compiled by Kristina Gabalski
Bill Andrews
Incumbent Margay Blackman and Bill Andrews are running unopposed for two seats on the Brockport Village Board.
Trustee Blackman was elected in June of 2011 to complete an unexpired term and Andrews is running to fill the seat currently held by Scott Hunsinger, who is not seeking re-election.
Both Trustee Blackman and Andrews are running on the Revitalize 
Margay BlackmanBrockport ticket and are retired from The College at Brockport. They emphasize that as retirees, they will be able to give the trusteeships their full attention.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest challenge facing the village?
Blackman: The financial weight of a high tax rate ($12.09/$1,000) on a modest-income community. There are multiple contributors, primary among them a very large tax exempt state property in the village (The College at Brockport), but also rising costs of village employee benefits, especially health care, a growing number of under-assessed rental (business) properties and two very large, blighted former industrial properties (100 Fair Street, 200 State Street) that, under different ownership, could be developed and contribute significantly to our tax base. Our financial situation is also why it is so important to lighten our tax burden by aggressively seeking non-tax revenue (e.g. grants) and promoting tourism in our Erie Canal village.
Andrews: Despite the progress that has been made in the past two years, I suppose that the greatest challenge remains making sure that the Village remains on sound financial footing.
Q: Some concerns were expressed about the cost of the village police department during the recent budget process. How important is the police department to the village? Do you feel it is worth the cost to residents, particularly considering the limited tax base in the village?
Blackman: Very important in a densely populated village like Brockport where the population doubles every fall when the college is back in session. There is not a single SUNY municipality that does not have its own municipal police force, and with good reason. Just look at the number of calls for service (344) and the number of arrests and appearance tickets (103) in the village between 5/3/12 and 5/6/12, the weekend of Brock the Port, the college’s year-end student celebration. I know first-hand what it’s like late at night on weekends in our village when the college is in session from the ride-alongs I’ve done with police. Our municipal police, who know the community and who can be at your doorstep in just minutes, make Brockport livable and safe.
Those who would get rid of the Brockport Police Department focus on the department’s $2.2 million cost (inclusive of health care and retirement) to the village. A big chunk, yes, but when you look at the cost of the Brockport Police Department per village (pop. 8,336) resident, it’s less than the cost of a cup of coffee, 72 cents a day. Pretty darn good deal.
Andrews: I consider the police department to be essential to the Village. Every municipality with a SUNY college has a police department. They are on call all the time and do a great job. I do wish that it did not cost us so much.
Q: The village will be hiring a grant writer. How important are grants as the village looks to the future?
Blackman: Grants are critical, and we are missing out on them while our neighboring villages are benefiting. There are, for example, state funds for economic development through Gov. Cuomo’s 2011 consolidated funding application. The Western Erie Canal Alliance is currently accepting applications from Western Monroe County communities seeking membership. If we can join we will be eligible for New York Main Street grants which have already been awarded to Lockport, Albion, and Geneseo, among others, in the amount of several hundred thousand dollars each. Every month, the NYS Assembly’s Grants Action Newsletter announces one or more grants that could benefit our DPW, our police department, our downtown. Applying for these grants takes the time and expertise of a professional grant writer, which is why we budgeted this year to hire one.
Andrews: Outside funding through grants can be a very important contribution to solving our financial problems.
Q: Any comments on the dissolution issue which could arise again during your term? Do you think the board has addressed concerns raised by those who supported dissolution?
Blackman: The village is in a much better financial position than it was when the dissolution issue came up in 2010. Nonetheless, I would not be surprised to see it return. Although dissolution is often promoted as making government more efficient by removing “unnecessary” layers of government, dissolution is really about money – the presumed – but unproven – costs people believe they will save if the village is dissolved.
Andrews: Given the progress over the past two years, dissolution should be a dead issue. The proponents of dissolution in the past were mainly people who had vested interest in abolishing code enforcement and the police department. I do not want to lose the protection of those agencies and I believe that the great majority of my neighbors agree.
Q: Concerns have also been expressed over the conversion of single-family homes to rental units (sometimes illegally). What is the best way to attract young families to move to the village?
Blackman: When I first came to Brockport and had a young family 30-plus years ago, what was especially appealing was being able to walk to work (the college), having access to quality daycare in the community, and knowing that the kids, myself and my spouse were all within a half mile of each other during the work/school week. When we wanted to get away, the airport and the city were just a half hour’s drive. Despite the troubling increase in rental properties today, these are still enduring, appealing features of our village.
Today, far fewer college faculty live in Brockport and Sweden than did in the 1970s which is unfortunate for both the community and for the college. To encourage more young families, especially more college employees, to live here, I would like to see the college’s auxiliary organization (BASC), buy up and rehab several rental properties in the village (if owned by BASC they would remain on the tax rolls) to rent to incoming faculty and staff during their first year of employment. That way, we would have some rental property kept in top condition; new employees would experience living in the community, and they would be much more inclined, when ready to purchase a home, to buy in the village.
Andrews: More effective code enforcement is the single best way to attract new residents to the village, young and old.
Q: What do you like best about living in the village of Brockport?
Blackman: Some of the very things I mentioned in the previous answer. In addition, I like Brockport’s recognition of the importance of historic preservation, its focus on the Erie Canal as a village asset, its vibrant Main Street, its neighborliness. As a cyclist, I like Brockport’s proximity to farmland and backcountry roads. In respect to its residents, I admire the incredible volunteerism of many Brockporters who commit their time, energies and creative ideas to the betterment of our community.
Andrews: I love the small-town atmosphere, the historic character, the way our predecessors saved the Village from the blight of the 1980’s urban renewal and preserved its historic character. Also, I love being on the historic Erie Canal.
