Although there are no races in this year’s village election in Bergen, the Village Board will have a very different look following the March 18 election.
Mayor Ralph Marsocci and Trustee Virginia “Ginny” Adams have both decided to retire after many years of public service – opening up two trustee seats and the office of mayor.
Current trustee and former deputy mayor Anna Marie Barclay is running unopposed for mayor.
Barclay has served on the village board for 16 years – 14 of those as deputy mayor.She and her husband have lived in the village for 37 years.
“Bergen is our home,” she says, “our two sons grew up here, my husband has a woodworking business, I taught at the Middle School in Brockport for 33 years.”
Barclay brings a wealth of experience to the position of mayor, particularly in her work as Chair of the Parks Committee and Tree Board. She coordinates the annual Community Action Day in the spring, established the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Zuber Park, chaired the Tulley Building Committee and is also involved in working on the archive storage room in the basement of the Village Hall.
“I’ve worked closely with the four mayors I’ve been on the board with,” she says.
Her work to establish the Parks Master Plan, “to refurbish and rebuild parks we have in the village,” is something of which she says she is particularly proud, especially the creation and dedication of Ward Park – the newest park in the village, dedicated in June 2011.
The Parks Committee is currently working on improvements to Hickory Park, including a quarter-mile track, an all-season pavilion, and, “a senior activity area,” she says. The improvements will facilitate bringing more community events to the park, Barclay explains.
Community Action Day has also grown over the years, she says, from its beginnings as an Arbor Day event.
“We plant flowers for the village for the summer. We get the kids and Scouts involved,” Barclay says. “It’s a nice community day.”
The village has been awarded Tree City USA status for three years, Barclay says and has been asked to apply for a Tree City Growth Award in recognition of its tree planting program.
The village continues its effort to replace trees, “lost as a result of the ice storm,” Barclay says.
Another priority is to encourage smart growth and to work on the downtown historic buildings, Barclay says. She notes that she worked with long-time former village historian Tally Almquist, who died in 2012, to get buildings placed on the National Historic Register. The village is also working to obtain grants and with business people to help them refurbish their buildings.
The Village of Bergen has talked with the Landmark Society, Barclay says, as well as Village of Perry Mayor Rick Hauser. Perry has worked for several years to improve its downtown street-scape through combined public and private sector efforts. Hauser has called the Village of Perry a “model of revitalization.”
Barclay was also involved in the recent passage of a local law which gives tax abatements to homeowners in the village for home improvements.
The abatement was instituted by Genesee County, Barclay says, and, “phases in the increase in taxes over ten years.” The tax breaks will help, “people think about improvements to their homes,” she says.
One of Barclay’s sons has opened an acupuncture business in the village, and she says she hopes more young people and families will choose to make Bergen a place to live and do business.
“We want to bring the young people back and keep them here. It’s exciting for us,” she says.
Kevin Donovan and newcomer Emily VanEenwyk are running unopposed for the two open trustee seats.
Donovan has been active with village government for several years, serving as a village trustee for one year of a vacated term and prior to that serving on the planning board.
His planning board experience includes the village annexation of town land as part of a potential residential development project which required village sewer and electric services, Donovan says.
“A new waste water treatment facility was needed, in part, to provide capacity for such a development,” Donovan says.
He regularly attended Village Board meetings at the time to stay informed about issues affecting the development.
“From then on I remained interested in what was happening in the village,” Donovan says. “I rejoined the planning board, became a member of the Village Tree Board, joined the Village Parks Committee and was asked to be a member of our Comprehensive Plan Committee.”
His planning board experience also includes zoning law review and recommendations to the village board. The Tree Board was able to obtain Tree City status which aids in grant applications, Donovan says. He adds that the Tree Board also provided trees for planting along residential streets and was able to supply a large evergreen used in the holiday tree lighting ceremony.
Donovan says he would also like to see continued revitalization of the downtown business district.
“We’ve had some businesses start up in the last few years that are doing well and I’d like to see similar results in our empty spaces,” Donovan says. “There are other communities that have had success with this and we can learn a lot from what they’ve done and form a plan that suits the village.”
Because of village electric service, the village needs to be prepared for residential and commercial development that may occur, Donovan says.
“There is currently a committee making strides on this,” he notes, “and it’s an issue we need to be on top of.”
Donovan has worked at Eastman Kodak for 28 years and has completed degrees during that time in chemistry and statistics. He and his wife, Cheryl, who is a program coordinator at the Gillam-Grant Community Center, have made their home in the Village of Bergen for 20 years. They have two children: son, Sean, is a junior at Byron-Bergen High School and daughter, Sarah, attends Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Twenty-five-year old Emily VanEenwyk is a newcomer to politics. She is a Bergen native and teaches Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade at Cornerstone Christian Academy in Brockport.
VanEenwyk says she became intrigued with village politics as a 16-year old studying current events in high school.
“I went to a Republican caucus,” she says. “It was so much fun to write about … it was the most interesting caucus ever, it ignited a spark and when this opportunity came up, I said, ‘Why not?’”
She says her dad has always been involved in the community and she is looking forward to becoming a member of the village board.
“I’m a teacher, I’m excited to dive into this and learn, I love trying new things and learning new things. I love helping others and serving others,” VanEenwyk says.
She says she feels the village has done a good job being fiscally responsible. VanEenwyk notes that can be easy for municipalities to spend money, but, “…. we have to use resources wisely. Bergen has done a good job with that,” she explains, “I really want to help that continue.”
VanEenwyk says she has been involved in the Byron Summer Recreation program at the town park in Byron and has been impressed by what it does for children in that town.
“I’ve seen the kids go through and they develop a respect – an ownership of the park,” she says.
VanEenwyk says she would like work with the Bergen Parks Committee to create a similar program in Bergen.
