Five seek two spots on Clarkson town board

Incumbents Alan Hoy and Duane Marshall will be looking to hold on to their town board seats in the November election in Clarkson while John Lemke, Sheldon Meyers and Michelle Spagnola are seeking a change in the makeup of the board. Hoy and Marshall are running on the Republican line, Lemke on the Conservative and Meyers and Spagnola are the Democratic endorsed candidates.

Alan Hoy has been on the board since 1994 and said he is committed to the job he was elected to do.

"I want to work with our present board to keep taxes flat in the town and I believe we are on the way to doing that again this year," he said.

Hoy said the issues facing Clarkson are the need to control growth, keep taxes at reasonable rates and to preserve the town's rural character. During his tenure on the board, Hoy said he was a member of the committee working on the opening of the Sweden/Clarkson Community Center. He also worked on a joint municipal committee that was responsible for bringing additional fire protection services to the town. "We worked to bring the first fire station to Clarkson."

More than 1,000 acquaintances have been renewed in recent months, Hoy said, as he has been making door-to-door campaign calls. "Some residents just thank me for the work I've done while others have told me some things they'd like to see us look into," he said. "Because I'm out there in the community, I am tuned in to what the people of Clarkson want."

Serving for almost 30 years with the fire department, he said, has allowed him to see all sides of the community and to help him get a feel for the real needs of the residents. "Residents have also said they want to keep Clarkson rural," Hoy said. "We don't want to let the town grow too quickly and people have said they don't favor a lot of big business."

Hoy has lived in Clarkson for close to 20 years. He and his wife, Deb, have two children, Amanda and Mark.

Duane Marshall, a member of the town board since 1999, said he is seeking re-election because there are a "few more things" he wants to follow through on. "I want to see the master plan through to completion," he said. "It's in its final stages right now and I want to be a part of the finished product. I also enjoy speaking with, and for, the residents."

Marshall said the board needs to get a handle on taxes. "I'm leery of the future especially with the state of finances within the county and state government - they keep passing things down to us and I know Clarkson will eventually feel the effects of the financial strain the county and state are feeling," he said. "We need to keep control of our spending."

Marshall said he is a people person and tries not to be a "politician" when speaking to the residents. "People also know I don't have a problem speaking up when issues are raised," he said.

A life-long resident of the town, he and his wife, Suzanne, have a daughter, Anna, who graduated from SUNY Brockport.

John Lemke served on the town board about six years ago and is looking forward to getting back to serving the community again. He ran, and was defeated in the three-way Republican primary and will be on the ballot in November on the Conservative line.

"Like most people, I want to preserve Clarkson's rural character," Lemke said. Percentage-wise, Lemke said, Clarkson is one of the fastest growing towns in Monroe County.

"When I ran before, the issue was taxes. They've been held down but they still aren't cheap," he said. "We have to work to keep them in line and keep Clarkson affordable for residents."

As for why he is seeking election, Lemke said, "the town needs independent minded people to represent their interests."

Lemke said his experience, his ability to be open minded and his commitment to keeping taxes low are the reasons voters should look to cast their votes for him in the upcoming election.

He is a life long resident of the town and lives with his wife, Marlene. They have three children, Adam, Jason and Eric.

Sheldon Meyers said he is running for the town board because since moving to Clarkson 14 years ago he has grown "passionate about keeping Clarkson a rural and historic community and improving upon its many great qualities." He is also running, he said, because the town leaders have run unopposed for many years.

"I believe that when you have the same people running the town government year after year, it stifles fresh ideas and prevents new initiatives," he said.

This will be his first time running for public office, however he has sat on the Clarkson Comprehensive (Master) Plan Committee and also served the public as a civilian employee for the New York City Fire Department.

As for what traits he would bring to the board, Meyers said, "I work extremely hard in all facets of my life. I am resourceful, confident, honest and personable. Although not all are skills, these traits along with my persistence and strong desire to help others will contribute to my success."

His education - he has a master's degree in public administration and a bachelor's in business administration - would bring an additional skill level to the board, he said.

He and his wife have two daughters.

"Clarkson is flanked on three sides by towns with Dollar Stores, supermarkets and fast food restaurants. We do not need these in Clarkson," he said. "What we do need is small, clean, independent, service-oriented businesses that fit into the character of the town architecturally which will contribute to our economy and to the tax base."

Meyers said he doesn't believe the present town leadership is aggressive enough in pursuing these types of small business and he said that is evidenced by the number of vacant commercial properties in the town. "We need to balance careful growth with keeping the rural and historic character of the town … and we need to do a better job enforcing codes to enhance the appearance of the town."

Michelle Spagnola said she is seeking public office because she wants to see more consistency in zoning checks and balances and also because the present leadership has been unopposed for so long.

"It's a one party system and that doesn't make you comfortable if you aren't in the party," she said. "I'd really like to see more than one party represented in the Town of Clarkson."

Spagnola said she'd like to work to keep the tax base low and wants to make certain that any developments approved for the town are small "mom and pop" type operations. "I don't want to see big commercial business encroaching on our rural areas."

She and her husband, Peter, have lived in the town since 1990 and they have two children, Michael and Samantha.

While she has never held public office before, Spagnola said her experience with multi tasking as a mother and her involvement in the community make her a prime candidate for the board. "I've been involved with MOMs Club, the PTSA and the Clarkson Historical Society," she said. "I have a real commitment to the community."

If elected, she said she is interested in working with the comprehensive planning committee and would like to see Clarkson embrace the "hamlet" idea of development that would offer more tracts with walking or bicycle riding trails and small stores.

"I'm here to make sure that checks and balances within our system are in place and to make sure that the laws and zoning ordinances are upheld consistently," she said.

Council members serve four-year terms and receive a salary of $6,157 annually.

October 9, 2005