3 candidates nominated for Albion village election
ALBION – Three candidates for the Albion Village Board were backed this evening at party caucuses for the Republicans and Democrats. The village election is March 18.
Kevin Sheehan
There are two seats open and the incumbents – Peter Sidari and Mattea Navarra-Molisani – aren’t seeking re-election to new four-year terms.
Republicans have backed Kevin Sheehan, a former village trustee, and Christopher Barry. The Democratic Party nominated Maurice Taylor.
Kevin Sheehan, 57, was on the Village Board for eight years and was interested in running for mayor in March 2014. But the Hatch Act derailed those plans and prompted him to step away from the Village Board. (The Hatch Act prevents a federal employee from running in a partisan election.)
Sheehan worked as a union plumber for 27 years before getting a job with the federal VA in Batavia. He was the maintenance mechanic work lead and retired on Sept. 21 after about six years.
“I was upset I had to leave (the Village Board),” Sheehan said this evening after the caucus at the LGI at Albion High School. “There were things I wanted to see finished.”
Sheehan said the village government has moved along some key projects the past six years he has been away from the board, including the solar ray installation by the sewer plant on Densmore Road and the upgrades to Bullard Park.
The South Clinton Street resident said he enjoys getting involved with the inner-workings of the village government.
“I like getting the projects going and figuring things out,” he said.
Sheehan has a new job as a safety compliance consultant for Safety York Solutions. The job gives him lots of flexibility, he said.
Christopher Barry
As a village trustee, he said he would push for grants to help the Police Department. He would consider adding police cameras on utility poles if there was grant funding for the projects.
Sheehan said the new bail reform and discovery laws from the state are straining the Police Department. He said he will be an advocate for the department.
“I think we should pursue grants and give the police the tools they need to give us a better quality of life,” Sheehan said.
Sheehan and his wife Carole have four grown sons.
Christopher Barry, 47, works as sergeant at the Orleans Correctional Facility. He started his career as a corrections officer 16 years ago.
Barry, a South Main Street resident, said he looks forward to knowing more about how the village government works. He wants to ensure there are programs for youth.
Maurice Taylor
He and his wife Lisa have two children, ages 5 and 9.
“I want to be part of the solution and not just sit on the couch and complain,” Barry said. “There was a lot going on in town when I was growing up.”
The Democrats endorsed Maurice Taylor, 53, of McKinstry Street. He retired in 2016 after 27 years as a corrections officer.
Taylor and his wife Ethel raised four children in Albion. They have five grandchildren.
He said he wants to take in active role in the community. He sees himself as a candidate for the people.
“I want people to be more cohesive and to get along,” he said.
The Democrats had their caucus at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church.
