By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 20 March 2018 at 10:16 pm
Republicans sweep in winning all 3 Village Board seats
Eileen Banker
ALBION – Village residents elected Eileen Banker today, and also picked two Republicans for trustees.
That gives the Republicans a sweep for the three positions up for election. It was a close race, however.
Banker received 250 votes, followed by 211 for Joyce Riley and 153 for Kevin Doherty. Riley was backed by the Democrats and Doherty ran under the independent “Spark Some Action” line.
Voters also elected the Republican duo of Gary Katsanis, 306 votes, and Stan Farone, 300. The put them ahead of the Democratic Party candidates, Jason Dragon with 274 votes and Sandra Walter with 264.
Banker has been on the board for eight years, including the past four as deputy mayor. She works as the chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley. Banker’s husband Dale also is a former Village Board member and fire chief, who currently is the county’s emergency management coordinator.
Eileen and Dale are Albion natives who raised their daughter in the village.
“I love this village,” Banker said after the results were announced at the Village Hall. “This is our home. We eat, sleep and live here.”
Banker is the second woman to be elected mayor in Albion. She recalled when Donna Rodden served in the role in the 1970s.
“I remember thinking how cool it was to have a woman as mayor,” Banker said.
She ran her campaign with Farone and Katsanis. They went door to door, instead of holding a meet and greet.
“We wanted to go out and see the voter instead of having them come to us,” she said.
The Republican team was elected to new four-year terms which start April 1. Banker said approving the village budget by the end of April will be the first big job for the board.
The Republicans were adamant in their support of keeping the Albion Police Department in its current staffing of at least two officers on duty at all times, including overnight shifts. The Democratic candidates said they were open to considering scaling back the overnight to one officer. They were also opening to seeing if the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department and State Police would pick up policing in the village. If that happened, it would result in a big tax cut for village property owners. Riley, Walter and Dragon said the village tax rate is too high and isn’t sustainable for attracting residents and businesses.
Doherty favors looking at all village expenses and making customer service a higher priority. He said the current board hasn’t done enough to fight decline in the village and position Albion for a better future.
The village had 500 ballots printed for the election but the turnout passed expectations with 614 total. After the 500 votes, the village used paper ballots. It took nearly an hour to count the paper ballots. The results were announced just before 10 p.m.
Katsanis, who served on the board from 2014 to 2016, said he was encouraged by the turnout at the polls and seven candidates seeking three positions.
“I have to give the Democrats and Kevin Doherty credit for getting involved and making sure the issues were heard,” Katsanis said.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2018 at 8:16 pm
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The Albion Middle School drama program will be performing Anne of Green Gables with shows at 7 p.m. Friday, and noon and 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Leah Kania plays the lead role of Anne Shirley. Myleigh Miller is in the role Marilla Cuthbert. In this photo, Anne is upset after being teased about her red hair and freckles.
She comes to live with Marilla and her brother Matthew at their farm. Initially they sent for a boy to come live with them and help with farm chores because Matthew has a weak heart. Matthew and Marilla both accept Anne and love her.
Corleone Plain portrays Gilbert Blythe, who is a top student along with Anne at school. Gilbert is a self-assured charmer and often the recipient of Anne’s ire.
Anne Of Green Gables: The Musical is based on the novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The musical has been performed annually ever since 1965, making it Canada’s longest-running musical.
This is the 42nd musical led by Albion teachers Carrie Kozody, the director, and Kevin Feder, the assistant director. Kozody said Anne of Green Gables was her favorite story to read when she was a child.
She thinks the story has powerful lessons.
“Realize it takes a village to raise a child,” she said. “And never take someone for granted.”
Marilla, for example, didn’t tell Matthew how much she loved him.
William Trembley plays Matthew Cuthbert while Nia Rodriguez is in the role of Mrs. Rachel Lynde, a nosy neighbor.
Anne (Leah Kania) finds a close friend in Diana Barry, played by Zoe Cusson. Here they are singing, “Kindred Spirits.”
There are 41 students in the cast and 30 in the stage crew.
“I am extremely proud of the cast and crew and how they pulled together,” Kozody said. “I hope everyone comes out to see them.”
Nicholas Andrews plays Moody McPherson (second from right) and is called in front of the class by his teacher, Mr. Philipps, who is played by Dallas Ecker.
S’koi Sanders-Smith (center) plays the role of Mrs. Thomas.
Sarah Thom jumps in the arms of Meganne Moore to conclude one of the songs.
This trio includes, from left: Danielle Wyant, Audrey Pask and Emily Graham.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 15 March 2018 at 7:31 pm
Doherty blames Vendetti for ‘smug bullying’
ALBION – A planned meet and greet with Kevin Doherty, a candidate for Albion mayor, will not go forward on Sunday at the former Swan Library.
