Primary Day is September 10 and Republican primaries will be held in the Monroe County towns of Hamlin and Clarkson and in Clarendon, Orleans County. Polls are open 12 noon until 9 p.m.
In the Town of Clarendon, Orleans County, three candidates are in a Republican primary for two open seats on the Clarendon Town Board.
Challenger Donna DeFilipps is the wife of current council member John DeFilipps, who this year is running for Orleans County Legislature.
DeFilipps says she has always been involved in politics. Her dad was chairman of the Republican Committee, her husband has served on the town board for 14 years and she, herself, has been active with the Republican Committee for four years – two as chairperson. She also previously served as tax collector for the town.
She says she would like to serve on the town board in order to work towards keeping things going well in Clarendon.
She has lived in the town since 1963 and has always worked in the community, particularly at her own family’s businesses including Wohlers’ Grocery, Wohlers’ Farm Supply as well as her own grocery store. “I spent 36 and a-half years working in Clarendon,” she says.
DeFilipps and her husband raised both their children in Clarendon.
“It’s a really great rural area,” she says. “Our children turned out well and the people in Clarendon were a factor.”
“I’m on the conservative side,” DeFilipps notes. “I feel I can do some good for the community.”
She says she feels things are currently running smoothly in the town. “I would like to keep it that way, if possible,” she says.
Access to public water is a continuing issue, DeFilipps notes.
“There are areas that do not have water and it’s getting harder and harder to get grants,” she says.
Marc Major is a newcomer to town politics in Clarendon. He has, however, served his community for many years as a volunteer firefighter.
Major says he is a captain of the Clarendon Fire Company, serves on the Board of Directors and is a past vice-president.
He is in charge of vehicle maintenance for the Fire Department and helps with the annual car cruise-in and chicken BBQ. Major says he is a member of the Holley Central School PTSA and is involved in the Youth EMS Club which encompasses the Clarendon, Holley and Hulberton Fire Departments.
Now is the time for him to get involved in town government, Major says. He explains that holding the line on taxes is a priority and that although Clarendon is basically a farming community, it’s important to attract new businesses to increase the tax base.
“We need to bring in new businesses to help off-set taxes and without compromising the historic value of the town,” Major says.
Keeping taxes in check benefits both lifetime residents and young families who want to make Clarendon their home, he adds.
He says Clarendon is also situated well to attract new business as it is located just “… a couple of minutes down the road,” from the Village of Brockport and the SUNY campus at Brockport.
Major has lived in Clarendon for 20 years and has worked for RG&E for 24 years. “I started in fleet maintenance and am now on the electric side,” he says.
Major has been married for 20 years and has three boys, ages 11,13 and 15. He enjoys camping, hunting, fishing and cars.
“My boys keep me busy,” he says.
Incumbent Town Board member Paul Nicosia was first elected to the Clarendton Town Board in 2002.
“I enjoy serving the town,” he says. Nicosia served on the Planning Board from 1988-1996 and the Town Board of Assessment Review from 1995-2001.
Priorities if re-elected would include keeping things going well in the town and fostering a strong tax base, Nicosia says. “We need to keep doing all we’ve been doing.”
He says Clarendon faces the challenge of being primarily a bedroom community where “only residents support (the tax base) … we’re not like Greece, Sweden, Gates and Chili.”
Nicosia commends Clarendon officials including Supervisor Richard Moy for the budget process that gives town board members “the opportunity to sit in and interview department heads.”
The process helps keep the town in good financial shape, Nicosia says because council members are involved in the process which helps them to “hold the line” on town taxes.
“We review diligently what costs more and what we have to do to hold those costs,” he says.
Nicosia and his family have lived in Clarendon for nearly 31 years. He has worked in real estate for 42 years and is a former vice-president of the Brockport Chamber of Commerce. He is also a U.S. Navy veteran.
“I have been a member of the same church for 37 years,” Nicosia says. “My first love is serving the Lord.”
He says he wants to help the town develop in a good way.
“We want to encourage development while maintaining the character of the town,” he says. Residents have told leaders via surveys that they want room to keep animals and that they love the country atmosphere of the town. “We have a lot to offer,” Nicosia says.
9/1/13
