Supervisor and councilmember seek top spot in Riga election

Supervisor and councilmember
seek top spot in Riga election

Town of Riga Councilperson Pam Moore and incumbent Supervisor Tim Rowe are both seeking the supervisor seat in the November election. Rowe was the successful Republican candidate in the primary. Moore is running on the Independence and Working Families lines.

The Mill Seat Landfill remains an issue in the town and was addressed by each candidate as part of their interviews.

Councilperson Pam Moore said she is running for the supervisor seat because, “the current lack of leadership and vision is having a negative impact on the community and the people that I care so deeply about.”

Growing up in Riga, Moore said she had the benefit of a loving family, a safe, nurturing community and excellent public schools.

“These opportunities provided me with a solid foundation to go off and follow my dreams,” she said. “After a successful career as both a government and corporate attorney, I again followed my dreams and returned to Riga to be with my family and live in a community that I love and to which I owe much.”

In 2001, she accepted an appointment to the town board. “I am proud of my contributions and as supervisor I can contribute even more,” she said. The biggest issue facing Riga, is whether the citizens are willing to allow town government to continue to be operated in a reactive, secretive and closed manner, she said.

“Decisions are made without doing the necessary homework to determine potential legal, monetary or quality-of-life consequences. Operating in reactive, secretive and closed ways not only flies in the face of representative democracy, it jeopardizes our ability to make the most of opportunities to improve the quality of life for all residents.”

Moore said the primary was very healthy because it opened a long overdue dialogue about how government should operate.

“The current administration conducts business in a ‘back room.’ Many decisions are made in a series of meetings attended by less than a majority of the board, so that a quorum is avoided, and the public can be excluded,” she said. “The people’s business should be conducted in the open and we will take deliberate actions to encourage public input. As co-chair of the Comprehensive Plan Committee, all actions have been taken in the open and public participation has been encouraged and this is how I will conduct the people’s business.”

Moore said she was “ecstatic” with the results of the primary.

“First, as underdogs, it was very gratifying for our team to earn so many votes against an incumbent administration that outspent us several fold with a slick and negative Madison Avenue campaign,” she said. “Second, the close results prove a few votes can make a difference.”

On the landfill issue, Moore said, “I objected to amending the Host Agreement because the process was secretive and closed. Regardless of the outcome, there was going to be a landfill in Riga for years. The real debate began when citizens learned information was being deliberately withheld. That debate continues. Two issues have emerged. First, how should landfill revenue be used? Second, are citizens entitled to a voice in making these decisions?

Since joining the town board, I have objected to the lack of a long-term plan to use landfill money. We have a huge opportunity to increase the quality of life in Riga by planning wisely. At the same time, we can hold the line on taxes. I believe citizens are entitled to a voice. This why we believe it is time to change how Riga government operates.”

Timothy Rowe said he is running to retain his supervisor seat because he wants to provide Riga with a candidate with proven leadership ability.

“I’m a supervisor who studies the issues, keeps people informed, listens to all sides and makes decisions that are in the best long term interest of the town,” he said. “The decisions may not always be popular with everyone, but hard decisions never are.”

The preservation of Riga’s rural character, providing ample athletic facilities and parks and providing the opportunity for residents to vote on townwide water supplies are major issues, he said. “But while supporting these initiatives, we must keep the town taxes at zero.”

Rowe feels his experience on the town board and as supervisor allows him to hit the ground running.

“I have the experience to do the job and the results to show for it,” he said. “During my tenure, we have built the Sanford Road Park and Maher Lodge, as well as the Buffalo Road Park. We will start the construction of three new soccer fields in 2006. I started publishing the town newsletter to keep residents informed.”

He said he has also worked with neighborhood groups to put in over seven miles of waterline, has built a new highway garage and town hall while helping maintain the Newman-Riga Library’s financial stability by increasing funding from $15,000 in 1990 to $100,000 currently. Rowe said the recreation budget has been increased more than 300 percent since 1990. “This has all been accomplished while keeping Riga debt free,” he said.

Rowe and his wife, Pat, have been married for 28 years and have three college age children. He has been active in the Churchville Lions for 22 years, a Boy Scout leader for 15 years, a former CYA coach, a member of the Churchville Moose and board member of the Churchville Chamber of Commerce.

Rowe addressed the landfill issue by saying: “Having a landfill put in our community was certainly a negative thing. With that said, we have a 100 acre landfill. It’s there. It isn’t likely to go away. Monroe County owns 600 acres near the current landfill. It’s our job as your town board to ensure that Riga gets the greatest benefit possible out of the landfill and protect the town’s interest if there is future landfill development. With the approval of our most recent amendment, we have one of the most lucrative host community agreements in New York state, and we have a host community agreement in place for any future landfill development. Residents have trash collection, which costs the town about 30 percent of the going rate. We have water now within a two-mile radius of the landfill. In addition, we have the funds to put in water throughout the town, if approved by the residents and if the necessary New York state legislation is passed. The landfill is a business in our town, a business that must be monitored, a business that must be safe and clean, but a business that has proven to be a good neighbor and source of substantial revenue for our community.”

The supervisor term is two years and has an annual stipend of $19,948.