To the editor;

Picture it: Manlius 1968, a couple with three young children (all boys) and one black labrador retriever (Bacchus I) move into a lovely center hall colonial on Brookhill Drive North. The family-friendly setting of the Meadow Stream neighborhood, the superb reputation of the school district and the “quaintness” of the village were the deciding factors on why Stan and Barbara-Ann Serafin chose the village of Manlius to call home.

My dad was initially hired by Great Western winery as the Central New York Regional Sales Manager in 1964, which brought the Serafins from Buffalo (our birth place) to Syracuse. By 1972 he was promoted to national sales manager for Great Western which afforded us the opportunity to live anywhere in the United States. Yet my parents chose to stay in Manlius.

A decision that would have a lasting impact on my life and imprint on my heart, forever.

1976 was a benchmark year for our family. On Sept.13 I began my Freshman year at RIT. On Nov. 2, my father died suddenly of congestive heart failure at 47 years old. On Dec. 12, I was diagnosed with cancer.

So you’d think after living only eight years in Manlius, it would have been easy for my mom to move us back to Buffalo considering all our relatives (on both sides of the family) resided there. But if ever you could feel embraced by a village, the Serafin family certainly did, a tender embrace that held us tightly.

It was during those initial years living in Manlius when our family grew extremely close with several families, who I am proud to say, are still our closest friends to this day. The only thing missing among us is a common strand of DNA. Their support, loyalty and unconditional love helped us push through those seemingly impossible trials and tribulations. I cannot remember a single celebration when they were not there to share it with us or a time of sorrowful when they were not there to help us endure it. These amazing friends stood by us shoulder-to-shoulder and heart-to-heart every step of the way.

I felt that same “village embrace” when I underwent quintuple bypass open heart surgery on June 1, 2016. I continue to be humbled by the outpouring of love and support for me and my family.

Nearly 50 years later, my mom is still living on Brookhill Drive North in that same lovely center hall colonial and is now considered by many to be the matriarch of Meadow Stream. In fact, when one of the neighborhood kids return for a visit, he often says that “all is right with the world when I drive by Serafins and see a black lab (Bacchus V) in the front yard.”

All of which affirms what I have always believed, Manlius is great because it is good. Good at its core. Good at its heart. Good at its very essence. Manlius deserves a mayor who is equally passionate about preserving the continuity of our village and the spirit of our village and the strong sense of community our residents have known since 1813. It is time to elect a mayor who has the vision to transform Manlius into a sustainable, hybrid village for the 21st century and beyond.

I respectfully ask for your continued help and support as well as your vote for mayor on March 21st.

Mark-Paul Serafin

Manlius