MANLIUS – When village of Manlius residents head to the polls on March 16, they will see only incumbent candidates on the ballot.
Mayor Paul Whorrall and trustees Janice Abdo-Rott and Thomas Pilewski are all running for re-election, but they aren’t the only candidates in the race. Former Mayor Mark-Paul Serafin and Bruce Teague won’t appear on the ballot, but they are running as write-in candidates for trustee.
Voting will take place between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the Manlius Village Center. Registered voters who live in the village are eligible to vote.
Mayor Paul Whorrall
Whorrall has served as Manlius mayor since 2013 and previously served seven years as trustee. Now retired from the U.S. Postal Service, the 69-year resident of the village has served with the Manlius Fire Department for 49 years, including two stints as chief spanning 25 years.
Whorrall has served in a variety of capacities with the New York Conference of Mayors and he has also been president of the Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and is a life member of the NYS Fire Chief’s Association and Firemen’s Association State of New York.
Among his recent accomplishments as mayor, Whorrall lists the village’s receipt of the Main Street Revitalization 2020 Grant and the Syracuse Metropolitan Transit Council/NYSDOT 2021 Village of Manlius Traffic and Pedestrian Safety & Walkway Study.
He and his wife Kelly have four adult children.
Trustee Janice Abdo-Rott
Abdo-Rott has been a member of the board of trustees since 2009. She has served as liaison to the department of public works since 2013 and previously served as liaison to the parks and recreation program. She has been chairperson of the village’s beautification committee since 2005.
She recently chaired the project to create a new trash service establishing a tote system for trash and recyclables.
“This new program was able to reduce costs and manpower and created a safer environment for our DPW workers,” she said.
Abdo-Rott also chaired the project to replace the windows and doors and install a new HVAC system at the Manlius Village Center.
“These long overdue improvements will not only update the look of the building but increase energy efficiency and maintain building integrity and increase the property value,” she said.
Abdo-Rott has owned a small business in the village for more than 30 years and recently opened a second business at the old train station on East Seneca Street. She and her husband, John, have two adult children.
“Owning a business and a home in the village has helped me to understand how important it is to provide necessary and vital services for our village, making it a wonderful place to live and work – all while keeping taxes down,” she said.
In addition to her tenure on the board of trustees, Abdo-Rott has been a member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, director of Manlius Restoration and Development, vice president of the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce, and served as a coach for the F-M girls Little League.
“Being deeply rooted and active in the community for the past 30 plus years has been a pleasure and extremely rewarding,” Abdo-Rott said. “Caring deeply about the village and the people that live and work here and the quality of life has been a main focus of mine.”
Trustee Thomas Pilewski
Pilewski is seeking re-election for a third term on the Manlius Village Board. He has served on numerous committees throughout his time on the board, including finance, personnel, public safety and critical response. He has been Finance Committee chair and Recreation Board chair for the past six years and has also served as board liaison to the Manlius Fire Department, Town of Manlius Police Department, village court, and recreation department.
Pilewski is an associate professor in the Hospitality and Business Department at SUNY Morrisville, where he has taught business since 2006, and also served as department chair from 2015-2019. He and his wife, Lisa, have four children and have lived in village for 14 years.
“It has been an honor to serve on the village board for the past eight years,” Pilewski said. “I would be honored again with your vote to continue the very important work of managing our services and finances to best serve the residents of our great village now, and into the future.”
Write-in trustee candidates Mark-Paul Serafin and Bruce Teague
Although they won’t appear on the ballot, former Manlius Mayor Mark-Paul Serafin and Bruce Teague are running write-in campaigns for trustee positions under the Vision Party name.
Serafin and Teague are advocating for a reduction in village expenses and taxes and have called on the village board to work with the town assessor to revert assessments back to pre-pandemic levels.
“We must also be mindful that with unemployment at record levels and hobbled economy many village families are struggling and need relief,” they wrote in a letter to the editor to the Eagle Bulletin.
