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The newly constituted Village Board: (l-r) Trustees Al Balcaen and Jerry Ippolito Jr.; Mayor John Cahill; Trustees Darrell Byerts and Jude Lancy

I was in the audience with more than 30 others on Thursday night for the first Village Board meeting presided over by newly elected mayor John Cahill.  I think I was not the only one who wanted to see how well things — and the new board members — settled in after a rather acrimonious campaign and election.

And I’m pleased to say they seem to be settling in rather well.

Mayor Cahill opened the meeting with a very nice thank you to village staff members who have make the transition a smooth one, and to the village residents who put him in office.  He also reassured those residents that the new board would immediately address the water issue. “It is a pledge I will work to make a reality,” he said, with the warning that it would be “major, long-term effort.”

This first meeting of the village political calendar is always the annual operational meeting, filled with a litany of procedural housekeeping items necessary to keep the village running. But a few small, yet very important, issues kept the meeting hopping.

The first was the resolution authorizing the mayor and a village trustee to begin negotiations with Monroe County Water Authority. Mayor Cahill asked for a “rising” vote rather than the standard voice vote, and to their credit, every single board member stood to indicate their “yes” vote for the resolution.   No matter what personal position each board member has on this issue, it’s clear what village residents want, and voting to work with the MCWA was the right thing to do.

The second was a resolution to reinstate the Village Board salaries to their previous level. This was necessitated by a vote taken by the previous Village Board at their last meeting of the year to reduce the salaries of the mayor and village trustees. Their rationale was that since 25% of the board members’ salaries is for their service as commissioners of the village water department, and since the current board has pledged to eliminate the water department, that portion of the salary should also be eliminated.

Former mayor Peter Elder was in the audience and took to the podium to defend the board’s decision, to no avail. Current Board members quickly approved the resolution, reversing what most consider a petty move.

Personally, I was pleased to hear in Mayor Cahill’s opening remarks that his administration would not be focused exclusively on the water issue, that he recognizes the importance of maintaining a strong village in ALL its aspects. In particular, that includes improving cooperation with the town, renewed attention to code enforcement and expanding special events.

It was obvious that Mayor Cahill is still learning the ropes of his new office, but despite bungling a few Roberts Rules of Order, things appear to be off to a strong start.  So, as Mayor Cahill concluded in his opening statement, “Let’s roll our sleeves and get to work.”

There was a very interesting story in this morning’s Democrat and Chronicle about Village Board shenanigans.  Apparently, as one of their last orders of business, the outgoing Village Board members voted to reduce the salaries of the mayor and village trustees.  I had heard the rumor that such a thing had happened, but had never confirmed it, and hoped it was just a rumor. So it was with great interest that I read this morning’s article.

According to the article, the rationale for the vote was this: since 25% of the board members’ salaries is for their service as commissioners of the village water department, and the new board members have pledged to eliminate the village water department, so that part of the salary should also be eliminated.

Well, it didn’t last long. Five days later the newly constituted board board met for the first time and reinstated the salaries in the preliminary budget.

But you can read the whole story yourself here.

Open Party candidates Gerard Ippolito, Jr., John Cahill and Darrell Byerts

Last weekend provided an excellent opportunity to find out more about the candidates running in next month’s Webster village election. Candidates from both parties made themselves available to the public Saturday morning, fielding questions and talking about the issues.

The first event, and the bigger of the two, was a breakfast hosted by the Open Party at the Atlantic Restaurant on Ridge Road across from Schroeder High School. About 50 supporters paid $8 a plate for breakfast and a chance to meet with Open Party candidates John Cahill, running for mayor, and  Darrell Byerts and Gerard Ippolito Jr., running for trustees.

Beginning about a half hour after the breakfast, incumbent candidates Mayor Peter Elder, and Trustees Dave Kildal and Christine Reynolds were holding court across town at Barry’s Old School Irish in the village, buying coffee and shaking hands with anyone who wanted to stop in to chat. That event attracted about 30 residents.

Incumbents Dave Kildal, Christine Reynolds and Peter Elder

The coincidental timing of the two events was unfortunate for anyone who really wanted to get some quality time with all the candidates and dig more deeply into the issues. As it was, I think the only people who scurried to make both events were the local media.  For me, that meant having to cut out of the breakfast and head to the village before I heard all of the Open Party candidates’ prepared statements, which is something I was hoping to do.

Events like these are very important to help voters educate themselves. Fliers and yard signs, letters to the editor and print advertisements are all well and good, but voters need the chance to formulate their own questions and follow up on the information they’re being presented in political materials.  Meet-and-greets like these are a great way to accomplish that, and I hope others are planned in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I encourage you to ask them all some questions through me.

A few days ago I posted this invitation on my blog Facebook page:  If you could ask any of the candidates a question (or two), what would it be?  Send me your questions, I’ll choose the best ones and present them to the candidates. Then I’ll run their answers in my blog.  Email your questions to missyblog@gmail.com.

Incumbent candidates Dave Kildal, Christine Reynolds and Peter Elder

Here’s another great opportunity to become an informed voter for this spring’s village election season.

The incumbent village board candidates will host a coffee-with-the-candidates event this Saturday morning, February 23, at 9:30 at Barry’s Old School Irish Pub & Bakery, 2 West Main Street in the village.  Mayor Peter Elder, Trustee Christine Reynolds and Trustee Dave Kildal will all be there, buying coffee, and visiting with and answering questions from any village residents who’d like to come by.

It’s a busy Saturday morning for our village politicians, and for anyone who’d really like to find out more about the issues and candidates.  Simply get up early enough to have breakfast with the Open Party candidates at the Atlantic Restaurant at 9 am, then drive into the village for coffee with the incumbents.

