Holley elections see contested mayoral race

Voters in the Village of Holley will be asked to choose between two mayoral candidates, Trustee Skip Carpenter and political newcomer Tom O'Neill, at the polls on Tuesday, March 16.

The trustee seats are uncontested with former mayor William Quaranto seeking one and newcomer John Heise seeking the other. Because of a bit of shifting in the seats, it may seem like there is more going on during the election. Buffy Gleason will not be seeking re-election and because Carpenter is seeking the mayoral seat, his trustee seat is being vacated. Quaranto, who presently holds the mayor position, is looking to step down from that position and seek a trustee seat.

Skip Carpenter says that because he has served the village as mayor two times prior to this election, he has the experience behind him. "With all that we have going on in the village right now, we need someone with experience on board," he said.

Carpenter served as mayor in 1989 and 1991, both for two year stints, and he has also served two terms as trustee. Projects from the Route 31 road construction to putting in a new electrical substation in the industrial park to working on the $400,000 sewage treatment plant project and a collaborative effort with the Town of Murray to construct a municipal facility are some of the on-going items on the village's agenda that Carpenter wants to see through to fruition.

A former postmaster, who recently retired after spending 19 years in the Holley post office, Carpenter said he now has the time to fully devote to the position of major. "I enjoy doing this kind of work and dealing with the public - it's what I've done for my whole career," he said.

Carpenter urges voters to come out on election day and cast their vote. "It's good that we have a choice of who to elect this year," he said.

The position of mayor, Carpenter explains, is one that involves the running of a village which is essentially a $5 million business. "I have worked in management most of my career and because I've served before as the mayor, I have the know how to run the village," he said. "Even though the village hasn't really grown too much in size, our budget has and I know that the number one thing on the minds of the residents is taxes."

One of Carpenter's priorities is to not raise taxes in the upcoming budget. "We want to make sure we don't raise them," he said, adding that Holley probably has one of the highest tax bases of any of the villages in the area. "We're working on the budget now and hopefully we will be able to come up with a budget that has no tax increases. That's what we are shooting for right now."

Carpenter and his wife, Cynthia, are life long residents of the village of Holley and are also both graduates of Holley High School. They have three children, Jacqueline and Andy and Travis, the latter of whom is an officer in the Navy.

Newcomer to the political arena, Tom O'Neill says his intent is to bring strong leadership to the village. "There has not been a lot of leadership in recent years," he said.

During his 43 years as an employee for the New York State Canal Corporation, he has had the responsibility for making a lot of fiscal and financial decisions. "I had to make tough decisions and stand by them," he said. "We need leadership in the village that will make those tough decisions and stand behind them."

The controversy over the purchase of a fire truck for the village and the ever increasing taxes were what spurred O'Neill to toss his hat into the ring this year. "Taxes are my main concern," he said. "We don't have much industry left in the village and I want to encourage industry to come back into the village to help take some of the burden off the taxpayers and increase the tax base."

A U.S. Navy veteran who served during the Viet Nam War, O'Neill has lived in Holley since 1980. Now retired, he said he has the time to devote to the running of the village. "The office of mayor is a full time endeavor that requires full time attention," he said. "Being retired enables me to give this office the time and effort it needs to adequately serve all of the residents of the village."

O'Neill said he is not making a bunch of promises but he does promise this, "Any and all decisions that come before this mayor will be made on what I personally feel are in the best interests of all of the people in the village."

If elected, O'Neill will run the office based on common sense approaches and work with the village board and others to reach a common ground for the benefit of everyone.

Anyone needing transportation to and from the polls on election day is asked to call 233-0439.

Village trustee candidates
Political newcomer John Heise, who recently retired from the Holley Central School District, said the time was right for him to run for election and give something back to the community. "I've lived here for 20 years and I now have the free time to devote to the community," he said. "I think we need to project a more positive image to not only Holley, but to the wider community."

Heise said a number of issues will be facing the village and they include expenditures and taxes. "We need to look at the issues carefully and make sure we are getting the most for our dollars," he said. "The fire truck issue is still floating around out there, the firehouse needs refurbishing and we have to meet new federal guidelines on our water system."

He thinks it might be possible to hold the line on taxes but says that village officials have to look at the tax bill in the wider context. "Increases on water bills and electric rates are a form of a tax increase," he said. "We have to look at ways to fill the industrial park by making industry feel welcome in our community. We don't want to put too many speed bumps in the way of industrial growth."

Heise said that working with the county's Industrial Development Agency is one way the village can look toward expansion of their industrial park. In addition to filling the industrial park, Heise said momentum has to be gained on working with businesses that already exist within the community. "We have a variety of businesses here and we want to make certain they are well supported," he said.

"I'm looking at the trustee position as a long term one," he said, adding that his past work as a school administrator will stand in good stead to be a village trustee. "I'm good at listening to people, analyzing problems and finding solutions."

Heise said he is excited by the development along the canal. "The pathway that's been created from the docks to downtown is certainly something the community should be proud of," he said. "But even with all of the progress, we still have to look into doing something with the old high school. Some action has to be taken on that."

He and his wife, Sandra, have two children: Kevin, who is a grad student at Buffalo State College, and Samantha, who is a social worker in the City of Rochester School district.

"Because of my experience dealing with the public and my background in dealing with a number of issues in the school district I think I am approachable and people can feel free to bring me their ideas and concerns," he said.

Incumbent William Quaranto, who has served as Holley's mayor for the past six months, will be looking to step down from that post and seek election to a trustee seat. "I loved being the mayor and wish I could continue with it but being a mayor is a full time job," he said. "Because I work a full time job I'm not able to devote the time necessary to the job of being mayor. Being a trustee will keep me involved in the running of the village but is less time intensive than being mayor."

Quaranto served on the board as trustee before being appointed interim mayor when former mayor Daniel Schiavone stepped down.

As for why he is seeking re-election to a trustee seat, Quaranto said, "I like being involved in the community and making decisions that will effect the future for our kids," he explained, adding that there are many projects he wants to see through to the end. "The skateboard park and the further development of the industrial park are a couple of the projects I don't want to see go by the wayside."

Quaranto's commitment to holding the line on taxes and his desire to see the collaboration between Holley and the Town of Murray continue are two more of the items on his agenda. He explained that Holley and Murray have been looking into the construction of a facility that would house both government entities. "I helped initiate this project and I want to see it through to the end. The building plans are with the architect right now, and the plan is for the facility to be built in the industrial park on a piece of land donated by the Piedmontes," he said.

Quaranto thanked the board for having the faith in him to appoint him interim mayor and said that in the future when he has more free time he would consider running for mayor again. "I feel I've helped turn the village around since I've been in office and I want to keep my commitment to the village and its taxpayers."

He and his wife, Robin, have two daughters; Brittany, 12 and Mikayla, 10.

Elections will be held in the village hall from noon until 9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16.