travel dozens of miles to buy a pair of socks.

A new Joint Comprehensive Plan was developed to address these issues. Growth and development are critical to the sustainability of our community. To call that growth “aggressive” is not fair. Active, thoughtful, sustainable growth is crucial to Cazenovia’s well-being.

The Comprehensive Plan calls for and allows this type of growth. Cazenovia has been a beautiful, desirable rural agrarian community for many decades and I am committed to help keep it that way.

Why should people vote for you? What distinguishes you as a candidate?

I would hope that people are voting for me because they believe I’m doing a good job. I am honored and humbled that they have elected me for the last three terms.

It’s a great thing that we, in the United States, get the right to cast our ballot in order to show our pleasure/displeasure with the people elected to represent us. I have, and will continue if re-elected, to represent all of the people in the community and remain accessible and open to all of their opinions, wishes and issues.

Pat Vogl

Educational background and professional history

I received my B.A. in Speech and Hearing Science from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1981. I then received my M.A. degree in Audiology from SUNY Buffalo in 1983. I then returned to school part-time and obtained my MBA from Syracuse University in 1995.

I moved to Syracuse in 1983 to manage a small audiology and hearing aid practice. I managed Central Hearing Consultants from 1983-89. I then changed careers in 1989 and moved to the pharmaceutical industry, where I currently work for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in their Oncology division. I have worked for several company’s over 28 years.

I believe in giving back to the community and country, so I joined the United States Air Force Reserves medical as an audiologist at McGuire AFB in New Jersey from 1993-97. I obtained the rank of captain.

Community service and previous political office history

While living in Syracuse, I was active with the Syracuse Rotary club for 10 years, and served on the board and various committees. My wife Laura and I moved to Cazenovia in 1993. We are members of St. James Parish and I served on the parish council for three years. I coached Pop Warner football and coached Little League baseball for several years, and served as treasurer for the Cazenovia Athletic Association for four years.

I served on the Cazenovia School board for 11 years from 2005-16 and was president of the board for five years. I served on the boards of both Cazenovia Country Club and Cazenovia Golf Club, and just finished my two-year term as president of the Golf Club. I currently serve on the Friends of Lorenzo board.

I have no previous political office experience, which I consider a good thing!

Why are you running for election/re-election to the town board?

I feel it is important to have new faces on any board. This allows a board to grow and not turn into a “club.” My many experiences with different organizations allows me to come onto the board with an open mind and a different set of eyes to review and solve the issues of our community.

I also believe our taxes are way too high and I want to look for real ways to lower taxes. As a community, we can work together to find ways to lower taxes. We can do this by encouraging economic growth and making it easier for businesses to come to our community, or removing barriers for our current businesses to expand.

I believe my previous experiences along with being open to any and all ideas from the community will allow the town board to work even better with our citizens and business leaders.

What do you see as the most important issues facing the town board over the next four years and why?

There are four areas that board needs to address: economic growth, affordability (high taxes), lake health and quality of life for our community.

We must look for ways to encourage business to come to Cazenovia. This will provide jobs and a stable tax base while easing the tax burden on homeowners.

We need to work to insure that people can come and live in our town regardless of their financial status. Lowering taxes is one way to make Cazenovia more affordable, as is changing regulations on the size of building lots.

The lake is vital to our community. We have to work together with the scientists/ecologists, etc., to build a plan to keep the lake physically healthy, while at the same time not breaking the backs of taxpayers.

Lastly, we need to get residents of the community together with the board and discuss ways/ideas on how to improve the quality of life for everyone.

What is your position on the possible consolidation of the town and village?

The way the current state laws are set up, I am (at this point) not a proponent of consolidation.

If there is consolidation the village police disappear. They either become town police or we eliminate them and use the county sheriff. This will lead to longer response time for emergency calls.

There will be no cost saving in consolidation, just a cost shift. Town residents will see their taxes go up and village residents will see a tax decrease. If we are to do this, then every resident should see taxes go down.

Presently, on the town board website, there are two pages of consolidated or shared services between the town, village and county, yet no one has seen a decrease in taxes, and the municipal budgets continue to go up.

The present study costs approximately $48,000, and this study is only to see whether we need a more extensive study. That’s true government in action!

What is your position on the current efforts to keep Cazenovia Lake healthy, including chemical treatments, the use of the weed harvester, benthic mats, etc.?

It is imperative that we have a strong, healthy lake. The homes around the lake make up just 8 percent of the total homes in our community, but pay 20 percent of all taxes. We must design a sustainable financial plan to keep the lake healthy.

Presently, the chemical treatments seem to be the best way to fight the milfoil problem, but it is extremely expensive. The lake is a little over 2,000 acres, yet in 2017 only 190 acres were chemically treated. This is a cost issue and much of the cost is paid through donations. We must create a stable revenue stream, as it is difficult to develop a long-term cohesive plan when rely on donations.

I think the mats are a good idea. I am not in favor of the weed harvester. I think it is too expensive and ineffective. I believe this money could be better utilized.

I am in favor of smart economic development. I am not in favor of large big box stores moving into our area.

We need to have in place policies and regulations that are attractive to businesses so they will want to come here or expand their current business. We have an educated work force in our community, and we ought to “sell” that to potential businesses.

Over the past couple of years, we have had growth in the agricultural tourism industry and I believe we should be actively seeking out this type of industry as it ties in nicely with our community. I am not against new construction as this adds to our tax base and can ease the tax burden on our citizens.

I promise to be vigilant in making sure that anything built in our town will conform to the standards we have established for many years.

Why should people vote for you? What distinguishes you as a candidate?

I will always put the people of our community first. I will never make a decision without asking the following: “Will this decision benefit our community and enhance the lives of the people living here, is anyone adversely affected by this decision, if so what alternatives do we have and finally is it a fiscally responsible decision?”

I believe we have to look for ways to lower taxes for all home owners and business, especially if we as state residents lose our state and local tax deductions as currently proposed in Washington. I will listen to all voices in my decision-making and I do not come to the board with a personal agenda.

I feel that all boards need to systematically turn themselves over to get fresh ideas, fresh energy and a spirit of open mindedness and that’s what I promise to do.