By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am
GAINES – Residents in the town of Gaines will pay a slightly lower tax rate in 2014 after the Town Board approved a $1,327,371 budget on Tuesday.
The town will take in $570,882 in property taxes next year, the same as in 2013. Because the town’s total assessed value grew 1.9 percent, from $111.3 million to $113.4 million, the tax rate will drop.
Residents in the village of Albion who live in Gaines will pay $4.12 per $1,000 of assessed property, which is down from $4.19 in 2013. Property owners outside the village will pay a $5.26 rate, which is down from $5.37.
“We’ve pared down expenses and we’ve been conservative,” said Town Supervisor Carol Culhane.
The budget reduces spending from $1,341,647 to $1,327,371. The 2014 spending plan gives town employees 2 percent raises, except for members of the Town Board. Culhane will continue to be paid $5,500 while the four town councilman are each paid $2,800, the same pay level the past several years.
The costs for state retirement contributions, which have been escalating in recent years, will go down slightly next year. The town is also budgeting the same amount for health insurance.
Culhane said the main meeting room will be updated in 2014. The carpet will be replaced with money left over from the Bicentennial Committee.
The chairs will also be swapped out with ones that have been in storage in the basement. The windows are also being replaced with a state courts grant.
The room was painted this year as a project through the Iroquois Job Corps Center in Shelby. Culhane said all of the projects will total less than $300 in direct costs to town taxpayers.
The 2014 budget also keeps a very low fire protection rate for Gaines residents outside the village. The rate will go up from 31 cents to 36 per $1,000 of assessed property. Most of towns pay at least $1 per $1,000 of assessed property for fire protection.
The village of Albion is trying to negotiate a new contract with a higher rate for Gaines residents, Culhane said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – I took this picture of a bunch of Canada geese in a field along Albion-Eagle Harbor Road this morning.
These birds are awfully skittish. I don’t understand why. They outnumbered me about 1,000 to 1. I tried to get close and they took off in a flock. The little black marks in the sky are all geese.
ALBION – BoMET Holding Inc. – headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada – is making its first expansion into the U.S. marketplace with a site in Albion.
The international non-ferrous scrap metal recycling corporation – with holdings in Canada and China – will diversify its business model into electronics recycling at a 60,000-square-foot facility on McKinistry Street.
BoMET purchased a warehouse for $176,000 from the Orleans Economic Development Agency. The company plans to add 30 jobs at 152 McKinistry St. The Albion operation will be known as BoMET Recovery LLC.
The EDA worked with the company on a tax incentive plan.
“The OEDA offered 152 McKinstry to BoMET at a very competitive price, along with a property tax abatement package and a loan package for the facility’s manufacturing equipment,” said Jim Whipple, Orleans EDA chief executive officer. “The addition of BoMET Recovery in Albion is another example of how we welcome new industry, cut through the red tape and get projects up and running in Orleans County. We have an active local incentive program and excellent relationships with our economic partners at the state level.”
BoMET Recovery will be the main electronics-recycling center for BoMET Holding Inc.
“BoMET’s business model fits perfectly into our industrial setting and we are certainly not new to Canadian businesses,” Whipple said. “Orleans County is already home to four Canadian manufacturers. BoMET will be the fifth and we have another Canadian firm preparing to locate here.”
BoMET CEO Zhan Bo Zhang said the company wanted to diversify into the United States. Albion was attractive because of its close proximity to Cambridge. The company looked at other states and regions of New York.
“It was my dealings with the OEDA that cemented my decision to locate in Orleans County,” he said. “From start to finish, their knowledge, expertise and guidance gave me the confidence that BoMET Recovery would be successful there. Orleans is manufacturing friendly, known for its workforce and how welcoming they are to new business. We are excited about this new operation and, I believe, this is only the start of great relations between us.”
Orleans County is working on other manufacturing and light industrial projects. The EDA recently submitted an application to Empire State Development Corp. for a new shovel-ready site to be named Sandstone Industrial Properties.
The first planned site is the 150-acre Keppler property in the southeast section of Medina. When completed, the EDA’s Sandstone Industrial Properties will be the largest shovel-ready site in Western and Central New York.
The second EDA shovel-ready site will be the nearby Medina Business Park.
Orleans Hub first reported about the BoMET project on April 12. (Click here to see that article.)
U.S. Rep. Chris Collins issued this statement with the news about BoMET this afternoon:
“The announcement of a new electronics recycling operation in Albion is another positive sign for job creation and business development in Orleans County,” Collins said. “The OEDA continues to successfully work with its partners in government to recruit new businesses into existing facilities.I look forward to welcoming BoMET Recovery to Orleans County.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 November 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – The local development corporation that is working to find a buyer for the Orleans County nursing home will meet Friday to discuss proposals for the 120-bed site.
That discussion is expected to be behind closed doors in an executive session.
The Orleans County Health Facilities Corporation will meet at 10:30 a.m. at the Orleans County Health Department, 14012 Route 31 West, Albion.
