Albion village candidates nominated at Republican, Democrat caucuses

Vickie Elsenheimer and Angel Javier Jr. backed for mayor in March 15 election

ALBION – The Republican and Democratic parties each held their caucuses this evening and nominated a slate of candidates for three positions on the Village Board in the March 15 election.

There were 86 registered Republicans in the village at the party caucus at Hoag Library and they backed Angel Javier Jr. with 70 of the votes over current trustee Gary Katsanis for mayor. The Republicans also picked Tim McMurray and Dan Conrad for trustee candidates with current trustee Stan Farone also nominated but getting the third most votes.

The Democrats had 51 people at their caucus at the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church. The party picked Vickie Elsenheimer as candidate for mayor, and Sandra Walter and Joyce Riley for trustees.

The Republican Party candidates for the March 15 election include, from left: Angel Javier Jr. for mayor, and Tim McMurray and Dan Conrad for village trustees.

Javier, 33, has been campaigning for the position since November. He said he won’t take the mayor’s salary, which is about $9,000 a year. He owns the former Family Hardware building in downtown Albion and works at Rochester Gas & Electric as a pipefitter apprentice.

He was in the Marine Corps for four years and worked with State Farm insurance before RG&E. Javier said he wants to welcome new investment and more residents into the village, where he noted the population is down 6.9 percent in the latest census from 6,056 in 2010 to 5,637 in 2020.

In a video he posted on YouTube and Facebook, he said the village needs to be more attractive for residents and businesses. He said the village currently has an 11 percent vacancy rate.

McMurray, 38, has been active for many years as a youth football coach and most recently worked with Sanzo Beverages as a merchandizer stocking beer.

Conrad, 39, has been active in the community for many years. He is president of the Albion Lions Club and owns Toyz n Kandy on East Bank Street. He also serves on the board for Hoag Library and Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance.

The Democratic Party candidates for the March 15 election include, from left: Vickie Elsenheimer for mayor, and Sandra Walter and Joyce Riley for village trustees.

Elsenheimer, 56, leads the Democratic ticket. She retired in March 2021 as an executive assistant to the vice president in the Division of Advancement at Brockport State College. She worked 22 years at Brockport, and 13 years prior to that at Albion Correctional Facility. She also served 17 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, retiring as a sergeant.

She said she has the time to be a full-time mayor, with a focus on improving neighborhoods and the downtown business district.

The empty storefronts and vacant houses hurt the community’s prospects in attracting more businesses, she said. It will take a community effort to move Albion forward for the future, Elsenheimer said.

“I’m in the right season of life,” she said. “I’m retired. I can give it my full attention.”

Sandra Walter, 73, is retired from CRFS, Dime Bank, Anchor Bank and Kodak. She is the chairperson of the Albion Democratic Party Committee.

Joyce Riley is retired nursing supervisor. She is currently a trustee for Hoag Library and the Cobblestone Museum. She has twice served on the Albion Board of Education and made an unsuccessful run mayor four years ago. Eileen Banker, the current mayor, isn’t seeking re-election.