By Jason Klaiber and David Tyler
After months on hold, elections will be held in the villages of Minoa and Fayetteville on Sept. 15. Polls are open between noon and 9 p.m. at the respective municipal buildings for in-person voting.
The elections, originally scheduled for March, were postponed because of the pandemic. Because the ballots could not be altered, one trustee candidate on the ballot in Minoa, Matthew Cushing, is now ineligible because he has since moved out of the village.
One candidate in the village of Fayetteville, Casey Cleary, will not appear on the ballot but is mounting a write-in campaign for trustee.
The deadline to have an absentee ballot mailed out has passed, but residents can receive an absentee ballot in person until Sept. 14. All absentee ballots must be received by Sept. 15 to be counted in the election.
Fayetteville
Mark Olson, Mayor (running unopposed)
Since being elected in 2004, Olson has overseen the creation of Canal Landing Park, the expansion of the village’s sidewalk system, deer culling, work on infrastructure improvements and rebuilding endeavors for sites around the village.
“We’ve done all that with less than 45 cents in tax increases over that 16-year span,” Olson said.
Olson said his goals for his next four-year term would include completing the final phase of Canal Landing Park, revitalizing Fayetteville’s Main Street, lowering taxes to a greater degree and enhancing the village’s financial well-being.
Olson said he seeks to improve the quality of life even more in Fayetteville with projects like the implementation of mountain bike trails in Duguid Park.
Previously, Olson had been a village trustee from 1996 to 2004.
He has also helped out with Fayetteville-Manlius Little League in addition to serving as a board member of the Fayetteville Fire Department.
He is currently the president of the Onondaga County Mayors Association, and he contributes to several boards, including that of the Samaritan Center.
Trustee positions (vote for two)
Dan Kinsella, Deputy Mayor (on the ballot)
Kinsella is a lifelong resident of Fayetteville, and he has been a village trustee for 40 years. He and his wife Joan have three sons. They have lived in the same home on Spring Street for 56 years.
Kinsella said he is always available to help village residents with any problems, concerns, or questions that they may have.
“We must preserve the excellent services, parks, committees, and celebrations that are currently provided by the Village while maintaining a reasonable tax rate,” Kinsella said. “Moving forward, we must find and provide suitable and beneficial projects that will continue to enhance living in Fayetteville. With the support of our residents and employees, we will continue to enjoy all that our village offers.”
Dennis Duggleby, Trustee (on the ballot)
Duggleby has lived in Fayetteville for 20 years and has spent eight years as a village trustee.
He said he plans to spend his next term maintaining and improving the quality of life in the village.
Duggleby, who possesses a degree in political science and works as a business manager, said he enjoys serving the residents of Fayetteville and having input on the direction the village is heading.
He is married and has twins currently attending Fayetteville-Manlius High School.
Casey Cleary
(Write-in candidate for trustee)
Last week, Casey Cleary announced her write-In bid for a seat on the Fayetteville Board of Trustees.
Cleary stated that her main reason for running was to prevent overdevelopment in the historic 1.7 square mile village. She opposes two projects, one at 547 East Genesee Street and the other at the corner of Highbridge and East Genesee, which require unprecedented variances to the Village’s zoning laws and building size limitations.
“The citizens of Fayetteville want and deserve much greater transparency on these projects because they will ruin the village as we know it,” Cleary said. “The village of Fayetteville should embrace the comprehensive planning process being led by the Town of Manlius Councilors in order to better fend off corporations with vast resources.”
Minoa
William Brazill, Mayor (running unopposed)
Elected as Minoa’s mayor in 2016, Brazill had been a village trustee for the prior 14 years, with 12 spent as deputy mayor under Dick Donovan.
Brazill said he has helped the village make headway in the realm of energy efficiency.
In 2017, the village was one of four municipalities—along with DeWitt, Canastota and Marcellus—to receive a $100,000 non-matching grant from New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for progress related to clean energy.
Under Brazill, the village upgraded the pole barn in Lewis Park to make it usable year-round.
Brazill considers his “Pizza with the Mayor” events crucial to resolving various issues in the village.
Brazill said his involvement with the New York Conference of Mayors for close to 20 years has also helped him learn how to lead the village.
From 2002 to 2013, he had been the village’s fire commissioner.
He served as the village justice from 1991 until 2001.
“I’m ready to continue on and keep making Minoa as great as we can make it,” Brazill said.
Trustee positions (vote for two)
John Abbott Incumbent Trustee
Abbott has been a trustee with the Village of Minoa for eight years.
A life member of the Minoa Fire Department, he has worked at the station for 35 years, fulfilling roles as the department’s president, its vice president, an active firefighter and a driver.
He also serves as the fire and EMS commissioner and has been a resident of the village for over 50 years.
Eric Christensen
Incumbent Trustee
Christensen, who has occupied his trustee seat for eight years, said he plans to continue not to raise taxes if re-elected.
He also hopes to find alternative ways to potentially reduce taxes.
Christensen works as Minoa’s liaison for all celebrations, including the yearly tree lighting.
He also serves as the race director for the annual Hope for Heather Teal Ribbon Run, which will take place virtually this year.
Christensen said the residents of Minoa help their neighbors in need.
“It’s a bedroom community,” he said. “We all get along. You don’t see many disagreements.”
Christensen has been married to his wife for 36 years, and he has an adult son.
Christensen is a Resource Party “Row B” candidate.
Bob Schepp
Challenging Trustee
Schepp said his decision to run for a village trustee spot is based on a desire to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Russell, who served as Minoa’s mayor in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
If elected, Schepp said he hopes to build fiscal integrity, promote small business growth as well as responsible development, lower the taxes in the village and increase the level of open communication between the residents and the village board.
“I see a lot of opportunity to develop the village residentially and commercially, but I think we also need to do it responsibly at the same time,” Schepp said.
After graduating from Fayetteville-Manlius High School in 2012, Schepp moved to Minoa.
He has been working for the Manlius Highway Department for the past five years, experience he said could overlap with the village’s public works department and additional foundations of the village when it comes to purchasing equipment and making other decisions.
