Town of Sweden voters to have town councilmember choices in November election

There are two councilperson seats up for grabs on the Town of Sweden board when voters walk into the voting booth in the November 4 election. Two of the candidates for council - Robert C. Capo, Jr. and Jennifer Skoog-Harvey - are running on a "Community First" Democratic campaign. Republican candidates for the town board are Patricia Connors and Thomas Ferris. Skoog-Harvey's father, Gary Skoog, is seeking election to the supervisor position also under the "Community First" campaign. Skoog will be facing incumbent Nat O. "Buddy" Lester, III in his bid for the supervisor position.

Robert C. Capo, Jr. explained his reasons for seeking election this term by saying, "Essentially what made me decide to run is the need for fiscal responsibility and the divisiveness between the town and village. I've thought about it before, but now the timing is right."

Capo's prior outside activities have been more civic and community related as he and his wife are co-facilitators of the Parish Council for the Newman Catholic Community in Brockport. In addition to his other organizational involvement, Capo is a volunteer coach for youth sports.

He is "greatly concerned" about the tax increases with which residents are faced. "Many of the people we have spoken with about the tax increases are concerned," he said. "We are in an economy that has been difficult for everyone in our town."

Getting a better handle on spending in order to mitigate spending is a clear priority for Capo should he be chosen for one of the two board seats in the November 4 election.

Capo and his wife, Charlene have two children, Casey and Robby.

Republican Patricia Connors is seeking her second term on the board, having completed her first four years. When asked why she was seeking re-election she said, "I enjoy what I've been doing, feel I've helped make a difference and I've been working with a really great group of people."

Connors said the board has accomplished a lot of projects and there are many more exciting items on the agenda. "We got our town park running, a skate park has been constructed and we've got the Community Center," she said. Connors volunteers her time to teach ballroom dancing at the center.

Her 26 years of working with the public through her employment with the state health department has shown her that she truly enjoys working with the public. "I just like working with people, especially those I've met during my time on the board," she said. "My experience on the board is definitely an asset."

While on the board Connors was instrumental in helping author local laws regarding a noise ordinance, property maintenance and garage sale regulation. "Most of the board members participated in working on these issues," she said. "Also, most of these ordinances came about because of concerns raised by residents."

The implementation of a pre-disaster mitigation plan came about while Connors has been a member of the board. "The county had a plan but thought it would be a good idea for the towns to implement their own plan," she explained. "I reached out to the village board and we collaborate with village officials on the formation of a plan for our communities."

Working for 18 months on updating the town's comprehensive plan was also something that Connors has been involved in during her tenure.

Connors and her husband, Robert, have two daughters, Sarah and Michele. Connors has lived in the town of Sweden for the past 23 years and her husband is a life-long resident.

Democrat Jennifer Skoog-Harvey is no stranger to politics, having worked for a congressman and a county legislator. "I've always had a strong interest in public service," she said. "Because of my background in government and public service, I thought it would be great to use my skills to help the town board."

Because she is not working full time, she said she could dedicate more time to the job of being a town councilperson.

She and her husband, Kevin Harvey, bought a home in Brockport and she now considers herself a permanent resident and says she feels it's time to give back to her community. She most recently worked in Congressman John LaFalce's local office and spent time as a marketing coordinator for an on-line rewards company. She is the vice-president of Our-Share investment club and a member of the Western Monroe Historical Society.

"There has been a disconnect between the town and village that needs to be remedied," Skoog- Harvey said. "I'm very supportive of a shared vision between the town and the village."

Skoog-Harvey also expressed disappointment that the town GOP asked for the Brockport village mayor's resignation from her political party because of appointments she made while in office. "It doesn't need to be that political at the local level," she said. "I'm a Democrat and the mayor is a Republican but when I applied for the position on the zoning board, I was accepted despite my party affiliation."

Wanting to get the partisanship out of the local level of government is one of Skoog-Harvey's goals should she be elected. "People want to see good practices, not political activities."

Republican Thomas Ferris, an attorney, is a life long resident of the Town of Sweden and has been actively involved in the youth sports in the area. He is a coach of the Brockport Blizzard and, through his low firm, has donated to the sports organizations in the Brockport area.

When asked why he was seeking his first elected post, Ferris said he had approached Supervisor Buddy Lester a couple of years ago when the dream of a Sweden-Clarkson Community center was materializing. "I think the center is an asset to the community and I wanted to do what I could to make sure the project moved forward," Ferris said. "The development of the John Henion Drive Park is another project that is a valuable asset to Sweden."

When Councilman Carl Wheat announced his retirement from the board, Ferris said he knew the time was right to throw his hat into the ring. "I contacted Buddy again and told him I was committed to ensuring the momentum the board had started was continued forward and then I decided to seek election."

Ferris said it's no secret that the taxes are up in the town. "What our counterparts don't point out is that the increases directly correlate to the increased financial burdens the town has had to assume in the past year," Ferris explained, adding that the increases in New York State retirement contributions, Worker's Compensation insurance, and health care costs are all beyond the control of the board. "They are beyond the board's control yet the board has to meet these costs in order to continue to do business. The proposed spending increases are almost dollar for dollar what has been passed along to the board by the mandated increases."

What impresses Ferris about the board is their ability to maintain a high level of service to the community while handling the cost increases that have been passed along to me.

Ferris and his wife, Susan, have three children: Julien, Olivia and Maria.

The candidates speak out on the Wal-Mart Supercenter proposal
Capo says: "We oppose the placement of a Wal-Mart Supercenter on Route 31."

Connors says: "There's nothing the town board can do unless they come to us with rezoning issues. Our position is that we are not in favor of the site they've chosen. We prefer them to stay where they are."

Skoog-Harvey says: "The placement of Wal-Mart on Route 31 is a strong concern for a lot of people and more than 1,000 signed a petition against the proposed placement. There are concerns with traffic congestion and conflicts between commercial and residential interests that must be taken into consideration. She said that there must be better practices in place when implementing comprehensive plans so residents can continue to enjoy the rural atmosphere that comes with living in Sweden."

Thomas Ferris's comments: "The problem that hasn't been discussed but must be before the town board has to worry about Wal-Mart, is Wal-Mart's having to satisfy three variance issues. If they can satisfy the variances then I agree with my counterparts with preferring Wal-Mart to stay where they are but the board has no ability to say 'you can't develop the land.' The land is commercially zoned and as long as Wal-Mart satisfies the land usage and environmental issues, I have every confidence that the planning board is going to make the right decision … the best decision under the law and one that benefits the community in the long run."