Primary elections will be held Tuesday, June 25, across Onondaga County. In the northern suburbs, the Republican Party will select candidates for Cicero Town Supervisor and Cicero Town Councilor. The Independence Party is having a primary for Salina Town Councilor (1st Ward).
Read on to meet the candidates. For a list of polling places or to look up your voter registration and sample ballot, visit ongov.net/elections.
Republican Party
Town of Cicero Supervisor (vote for 1)
William H. Meyer Jr.
Biographical information, political experience
William “Bill” Meyer is running for Cicero Town Supervisor on the Republican, Conservative and Independence Party lines. Bill currently serves the Cicero residents as the Deputy Supervisor. Previously Bill served on the Onondaga County Legislature where he served as Chairman and Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee. Before being elected to the County Legislature he was on the Cicero Town Board for six years.
Bill and his wife Linda raised their two children in Cicero where they attended C-NS High School.
He has a BA degree from Kansas State Teachers College where he majored in business and social sciences. The American Institute also awarded him the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation.
Bill owned an award-winning business in Cicero where he was active in the Cicero Chamber of Commerce including being elected Chamber President.
He served 20 years in the United States Army Reserve where he was awarded numerous medals prior to his retirement as a Sergeant First Class.
What is the biggest issue facing the town and what do you plan to do about it if elected?
I believe that Cicero must continue to repair our roads, grow jobs and stabilize property taxes while protecting the taxpayer’s money that earned Cicero a AA credit rating by Standard & Poor’s.
This will be done first by controlling all local spending. We will take the savings to first stabilize taxes and second to invest in technology to become more effective and efficient for the taxpayers. Second, we will work to attract high-quality and well-paying jobs. And finally, we will take a community and partnership approach to our local projects making sure that all the resources available whether it be federal, state, local, or volunteer, are available to help the residents of Cicero.
Chester A. Dudzinski Jr.
Biographical information, political experience
I’ve lived in Cicero my entire life. Married for 45 years, with two daughters. A volunteer firefighter with South Bay Fire for 27 years, and small business owner, including the “Pumkin Patch.” I previously served as Cicero Supervisor, Councilor, Onondaga County Legislator, and County Planning Board.
Why are you running for office?
I’m running to restore fiscal responsibility and to end corruption in Cicero town government. My opponent, Bill Meyer, was deputy supervisor for the current and past administration. And what occurred? Over $10 million in increased town spending and taxes, and over 20 million dollars in increased borrowing. The “Taj Mahal” boondoggle highway garage, which the town borrowed $10 million for, has incurred millions in cost overruns. And skyrocketing increases in property assessments to cover the town’s over-spending. These tax-and-spend policies are bankrupting Cicero, which I will stop. Residents do not know the depth of corruption in Cicero town government. The NYS Comptroller’s Office is currently investigating Cicero officials for misconduct. The town has been repeatedly sued, high-ranking officials have resigned or not been reappointed for misconduct, bid-rigging, sweetheart deals for friends and campaign contributors, including “pay-to-play.” I will end this corruption.
What is the biggest issue facing the town; what do you plan to do about it if elected?
The biggest issues facing Cicero are traffic congestion and the breakdown of our roads. I will immediately vote to stop construction of new housing developments and apartment complexes, including entire Route 31 corridor from Route 11 to Bridgeport. I oppose the proposed 400-home development at Northern Pines Golf Club on Route 31. Road repairs will be priority.
Republican Party: Cicero Town Councilor (vote for 2)
Michael J. Becallo
Biographical information
35 years old, married to Nicole Casamento
30-year Cicero resident
BA, Communication & Information Sciences, University of Alabama
MS, Sports Administration, Canisius College
Certificate of Health Information Technology, Weill Cornell Medical College
Employed in the healthcare information technology field
Volunteer firefighter and business owner
Member, Onondaga County Fire Board
Member, Onondaga County Office of Aging Board
Recipient for the “40 Under 40” Award from CNY Business Journal
Political experience
Previously elected Cicero Town Councilor (2014-2017 term)
Why are you running for office?
The current town board bends to the whims of developers, corporate sponsors and special interests. They are not in tune with the residents. I will continue to listen and truly represent the people.
What is the biggest issue facing the town; what do you plan to do about it if elected?
The town board is not listening to the taxpayers. Roads in our town have not been repaired in over 30 years. Our infrastructure is crumbling. Residents have been complaining about traffic congestion for a long time yet the town board continues to overdevelop. To solve these problems I will build relationships with local, county and state officials. I will go to Albany if necessary.