The LDC is led by its Chairman Russ Martino of Lyndonville. The group’s agenda says the executive session is warranted because publicly discussing the proposals “would substantially affect the value thereof.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2013 at 12:19 pm
Absentee ballots make the difference
RIDGEWAY – After the election last week, incumbent Mark Goheen was trailing opponent Raymond Wendling by only 8 votes in the race for highway superintendent in Ridgeway. There were still 33 absentee ballots to be counted.
Those ballots were opened today and Goheen received the votes he needed to pull off the 591-581 victory over Wendling.
This general-election race was a rematch of the GOP primary, also resulting in a win for Goheen. Incumbent Mark Goheen was endorsed by the Republican and Independence parties. Raymond Wendling, after the primary, ran under the Conservative Party and the independent Ridgeway Peoples Party.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2013 at 10:43 am
BARRE — Richard DeCarlo is the winner of a very close race for Barre town justice.
DeCarlo, the Republican, saw his Election Day vote edge narrow from nine to six votes after the absentees were counted today. But he still prevailed over Rick Root, 213-207.
DeCarlo gained 8 absentees and Root, the Democrat, picked up 11. Sean Pogue, a Conservative, also gained 5 absentees for a final tally of 122.
“We had three quality candidates and we all worked very hard,” DeCarlo said. “We just went out and presented ourselves. There was no mudslinging.”
DeCarlo works as a project superintendent for Wegmans in the company’s construction division. He will replace Al Jones, who is retiring.
“It’s something I always wanted to do,” DeCarlo said. “I never try to rush to judgement or prejudge people. As a judge, I know I can make a difference in somebody’s life.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2013 at 12:00 am
ALBION – Absentee ballots were counted this morning to determine the winner of last week’s election for Albion Town Supervisor. After polling finished on Nov. 5, Jake Olles was ahead of Matt Passarell by 1 vote, 476-475. There were 48 absentee ballots still to be opened to determine the winner.
Twenty-eight of the absentee ballots went to Passarell and 19 to Olles. The final count stands at Matt Passarell with 503 votes; Jake Olles with 495 votes.
Both candidates are town councilmen who were vying to replace Dennis Stirk, who did not seek another two-year term. Stirk backed Deputy Town Supervisor Jake Olles, who was endorsed by the Democratic Party. Olles also ran under the independent “No Bull” party. Town Councilman Matt Passarell, campaigned with endorsements from the Republican and Conservative parties.
Passarell will take over as town supervisor on Jan. 1. Olles will be on the board as a Town Councilman. The two are on the town board together and often cast opposing votes. Passarell says he hopes the two can work together to do good for the town and its taxpayers.
“I’ll extend the olive branch out there and go from there,” Passarell said after the final votes were counted. “We’ll always be professional.”
Passarell, at 34, will be the youngest Town Supervisor in the county by about two decades. An Iraq War veteran, Passarell works in the quality department for Baxter International in Medina.
Olles is a sergeant at Attica Correctional Facility.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2013 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers – Orleans County elections officials at right begin a three-hour process this morning in counting absentee ballots in four close races in Albion, Barre, Carlton and Ridgeway. Many of the candidates crowded into a room next to the Board of Elections office to observe the count.
Orleans County Election Commissioners Janice Grabowski, left, and Dennis Piedimonte count an absentee ballot earlier today in one of four tight races. Ed Morgan, the Orleans County GOP chairman, is in the foreground.
ALBION – Long-time political observers in Orleans County called it unprecedented, the four local elections that came down to the absentee ballots today.
In some elections, there might be one race like that. Four years ago, Dan Gaesser had a 16-vote lead over Jack Gillman for Kendall town supervisor on election night. After the absentees were counted, Gaesser won by seven votes, 413-406.
That’s the closest race I can remember during a November election. The all-time closest, in my memory, came during a village election in March 2006. Mike Hadick beat incumbent Ed Salvatore, 440-438, for Albion mayor.
In that election, a paperwork snafu kept Salvatore off the Republican line. Hadick was at the top of the ballot as a Democrat while Salvatore was listed far below on an independent line. Hadick’s victory may be the most shocking upset I’ll ever see. To Hadick’s credit, he was a tenacious campaigner and got out the vote.
Most of our local elections don’t have opposition. If a Republican has a challenger, the Republican generally wins 2 to 1.
This time was different. Two of the four super-close races involved highway superintendents. Both Dave Krull of Carlton and Mark Goheen of Ridgeway are finishing their first terms. With about four years on the job, their names are not yet ingrained in the public from multiple terms in the position.
They both faced challengers from their own party. Paul Snook managed to capture the GOP line from Krull in the Republican primary. Goheen held off Ray Wendling in the primary, but Wendling kept campaigning on two other lines, Conservative and the Ridgeway Peoples Party.
Both Snook and Wendling have jobs with highway departments, which gave them credibility in their campaigns. In the end, both Krull and Goheen held on to their jobs.
