Medina candidates share views on providing services, reining in taxes

7 candidates seeking 3 spots at March 19 election

MEDINA – Recent elections in the village have been quiet, with the candidates typically unopposed.

But the election on March 19 has seven candidates for three positions. Medina will have a new mayor with Mike Sidari not seeking re-election after eight years.

There will be a candidate forum at 6 p.m. on March 12 at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library, an event sponsored by the Orleans Hub and Lake Country Pennysaver.

There are two candidates running for mayor. Current trustee Marguerite Sherman, a retired special education teacher, is on “The Village Party” line and Michael Maak, a retired Medina firefighter, is running under the “Roots of the Past, Eyes on the Future Party.”

Five people are seeking two trustee positions on the Village Board. Current trustee Tim Elliott and retired village clerk/treasurer Debbie Padoleski are running with Sherman on the “The Village Party.” Elliott is an entrepreneur who currently works for LynOaken Farms. Padoleski retired in 2021 after a 41-year career in the village clerk’s office.

Mat “Austin” Mosher and Jeffrey Pasnik are running with Maak under “Roots of the Past, Eyes on the Future Party.” Mosher is a former Medina firefighter and Pasnik is a council rep for North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters in Cheektowaga. Mosher now works as regional safety manager for United Refining Company and Kwik Fill’s safety and compliance officer.

Mark Prawel,  a retired Medina police officer, is running under the “United Party.” He also owns an auto repair shop in Medina.

The candidates see the village at a crossroads, facing $1.7 million for a new ladder truck, an addition to the fire hall with one estimate at $6 million, as well as a looming need to start replacing waterlines that are about a century old.

Many residents say the village taxes are already way too high. The 2023-24 budget raised Medina’s tax rate from $18.85 to $21.15 per $1,000 of assessed property, one of the highest in the region.

Mark Prawel

Prawel, 53, of North Gravel Road said he hears the concern from many of his customers at Prawel Automotive about high taxes. The tax bills have many looking to move out of the village, he said.

“The taxes are really expensive,” Prawel said. “I’d like to see someone with a business mind in there (on the board).”

Prawel retired as a Medina police officer on April 16, 2023. He worked for the village for 16 ½ years. That gave him insight into the village operations. He believes there is room to cut in the village budget and still maintain quality services to the residents and businesses.

“There are a lot of things we could look into,” he said about paring down the budget. “We could be more efficient with our money. All departments could save.”

He worries as the village looks to take on more debt.

“We shouldn’t be spending money we don’t have,” he said.

Prawel has worked as a mechanic since he was 18. He did that full-time while first volunteering and then working for the Sheriff’s Office for 15 years before becoming a Medina police officer. His job as a police officer showed him all aspects of the community.

“I’ve lived here by entire life,” he said. “There are some really nice people in our village.”

Marguerite Sherman

Sherman, Elliott and Padoleski are running as team. Sherman, 61, of Gwinn Street has been a trustee on the board for 10 years and is the current deputy mayor. She also was on the Planning Board for 10 years.

She would like to explore more shared services with the local towns. She was on a  committee with Shelby town officials looking for cost savings.

“We all have to be more money conscious,” Sherman said.

The village needs a comprehensive plan to address its water system, she said. An engineer told the board recently the village faced $30 million to upgrade aging waterlines in the near future.

She noted Medina is going to seek grants for infrastructure, blighted properties and to help with the fire truck and fire hall projects.

Despite the challenges in the village, Sherman said the community has many successes, with dedicated volunteers and business owners pushing projects. She said a $4.5 million Forward NY grant will make the downtown and waterfront areas even better.

“We are so fortunate to have so many facets working for the betterment of our village,” she said.

Residents have pushed to upgrade or create a skate park, splash pad, dog park and a disc golf course  as well as Boxwood Cemetery improvements. Volunteers also organize a summer concert series, run a visitor’s center and help coordinate planting new trees in the village.

Sherman said the village will miss the leadership of Sidari as mayor.

“Mike has raised the standards and expectations of mayor,” she said. “He has put so  much time into it. We’ve worked so hard for so many years to bring things into the village.”

Sherman, Elliott and Padoleski said a bigger share of county’s sales tax and more state aid through the AIM program would make a big difference for the village, taking some pressure off property taxes.

The village receives about $160,000 of the local sales tax that is nearly $25 million in Orleans County. The county has kept the towns and villages frozen at the same level, about $1.3 million for 10 towns and four villages, since 2001.

The village has tried for more village and state funding, but has been stymied.

“We don’t want an adversarial relationship with the county and state,” Sherman said. “But we can’t just give up (on that funding). We want our community to be thriving.”

She said growth in the Medina Business Park with expansions from existing companies and welcoming new ones also would bring in new tax revenue for the village.

