Editor:

I am running for Mayor of the Village of Albion because I believe in the power of community service — and I believe our village is ready to put that power to work.

When I walk through our historic downtown district, I see something that many communities would envy: a backbone of beautiful, character-rich buildings that tell the story of Albion’s past. But I also see what our 5,600 residents and visitors see every day — facades that need attention, storefronts that have sat vacant too long, and public spaces that are crying out for a little tender loving care. The good news is that the answer to this challenge is already living right here among us.

Community service, when organized and purposeful, is one of the most powerful tools a municipality has. As mayor, I would work to launch a structured Village Revitalization Volunteer Initiative — a program that connects willing hands from our schools, civic organizations, faith communities, and local businesses with the buildings and green spaces that need them most. From beautification days in the downtown historic district to coordinated cleanup efforts along our historic Erie Canal, we can accomplish together what no budget line item alone can achieve.

Preserving our historic downtown is not just about aesthetics — it is about economic vitality, community pride, and honoring what those who built this village left behind for us. A well-maintained historic district attracts visitors, supports local businesses, and gives residents a place to feel proud of. After all we are the county seat of Orleans County! That is a return on investment that every resident should be able to see and feel.

I also intend to work closely with state and federal historic preservation programs and our very own Historian, Susan Starkweather-Miller, to identify grant funding that can support property owners who want to restore their buildings but need a financial lift to get started. The Village also has at its disposal a grant writer, G&G Municipal Consulting and Grants Writing, who provide additional help in finding and completing grants on behalf of the Village. Community service and smart resource stewardship go hand in hand.

Albion has the people, the history, and the heart to turn this vision into reality. All we need is the leadership and the will to get started. I am asking for your vote — your ideas and your participation.

 Sincerely,

Joyce A. Riley

Candidate for Mayor, Village of Albion

Editor:

I am Dean Bellack, a 42-year resident of this community and a business owner who spent decades operating in a highly competitive environment where partnerships were not optional — they were survival.

If people didn’t come together, I didn’t eat. That experience shaped how I think, how I work, and how I solve problems. With all respect to the others in this race, that background sets me apart.

I am running for Village Trustee because we cannot continue operating the way we have been. You may disagree with many things in this village — and that’s healthy — but I challenge anyone to disagree with this:

We live in a politically insignificant area, in a state that is crushing us with costs, and our residents cannot continue absorbing tax increases year after year.

Those are facts. And facts require action.

The only way to change the curve is to change how we do business. We cannot keep thinking like a village of 6,000 people trying to solve 21st century problems alone. We must build partnerships — with our towns, our county, our nonprofits, our schools, and our neighboring communities. We must expand our grant efforts dramatically. And we must stop treating collaboration as optional.

My public history shows these results in action.

When I started at the YMCA, the organization was broke, the roof was leaking, and we were dealing with the aftermath of a financial scandal. We were one small, isolated branch with no path forward. We came together, completely remodeled the building, and spent two years working toward a merger with the GLOW YMCA. That merger created stability, doubled revenue, and built an endowment that now funds repairs and long term needs. The YMCA is strong today because we changed the model.

When I volunteered to lead the United Way, we were broke and struggling with trust issues. We rebuilt that organization from the ground up — shifting from a small fundraising group to one that wrote grants for nonprofits, secured county contracts, and achieved financial stability. We created an endowment, restored credibility, and then made the bold decision to drop the United Way model entirely and reform as Orleans Community Connects. Today, OCC is positioned to add asset building roles across the county and bring in resources that individual organizations could never secure alone.

These are not theories. These are results — built through partnerships, planning, and a willingness to change how things are done.

I am for services. I am for a strong, functioning village. But the only way to protect services without breaking taxpayers is to change the model.

If you want to know how I will operate as Trustee, it is simple:

• My votes will support partnerships that reduce costs and increase capacity.
• My direction will push for greatly expanded grant proposals and shared applications.
• My decisions will focus on what is necessary, not what is easy or familiar.

I have lived here for 42 years. I have invested hard in assets here. I owned 43 rental units and improved each. I have built businesses here. I have served this community in multiple roles. And I believe deeply that Medina can thrive — but only if we stop pretending that doing things the same way will produce different results.

It is time to think differently, work differently, and lead differently.

Respectfully,

Dean Bellack

Candidate for Medina Village Trustee

Editor:

So President Trump orders the bombing of Iran. He says to stop their ability to build a nuclear bomb which he already said the strikes on Iran months ago completely destroyed their capability to do so.

Then he indicates regime change is a goal. His Secretary of State says that Israel was going to bomb Iran so the US had to join them to protect US personnel and interests in the area and regime change was not an objective.

Hostilities commence and the crap hits the fan. US military installations in the area are not significantly hardened and Iranian munitions kill US service members and destroy assets. The commander in chief says there will be casualties as this happens in war, brilliant military mind he is. Then we lose three multimillion dollar aircraft to friendly fire. Actually our own planes were shot down with air defenses supplied by the US.

Iran targets our embassies and consulates in the area and civilian airports, stranding thousands of American citizens and the state department says we can’t help you and you are on your own and get out anyway you can.

So here we are. My take is when you fire every senior experienced and seasoned military leader, others resign rather than support the regime and replace them with Trump loyalists, the force is weakened. Especially when you have a totally incompetent Secretary of Defense.

During the DOGE purge many senior State Department staff were fired or resigned causing a large gap in the ability to anticipate, plan and protect citizens abroad. This is the most reckless and irresponsible administration in the history of the country. This nightmare will only stop when Americans wake up. So again I ask still not enough?

Thanks.

James Fraser, Colonel (Retired), USAF

Batavia