The village election will take place on Tuesday, March 19.

This spring’s village election season is shaping up to be a bit more interesting than most. Mayor Peter Elder and Village Trustees Christine Reynolds and Dave Kildal are facing a challenge from three village residents.

John Cahill, running for mayor, and Darrell Byerts and Gerard Ippolito, Jr., who are running for village trustees, have formed a brand new, independent party which they call the Open Party.  With the slogan “Fresh Water, Fresh Ideas, Fresh Start,” the party’s stated objectives are to bring softer water to village residents by switching to the Monroe County Water Authority, and to bring more transparency to village government.

Village residents are invited to meet the candidates at a breakfast this Saturday February 23 at 9 am at the Atlantic Restaurant, 888 Ridge Road.  The $8 breakfast cost includes meal, beverage, tax and tip.  Several breakfast options will be offered.

RSVP by Thursday, February 21.  Call Nancy Theis at (585) 265-0449.

It looks like next month’s Webster Village elections are going to be competitive after all.

With the slogan “Fresh Water, Fresh Ideas, Fresh Start,” candidates John Cahill, Darrell Byerts and Gerard Ippolito Jr. announced on Monday that they are running in the March 19 Webster Village election on the independent “Open Party” line.  Cahill will be challenging incumbent Mayor Peter Elder, and Byerts and Ippolito will try to unseat Village Trustees Christine Reynolds and Dave Kildal.

Cahill

The candidates are making no secret that one of their primary motivations for running is to address the long-simmering village water issue. “We can’t count the many positive responses we’ve received regarding our pledge to bring soft water to the village,” said Cahill. But the larger issue, he added, is “restoring openness and transparency to village government.”

And so it begins.

Byerts

John Cahill, the candidate for mayor, lives at 220 Judson St. with his wife Christine and three children. He has been a village resident for nearly three years and for 16 years has owned Technoserv Property Management. He graduated from RIT with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering and earned an Associate Degree at Alfred Tech in Mechanical Design and Drafting. He is a member of the Webster Bible Church.

Darrell Byerts, who is running for trustee, is familiar to Webster swimming enthusiasts. He was a swim coach in the Webster schools from 1973 to 2009 and is a member of the Section V Swimming and Diving Hall of Fame Committee. He is a retired Webster high school science teacher and has lived in the village for 35 years. He resides at 36 Elm St. with his wife Anne and three children.

Ippolito

Gerard Ippolito Jr. lives at 47 Baker St. with his wife Lisa and two children and has lived in the village for 13 years. He is an R.L.Thomas graduate and was on the varsity volleyball team. Currently he is Director of Environmental Services, Grounds, and Properties for Hillside Shared Services. He is active in volunteering and has participated in Hillside Special Santas and a recent WWFD fund raiser.

The village political season has begun.

The Republican Party in Webster has officially announced its slate of candidates for Village Board.  In doing so, they didn’t hand us any surprises.  Three positions on the Board are up for grabs — two trustee seats and mayor — and the three people who are currently holding those positions are running for re-election.  They are Trustee David Kildal, Trustee Christine Reynolds and Mayor Peter Elder. The three candidates have also earned the endorsement of the Conservative and Independence parties; it’s the first time any village candidates have received all three endorsements.

I don’t think the election is going to be a cakewalk this year.  If you put your ear to Main Street you’ll hear some definite rumblings from residents who are not happy with the current Board’s policies, especially with regards to the Monroe County Water issue.  So as soon as the Democrats announce their candidates, I think things are going to get very interesting.

I look forward to finding out who those candidates will be, and passing that information along to you all. In the meantime, here are the official biographies for your Webster Republican Party candidates for Trustee and Mayor:

MAYOR

Peter Elder is a life-long Village resident. He was first elected Trustee in 2005 and has served as Mayor since 2010, winning election as Mayor in 2011. Peter has been active in the economic development in the Village business district and has served for 7 years as a member of the Business Improvement District Board of Directors. He is Vice President of the Webster Community Coalition for Economic Development. Elder has championed improving Village infrastructure including support for the improved waterlines in the north section of the Village, the relining of the waterline in the Wilmorite tract, and the acceleration of street repairs. Peter has also been a proponent of enhanced public access to Village government and led the effort to have Village Board meetings, Board packets, and agendas posted on-line. Peter is liaison to the Parks and Recreation Committee and Village Band. He is a member of the Webster Lions Club. He lives at 59 Dunning Avenue.

TRUSTEE

Dave Kildal has lived in the Village for about 20 years and has served as Trustee for five years and was most recently elected in 2009. Dave has been Deputy Mayor for two years. A 16-year volunteer veteran of the Webster Fire Department, he also served 11 years as a volunteer member of the Monroe County Hazmat Team. He is Village Board liaison to the Cable Access Commission, the Village Sewer Department and Village Water Departments. He is also liaison to the Webster Fire Council, the Northeast Joint District, and the Webster Police Department. He lives at 13 Sherwood Ave.

TRUSTEE

Christine Reynolds is a 19-year resident of the Village and has been Trustee since her election in 2009. She is liaison to the Business Improvement District, the Webster Association for Senior Transportation, and the Village Citizens Advisory Committee. She is a former member of the 1994 Comprehensive Plan Committee, liaison to the Village Parks Committee and a former Girl Scout troop leader. She was recognized in 2011 as Volunteer of the Year for the Bay View Family YMCA. Christine is a past PTSA membership chair of the State Road School PTSA and lives at 64 Kircher Park.

The Village election is March 19. If residents have questions, they can call Peter at 265-0671, Christine at 265-1377 or Dave at 872-5132.