I think they will be even harder to beat four years from now if they run again. Both will be much more established in their jobs.
The only time I’ve seen a challenger unseat a veteran highway superintendent was four years ago when Krull defeated Steve Jones, who had been the highway superintendent in Carlton for 12 years. Krull was able to win the general election this time with only the Independence Party line. The man has proven he can overcome long odds in an election.
Albion had a close race for town supervisor. Neither of the candidates was the incumbent in the position. That presented an opportunity for a close race because generally the incumbents are so difficult to beat.
Both Jake Olles and Matt Passarell had a major party line and a secondary line. The second line proved critical in this race and in the highway battles. (If Krull didn’t have the Independence line, the race would have been over at the primary.)
Passarell ultimately defeated Olles on the strength of the Republican Party’s big advantage in enrolled voters. But without the Conservative line for Passarell, Olles would have taken the election, which is hard to do running as a Democrat.
Potential candidates should take notice: get a second line, and if you’re going to run against an incumbent, you should strike before the candidate has more than a term in office.
I recall another close election six years ago for county legislator. Gary Kent defeated Don Allport that election after Allport had been in office one term or two years.
Allport won the following election in 2009 and has now beat Kent the last three elections for a county-wide legislator position. It’s difficult for a Democrat to win a town race in Orleans County. I think it’s a major challenge for a Democrat to pull it off across the county. Kent has been close, but Allport won the latest election by about 500 votes, 3,419 to 2,917.
Now that Allport is established in the position, I’m not sure he can be beat, even if John F. Kennedy or Daniel Patrick Moynihan was living here and in his prime. Kent deserves a lot of credit for keeping the race so close.
The town justice race in Barre was interesting, and we don’t get to see too many races like this one. A long-time sitting judge, Al Jones, is retiring. That opened the door for a new candidate. Three people wanted the job, including Republican Richard DeCarlo, Democrat Rick Root and Conservative Sean Pogue.
Normally, the Republican would win big. But Pogue siphoned off some of the DeCarlo’s votes. Root is from a well-known family in Barre, plus Root had been on the Town Board. DeCarlo, a former Gaines resident, also is new to Barre. He moved to the town about 1 ½ years ago.
If I were a betting man I would have guessed the dynamics were in Root’s favor and the Democrat would have won in the Republican town. (However, Barre has a recent history, more than any other Orleans town, of electing Democrats.)
DeCarlo was unrelenting in going door to door and that may have been the difference in his 213-207 victory. (Pogue got 122 votes.)
So that’s another lesson for local candidates: don’t forget to get out there and press flesh and meet people. The personal touch is often the deciding factor.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2013 at 12:00 am
One week after a very close election in four town races, we will find out who won this morning.
The Board of Elections will open absentee ballots, beginning at 9 a.m. at the elections office.
Of the four races, the Albion town supervisor contest is the closest. Jake Olles is ahead of Matt Passarell by 1 vote, 476-475. Both candidates are town councilmen vying to replace Dennis Stirk, who didn’t seek re-election.
In Barre, it was also close in the race to succeed Alan Jones as town justice. Richard DeCarlo Jr. has a nine-vote lead over Rick Root, 205 to 196.
Two races for highway superintendent are very close. In Carlton, incumbent David Krull is ahead of Paul Snook, 403 to 394.
In Ridgeway, Ray Wendling has an eight-vote lead, 570 to 562, over incumbent Mark Goheen.
Orleans Hub will post the results later this morning.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 November 2013 at 12:00 am
RIDGEWAY – Mark Goheen didn’t go to the Board of Elections today when elections officials spent three hours opening and counting absentee ballots in four close races in Orleans County.
Goheen, the Ridgeway highway superintendent, preferred to spend the morning working on projects as highway superintendent. Goheen started the day eights votes behind Ray Wendling, 570 to 562.
But when 40 absentees were tabulated late in the morning, Goheen ended up the victor, 591-581. He received 29 of the absentees to 11 for Wendling.
“It’s been awful the past week,” Goheen said about the very tight race and the prospect of being out a job. “It’s nerve-wracking, and it’s been hard on my family and the people I work with.”
Goheen topped Wendling, an employee in the Medina Department of Public Works, in the Republican Primary. But Wendling kept up a vigorous campaign, running on the Conservative line and the independent Ridgeway Peoples Party.
“I’m extremely disappointed, but I’m extremely proud that I ran a positive campaign and ran with integrity,” Wendling said after the results were announced at about noon. “I just want to thank the Ridgeway and Medina voters for their support.”
Goheen is finishing his first term as highway chief. When he was contacted by phone this afternoon, he was on Rutherford Road, helping a resident with a water issue.
Goheen said he is thankful he can keep a job that allows him to work with the public.
“You get to do something different every day,” he said. “You’re helping people out with their roads, ditches and water. I want to thank my family and friends for getting behind me.”
