Sweden voters will be asked to choose
between incumbent, newcomer for supervisor

Voters in the Town of Sweden will be faced with a choice this year when they step into the voting booth on Tuesday, November 4. The position of part-time supervisor is being sought after by incumbent Republican Nat O. "Buddy" Lester, III and Democratic opponent Gary Skoog.

The major issues
Two of the most highly contested issues facing the opponents are the town's proposed increase in taxes and the possibility of the construction of a Super Wal-Mart on Route 31.

Incumbent Lester, an attorney with a law office in the village of Brockport, has been the supervisor for six years. Prior to that he was the Sweden Town Justice for seven years.

Opponent Gary Skoog, a self employed businessman who runs a paint restoration contracting business and is known for his garlic growing, indicated he had sought election in the past but felt compelled to throw his hat into the ring this year because there were issues he felt needed addressing.

Taxes
"I'm concerned with the budget, especially regarding the proposed nine percent increase we are being faced with this year," Skoog said, adding that he is at a disadvantage to do anything about the budget because he is not in office. "We need to look seriously at the numbers and reflect on the costs-to-revenues issues. As revenues have increased, so have our taxes. We need to increase revenues but keep spending in line."

When asked why he was seeking re-election this year, Lester said: "We have a lot of unfinished work and a lot of issues I'm looking forward to working on." ... "Some of those issues are the traffic, maintaining the town as one of the lowest tax-rate paying towns within the county and the possible creation of a fire/ambulance district with Clarkson and Brockport."

Lester said that under his watch the board has become more accessible and open to the public. They have also launched a quarterly newsletter and have a website available.

"Sweden needs to continue its strong commercial base," he explained. "Some people insinuate that we are hurting commercially, but we have one of the strongest commercial bases within the county."

Keeping the comprehensive plan current and maintaining the cemetery to the high standards which local families have come to expect are also items that Lester intends to continue.

Skoog said his platform includes cooperation between the town and the village on more projects. "Right now there is a part-time economic development person in Brockport, but our plan includes hiring a person to work full time on economic development," Skoog said. "We need to do an inventory of our present business base, look at our comprehensive plan and move forward. There is an urgency in creating a development plan but there is no person in place right now in Sweden to do that."

Splitting the position of town assessor and building code enforcement officer and working with the village on furthering canal development are also items he would undertake if elected.

"Mr. Skoog says our spending has been irresponsible and he said he wants to hold the line," Lester said. "But where do you cut back? What services do you take away from the residents and if he wasn't planning on cutting back services, where would the money come from to hire an economic development director?"

Being serious about maintaining a level budget and raising taxes only when appropriate to mandated increases is something Skoog said he will strive for. "We will do everything in our power to hold the line on taxes," he said.

Wal-Mart Super Center issues
"There is truly no difference of opinion between myself and my opponent when it comes to the Wal-Mart issue," Lester said. "The town would prefer they stay in their current location. We are not in favor of a Super Wal-Mart being located on the site they are proposing."

The Wal-Mart issue has been a hotly debated one within the town limits. Store officials have proposed construction of a 203,500 square foot superstore on Route 31. Concern over traffic congestion, infrastructure and environmental issues have been raised over the construction.

"I'm not in favor of (the new) Wal-Mart (proposed site) and traffic is the biggest issue," Skoog said. "Drainage is also a concern. If you have that much land turned over to asphalt, run-off is going to be a concern. We have to look at all of the environmental issues."

One of Skoog's concerns with the traffic issues is, "the population of Sweden is pretty much static and if Wal-Mart builds a bigger store, who will visit it? If they're looking to draw in people from other communities, that will put more of a strain on our infrastructure."

Services vs. taxes
"We have maximized the number of services available to residents and we have made them available to residents at a cost which no other municipality could beat us on," Lester said. "We sought out, and obtained, non tax dollars to fund several of the projects we now offer in the town (the Community Center being one of them). As a board we were able to add a whole new layer of services with minimal costs to the constituents."

Lester stressed that Sweden has one of the lowest taxes of towns across the County of Monroe.

Comprehensive Plan
"It's ironic that my opponent, who chaired the first master/comprehensive plan, advocated for the need for a community center, and under my watch, we were able to pull it off with no outlay of taxpayers dollars," Lester said.

Lester also added that the contested site for the proposed Wal-Mart was one that was zoned for commercial use while Skoog was a member of that planning committee.

Family
Lester's wife, Karen, is a reading teacher at Barclay School in Brockport. The couple have three children, Katie, 17; Matthew, 12; and Megan, 9.

"My family is the most important thing to me and I have lived my whole life in the village of Brockport and in Sweden," Lester said. "I care about the community and believe in giving back to it."

Skoog came to Brockport in 1961 to attend college and never left. "I stayed and ended up raising my family here."

He and his wife, Lori, have two grown daughters, two granddaughters and a third grandchild on the way. Skoog's daughter, Jennifer Skoog-Harvey, is also on the ballot in Sweden. They are running, along with Robert Capo, Jr., on a "Community First" Campaign.

Final Thoughts
"No other municipality has accomplished what we have in the past six years and all with either no, or minimal costs, to the taxpayer," Lester said. "Looking after all members of our community is important to me, everyone needs to work together for the common good ... you can't pit one group against another. I want to finish all that I have started for this community."

Skoog said if elected, he wants to work with the village to become stronger and more competitive. "We want to make this a quality place to live and work and we need to get a handle on the economic opportunities that we already have in place," he said.