Sherman said the budget process is very challenging, to be fair to the village’s 50 employees while also trying not to overwhelm taxpayers.

“It is a lot of stress,” she said. “I don’t sleep at night during the budget season.”

Debbie Padoleski

Padoleski, 62, of Erie Street didn’t expect to make a run for public office. She is uncomfortable seeing her name on political signs around the village. She was motivated to run after she received her reassessments for three properties last year, and the numbers doubled, resulting in a big increase in her tax bills.

“If everything goes up with taxes, we’re in deep trouble,” Padoleski said.

She said the village has tried for years to get more of the sales tax, but county officials have been steadfast in rejecting an increase.

Padoleski brings a deep knowledge of the village inner workings. She can use those skills as part of the village budget process.

She also said the village needs to keep speaking out about the need for more of the local sales tax and AIM funds from the state.

“It can’t just be outrage and stomping our feet,” she said about the local sales tax share and AIM money.

Tim Elliott

Elliott, 39, of Manilla Place helped the village to adopt a vacant registry law where property owners pay to be on the registry and then are assessed an annual fee for each year the sites remains vacant. That law has helped reduce the vacant sites from about 80 to less than 40.

Elliott is concerned about the tax burden for the residents and property owners. Medina is seeking grants to try to ease some of the local burden. But Elliott believes the county needs to free up some of the sales tax revenue for Medina, which he said is a prime generator of that money.

Elliott at one time owned 15 houses in the village. He has reduced that to four properties. He also owned Brushstrokes Studios, Into the Enigma and was part-owner of 810 Meadworks.

He also is a member of the Town of Ridgeway Planning Board and also the Grievance Board.

He worries the county will only take the village’s financial strain seriously if Medina is forced to cut some services. But even then he isn’t sure the county will let go of any of the sales tax revenue.

Elliott said he has never been a “one-issue candidate.” He said he brings an open mind to the position, and tries to research issues and hear from stakeholders before making a decision.

Maak, Mosher and Pasnik are running as a team. They say the current village administration should have had a better plan for purchasing the new ladder and having space for it. The village board also should have a plan for replacing water lines and other infrastructure, the candidates said.

Mike Maak

Maak, 54, of State Street retired in January 2016 as a captain after nearly 27 years with the fire department. He works full-time now as a paramedic with the Gates Ambulance. He is a past chairman of the Big Lakes EMS Council for Genesee, Orleans and Niagara counties.

Maak said the board should have had the fire hall space issue resolved before committing to a new ladder truck. The new truck is expected to be ready around Christmas 2025.

The costs for fire trucks has escalated. The ladder truck from 1995 cost $390,000, with the new one more than four times that cost. And building projects also are far more than expected, with the board looking to pare down a project that came in at an estimated $6 million.

The fire department also has a pumper from 1990 that will need replacement in the near future, Maak said.

“They’ve let things go so long eventually you have to pay,” he said. “They’ve kicked the can down the road for too long.”

Maak thinks a better solution for the fire hall addition may be a joint public safety building for the fire department and police. If it’s moved out of the historic downtown area the village would have more flexibility in the construction, he said.

Medina needs an overall updated comprehensive plan to assess the needs of the village, and work on a schedule for upgrades, Maak said.

He would also push for the village to become an incorporated city, which should result in more AIM funding for the community as well as more of the local sales tax.

Jeff Pasnik

Pasnik, 39, of North Street has worked in the construction industry as a union carpenter for 15 years. The past seven years he has been in the union leadership for a 12-county region, helping the group manage a tight budget.

Pasnik grew up in Middleport, but was part of a Boy Scout troop in Medina as a kid. He has lived in Medina the past 10 years. He is a current member of the Leadership Orleans program.

“I want to be a person of change for this county,” he said.

Pasnik said the current village board has lacked a plan to tackle so many issues in the village, from the fire trucks, to fire hall to other infrastructure.

In his job he sees other parts of Western New York much busier with construction projects, from private projects to public infrastructure. Medina should be seeking federal funds through the new infrastructure bill, Pasnik said.

“The president passed a once-in-a-generation infrastructure program,” Pasnik said. “This is our opportunity to upgrade our water system.”

Mat “Austin” Mosher

Mosher, 52, of Hedley Street works throughout the region at 160 Kwik Fill gas stations as a regional safety manager. He said his experience would be an asset to the village with code enforcement, construction and safety.

“I bring a fresh set of eyes,” he said.

Mosher said he isn’t afraid to make tough choices, even if they are unpopular. But he would like to see the public be more informed about critical decisions in the village.

Mosher said he volunteered as a youth coach and has long felt an obligation to serve the community.

“The timing is right for me to be involved,” he said.

Polls for the election will be open noon to 9 p.m. on March 19 at the Senior Center, 615 West Ave. The terms for mayor and the trustees are for two years.