Medina may move village elections from March to June

Board could include election change as referendum on March 18 ballot

Photo by Tom Rivers: Jess Marciano, a Medina village trustee and the deputy mayor,  speaks during Thursday’s board meeting about moving the village election from the third Tuesday in March to the third Tuesday in June.

MEDINA – The village could move back its election by three months to June. Holley, Brockport and other villages have their elections the third Tuesday in June, rather than the third Tuesday in March.

If that happens in Medina, the terms for trustees and mayor would start on July 1, rather than April 1. Moving the start back would give trustees and the mayor some time to adjust to the their roles on the Village Board rather than face the big task of putting together the village budget at the immediate start of their terms, said Jess Marciano, a village trustee who is suggesting the change.

The board has several extra meetings in April as it works with department heads to put together a budget that must be adopted by April 30.

“This is incredibly unfair,” Marciano said at Thursday’s board meeting.

The town and county elected officials begin their terms on Jan. 1, after the budgets have been adopted by the prior administrations. Board of Education members start their terms on July 1, after the budgets have been adopted.

If the Village Board terms started on July 1, instead of April 1, the Village Board members would have months to gain a deeper understanding of the village government by the time it’s budget season.

“It would give people more of an opportunity to get their feet underneath them before setting the village tax rate which affects everyone in the village,” Marciano said.

A later village election also would give candidates better weather to be collecting petitions to get on the ballot. Right now that needs to be done in early February. The candidates then go door-to-door campaigning in some rough weather.

A June election would give the process better weather conditions when more residents are also around to vote in person.

The board will need to decide next month if it wants to put the issue on the ballot for a referendum during the March 18 election. (This year’s election is the third Wednesday in March. It was moved back a day due to St. Patrick’s Day.)

Board members on Thursday said they were willing to discuss the issue more on Feb. 9 and Feb. 23. The board needs to decide by Feb. 23 if the issue will be on the ballot for March 18.

“I’m not sold on it, but I’m open to talking about it,” said Trustee Deb Padoleski.