By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7, residents in the town of Manlius will have the opportunity to select candidates for town supervisor, town justice, town clerk, receiver of taxes, highway superintendent and three town councilor positions.
Incumbent Republican Ed Theobald is being challenged by Democrat Nancy Durkin for town supervisor. (Click here to see the candidate profiles for town supervisor.)
Three seats for town councilor are up for election and incumbent Republicans Vince Giordano, Karen Green and Dave Marnell are seeking reelection. Democrats Sara Bollinger and Patrick Donnelly also vie to be elected to these positions. (Click here to read the candidate questionnaire responses by the town councilor candidates.)
For Manlius Town Justice, Democrat Tim McMahon is challenging incumbent Republican Bob O’Leary (Click here to read the town justice candidate questionnaires).
Incumbent Republican town clerk Allison Weber is seeking reelection against Democrat John Deer, and Democrat Elvis Mehmedovic is challenging incumbent Republican Laura Peschel for the receiver of taxes positions. (Click here to read the receiver of taxes questionnaire.)
Incumbent highway supervisor Republican Robert Cushing will seek reelection to his seat unopposed.
Polls on Election Day will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7. For more information about the elections, go to ongov.net/elections/index.html.
The Eagle Bulletin distributed uniform candidate questionnaires for all of the contested elections in Manlius.
Following are the responses of town clerk candidates organized by alphabetical order of last names:
Town Clerk
John Deer
Political Affiliation: Democrat
Educational background and professional history: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Rochester Institute of Technology, graduated 2012; Programmer Analyst at King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. 2012 to 2013; Database Developer at Transaver, LCC. 2013 to 2017.
Community service and previous political office history: Running for office is one way I hope to help the community in which I live.
Why are you running for the position of town clerk?
I am running for the position of the Town Clerk of Manlius because I believe it is time for new ideas to bring the office into the 21st century. I found myself interested in politics at an early age, but chose to get involved after the most recent general election. My wife and I attend the Manlius Democrat meetings where I became a committee member shortly after joining. I firmly believe that my degree in computer science and my experience as a database developer will allow me to serve the town’s residents to the fullest extent.
If elected, do you have any ideas to improve the clerk’s office?
I would like to make data more useful and accessible. I would use my expertise to leverage open source and other affordable platforms to make it easier to retrieve data, fill out forms and communicate with town officials. At the same time, working on the internal process by finding the best tools for document generation and task management would bring greater efficiency and efficacy to the office. I have spent much of my career finding the right software for each task and I would plan to modernize the office in an affordable and manageable manner.
What distinguishes you from your opponent?
I believe that my background will bring a fresh perspective with the goal to invigorate the current duties of the office. I believe it is time for young people to get involved in politics at a local level and to understand that they can make a difference in their community.
Allison Weber
Political Affiliation: Republican, Conservative, Independence, Onondaga County Veterans, Tax Payers First parties.
Educational background and professional history: I am a graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius High School and earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from LeMoyne College. I became court clerk in the village of Manlius in 2004 and was elected to the position of Town of Manlius Town Clerk in 2008 where I have served to the present day. After being elected town clerk I studied and attained my Registered Municipal Clerk designation from the New York State Town Clerks Association and currently serve as the secretary of the Onondaga County Town Clerks Association.
Community service and previous political office history: Service to my community is a large part of who I am and how I was raised. While growing up, both of my parents served in the village of Manlius Fire Department. A great deal of my time is spent raising my two young sons and participating in cubscouts and attending their sporting events. When we do have time my family and I have enjoyed volunteering at “ The Haven at Skanda,” a local farm that rescues abused animals. I enjoy serving my community as town clerk and have sought no other political office.
Why are you running for the position of Town Clerk?
This is my hometown and the place that I choose to raise my family. Working in this community and providing residents with knowledgeable and friendly customer service has prompted me to spend the last 10 years continuing to educate myself in the details of municipal government. I am running for office to continue on this path to better serve my community. Each year I have set goals for myself and my office that will improve our service to the residents. I am currently working on multi year projects that I am deeply invested in and would like to continue to pursue.
If elected, do you have any ideas to improve the Town Clerk’s Office?
I would like to continue to build upon the projects that I have already implemented. We are digitizing records for the town to streamline the FOIA process and help with research. The 2018 budget contains funding for a new town clerks program that will increase efficiency, record keeping and allow for online dog licensing. Additionally, my office has begun the process of adding more online services to the new town website to continue to strive towards the goal of an online town hall for residents that may have a hard time visiting town hall during business hours.
What distinguishes you from your opponent?
The thing that distinguishes me from my opponent is experience. Not only experience as the town clerk but experience in customer service. I have spent my entire working career in service oriented jobs and serving my community. I have a deep understanding of how municipal government operates and a strong network with my fellow town clerks.
