TOWN OF CLAY – The Nov. 5 election will see two candidates – Dave Capria and David Hess – vie for a councilor seat in the town of Clay. The race is to fill a vacancy on the board. Below are the candidates’ responses to a questionnaire sent by the Star-Review.
Dave Capria (Democrat)
- What background and accomplishments make you the ideal candidate?
I have lived in Onondaga County my whole life, and for the last 25 years specifically in the town of Clay. I worked for Carrier Corporation for 12 years until 2004. Since then, I have worked jobs in the sales and marketing field, including insurance where I am a broker. Currently I work for WCNY, our local Public Broadcasting Affiliate in sales as a media consultant.
Since leaving Carrier 20 years ago, I have met thousands of people and talked to many of them regarding different issues facing our community. Talking with these individuals has given me a great perspective as to what our residents want and expect from their local government.
- Why are you running for this position?
Clay, the 17th largest town in New York state, hasn’t had an elected Democrat in almost 30 years. As many of you know, in February a motion came before the board to build a cement batch plant. This motion would have passed if not for a concerned resident who questioned the board about the batch plant. The motion ended up being tabled and it was during this time that thousands of residents signed a petition in opposition to the batch plant.
Having only one party in charge, things are only looked at in one way. That is why the batch plant almost passed in February. Our nation was founded on checks and balances. Right now, the town of Clay does not have this balance. If I had been on the board at the time, I would have brought up concerns that would have been addressed prior to that meeting. Due to the residents’ outrage and concerns over the batch plant I believe the supervisor and the counselors all voted no in opposition. In February they all supported the batch plant, and it would have passed if not for the one concerned resident.
How do you go from everyone supporting it to no one supporting it?
- What are the most important issues that the community is facing and what would you do about them?
Most residents are caught up with the Presidential race this year. But, as most politicians say, “all politics is local!” You deal with local political decisions dozens of times daily and much more than you do for federal decisions, for things like water, sewage, lighting, garbage/yard waste pickup, the roads you drive on, the taxes you pay and many others.
The main issue facing Clay is Micron! In saying that with all the progress and opportunities Micron is going to afford us we are going to deal with the town of Clay’s government decisions for decades to come.
What would I do? Give a voice to the Democratic voters in Clay. There must be checks and balances. Right now, there are none.
David Hess (Republican)
- What background and accomplishments make you the ideal candidate?
Over the past 17 years I have been actively involved with town of Clay government. From 2007-2010 I was a member of the ZBA (zoning board of appeals). In 2010 I accepted a position to become a member on the planning board. This position ended in 2012 when I became the chairman of the planning board until 2015 when I was appointed to the town board. I have been a town councilor since then.
The experiences obtained while serving has greatly increased my working knowledge of the town of Clay. In addition, it has led to meeting many wonderful constituents who believe in the town of Clay like myself.
- Why are you running for this position?
I am running for town councilor because I believe our town is a great place to live and raise a family. I am enthused about remaining in my position to help people and our local communities grow. From the youth programs to the numerous parks, it is easy to see why Clay is our largest town in Onondaga County and continues to grow. I have always had an interest in day-to-day government operations and look forward to continuing to support our town with the exciting changes of Micron joining our community.
- What are the most important issues that the community is facing and what would you do about them?
The major issues facing the town is the lack of affordable housing for the perspective homeowners within the town. It has been six years since any new single family-owned housing developments have been proposed. In addition, we need to address the infrastructure costs associated with Micron for both residential and businesses which will require state and county assistance.
