Lyndonville deputy mayor resigns

James Tuk says voters spoke on March 15 when he lost mayoral election

LYNDONVILLE – James Tuk, the deputy mayor in Lyndonville, resigned on Friday, not long after the March 15 election for mayor when he lost, 92 to 19, to John Belson, the former Yates town supervisor.

Tuk said the defeat was a message from voters that they weren’t pleased with his job performance. Tuk had been leading the village government since Halloween, when Steve McAvoy resigned due to the demands of his full-time job.

“I made quite a few adversaries over time and they wanted a different person as mayor,” Tuk said. “Somebody didn’t like the way I did things. I’ve made peace with all of this.”

Tuk was a member of the Village Board for five years. He said the village has projects in the pipeline, including efforts to make the Lyndonville Dam more accessible to the public and to improve the mechanicals at the scenic site.

The village also wants to redesign Veterans Park next to the Dam. The park with some improvements could help bring more people downtown, Tuk said.

“These are in the infancy stage,” Tuk said. “The challenge is to find the money to pay for it.”

Tuk said serving on the board was “very interesting and very constructive.” He only missed two meetings in 5 years. He missed those two because in December 2013 he suffered a stroke which paralyzed his left side.

“I returned to meetings in February 2014 because I was elected to do so and the challenge of the position aided my recovery,” Tuk said. “I am not yet 100 percent but continue to work towards being that.”