Nancy L. White
Biographical information
I am a 30-year resident of the Hamlet of Brewerton in the Town of Cicero. I am married and have four children and three sweet grandchildren. I am a graduate of CCBI, I have three decades of government experience with Onondaga County and I am currently serving as the Director of District Office Operations for the 50th State Senate District with Sen. Robert Antonacci.
Political experience
Having worked in county and state government for 30 years, I have been in the political arena and involved with various political offices and campaigns at the town, county and state levels.
Why are you running for office?
I have contemplated running for Cicero Town Board in the past and have been encouraged many times over the years to seek office. Now, with the problems that face the town of Cicero, I know I am uniquely qualified to bring my experience to bear on those issues.
What is the biggest issue facing the town and what do you plan to do about it if elected?
The two biggest issues facing the town of Cicero are rising taxes and infrastructure. Now that a healthy fund balance has been established, we must endeavor to identify realistic areas in the town’s budget where we can increase efficiency and reduce costs to minimize the tax burden in a fashion that is transparent to the people of Cicero. The town’s infrastructure needs also must be addressed. Housing developments and economic interests in Cicero have led to an increased burden on our roads and traffic patterns at various points throughout the town. Yet, in most instances these are roads controlled by the state of New York. My experience with the County Comptroller’s Office and my current position at the State Senate Office affords me a unique perspective on these issues and I believe make me the best choice for one of the two open positions on the Cicero Town Council.
Richard E. Cushman
Biographical information
Cicero resident for over 50 years. Veteran: served four years in the U.S. Air Force. I have a BA and an MBA from Columbia College in accounting and finance.
I am a retired Postmaster with 31 years of total government service. After early retirement from the Post Office, I taught full-time for 16 years at Bryant & Stratton College and seven years as an adjunct at Keuka College.
Political experience
I served on the town of Cicero Planning Board for eight years and have been town councilor for the past five years. I have been on the Cicero Republican Committee and the Onondaga Republican Committee for over 40 years.
Why are you running for office?
I am running for re-election as Town Councilor because I feel I have more to contribute to the town.
What is the biggest issue facing the town; what do you plan to do about it if elected?
The town of Cicero faces many issues in the future. The two most challenging are paving town roads and traffic congestion. The town spends more than a million dollars a year on paving and road repair. We need to do more, but to increase paving would involve buying more equipment and adding more employees to the highway department. We are always looking at new technology to increase paving without increasing costs.
The traffic congestion is a whole different story. The major congestion is on Route 81, Route 11 and Route 31. All three are state roads. We are working with State DOT to help solve the problem, but as everyone in CNY knows, Albany does not help much with Upstate infrastructure. They can spend billions on the new Tappan Zee Bridge, but there isn’t any money for roads and sewers in Central New York. We will work with other towns and the county to lobby for more help from Albany to fix their roads and help Cicero and all of CNY.
Independence Party
Town of Salina Councilor – 1st Ward
Vote for 1 — Opportunity to ballot (write-in)
Nicholas R. Paro
Biographical information
I was raised in Liverpool. I received my AA from Onondaga Community College and my BA from Syracuse University. One of my first jobs was at the local Nichols Supermarket. Since graduating college I have worked for the Onondaga County Legislature, first as a legislative aide and more recently as the legislative analyst. Around the same time I started working for the legislature I founded a local non-profit organization, Together Now. In addition, I have served on the St. Thomas More Foundation board, and I currently serve as a member of the Onondaga County Justice Center Oversight Committee. I have also participated in local programs such as the Leadership Greater Syracuse Political Leadership Institute and The Gifford Foundation’s Nourishing Tomorrow’s Leaders. I am recently married to my wife, Bri, and we are hoping to start a family in the next couple of years.
Political experience
I have worked on various political campaigns throughout Central New York and recently ran for New York State Assembly. In February of 2019, the Salina Town Board interviewed me and other candidates for the vacant 1st Ward Councilor position. I was unanimously appointed by Democrats and Republicans on the Town Board to fill the vacancy.
Why are you running for office? What is the biggest issue facing the town and what do you plan to do about it if elected?
The biggest issue facing the town in my opinion is “town advancement.” This means road and infrastructure improvements, introducing smart technology, and creating online portals to access information or make payments on the town website. I am running to maintain my position on the town board and continue this work.
