7 seek 3 spots on Medina Village Board, with Sherman and Maak vying for mayor

MEDINA – The Village of Medina has seven candidates who will be on the ballot for three positions in the March 19 election.

That is a far cry from recent elections where candidates have been unopposed.

Medina will have a new mayor on April 1 because Mike Sidari isn’t seeking re-election after 8 years.

He was elected in 2016, running with Marguerite Sherman and Tim Elliott. This time, Sherman is running for mayor with Elliott again seeking trustee. Sherman is recently retired as a special education teacher and Elliott is an entrepreneur who currently works for LynOaken Farms.

They are joined on “The Village Party” by Debbie Padoleski for a trustee position. Padoleski retired in June 2021 after 41 years in Medina’s clerk’s office, including the final eight years as clerk/treasurer.

Three other candidates are running as a team with “Roots of the Past, Eyes on the Future Party.” Michael Maak, a retired captain in the Medina Fire Department, is running for mayor. Maak has previously made unsuccessful bids for election as Ridgeway town supervisor and county legislator.

He is joined by Mat “Austin” Mosher and Jeffrey Pasnik who want to be trustees. Mosher is a former Medina firefighter and Pasnik is a council rep for North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters in Cheektowaga.

Mark Prawel, a retired Medina police officer, also turned in petitions to run as a trustee under the “United Party.”

The terms on the board are all for two years. Candidates needed to turn in petitions signed by at least 100 registered voters in the village to be on the ballot. Today at 5 p.m. was the deadline to submit petitions.