Ron Vendetti, the village code enforcement officer, told the building owner, Chad Fabry, that a public assembly wasn’t allowed at the site. In fact, Vendetti said Fabry doesn’t have a certificate of occupancy for the former library at 4 North Main St.
Fabry believes he has a certificate of occupancy because it has never been revoked. He said he needs to modify an upstairs bathroom to be handicapped accessible to have full use of the building. He received a building permit for that in November 2015. The permit is to widen the door by an inch and move a toilet another inch away from a wall.
Fabry, who is the Clarkson code enforcement officer, said he has been delayed on the bathroom changes but wants to get it done soon.
Fabry believed a meet and greet would be permissible for the building which is now zoned for office use.
Vendetti said the building doesn’t have a certificate of occupancy and he couldn’t allow a public assembly at the site.
“I had no choice to do what I did,” Vendetti said. “I can’t let them go in without certificate of occupancy. We’re not going to put a bunch of people in a building without a certificate of occupancy.”
Fabry spoke with Doherty on Thursday and the event planned for Sunday was cancelled. Doherty took out an ad on the Orleans Hub today notifying the public that the event was cancelled “by the village codes officer.”
Vendetti said Doherty had many options in the community for hosting the meet and greet. Just last weekend he held an event at Hoag Library.
“It’s typical of the smug bullying that has virtually eliminated new development in the Village of Albion,” Doherty writes. “Why would anyone invest their own time and money for the privilege of being both bullied and prevented from marketing their properties? The incumbent trustees own this attitude and its consequences.”
Vendetti said he has helped bring development to the village. KeyBank is planning a $180,000 renovation, and a new Save-A-Lot operator will be renovating the site at the plaza on Route 31, Vendetti said about two upcoming projects. He also said four business owners have recently utilized a downtown rental subsidy program run by the village.
Vendetti admitted he is a frequent target of criticism, which he sees as unfair.
“This propagates a myth that has nothing to do with the facts,” he said. “In only serves to divide the community.”
ALBION – An Albion man faces additional charges after initially being arrested on Feb. 27 for sex abuse against children.
Richard L. Hering Jr
Richard L. Hering Jr., 45, and his girlfriend Renee Koch, 54, were charged with forcible touching, sex abuse and act in manner injurious to a child less than 17 years of age. There were allegedly three victims, ages 4 to 15.
Hering’s bail was set at $20,000 and Koch’s bail at $10,000 after they were charged on Feb. 27.
Hering was arrested again on March 9 after additional information was developed, Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni said today.
The charges include two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child (felony), two counts of first-degree rape (felony) and two counts of incest in the first degree (felony).
The crimes are alleged to have occurred over the past 8 years at various locations in the Village of Albion. The case is being prosecuted in both the Town of Gaines and Town of Albion Court because of the locations of the offenses, Nenni said.
Hering was arraigned on the additional charges in the Town of Albion Court and placed in the Orleans County Jail with no bail.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 March 2018 at 9:40 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This group of hockey players met at Bullard Park on Saturday and played street hockey for about two hours in memory of Chadd Froman, who died unexpectedly on Oct. 8 at age 31. Chadd was a regular in the hockey games every Sunday for about 15 years.
Many of his family and friends gathered Saturday to play in honor of Froman. Chadd was an active local musician who worked as a graphic designer.
Jake Froman, Chadd’s father, is pictured with Chadd’s son Kaiden during the hockey tournament on Saturday. Jake said the group wants to make the event an annual celebration in honor of Chadd. They’d also like to return to playing more often at Bullard.
For many years the players would play for a couple hours on Sunday and then head back to Jake Froman’s house for lunch and then watch football.
Chadd enjoyed playing with the group, and relished the camaraderie with his friends and family, his father said.
Kaiden Froman, 10, looks to make a shot during Saturday’s action at Bullard Park.
These players wait for their turn to get in the game.
ALBION – Orleans County Undersheriff Christopher Bourke reports that Friday at 3:20 p.m., an Albion man was arrested on 18 charges related to the sale and distribution of crack cocaine and cocaine in Orleans County
Jason C. Abron
Jason C. Abron, 44, of Lydun Drive was charged following a three-month joint investigation by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and The Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force. During the investigation, Abron allegedly sold cocaine and crack cocaine to an undercover officer on numerous occasions.
Abron was charged with 8 counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd (Class B Felony), 8 counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd (Class B Felony), 1 count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 4th (Class C Felony), and 1 count of Unlawful possession of Marihuana.
Abron was taken into custody without incident following a vehicle stop by the Orleans County SWAT Team on Linwood Avenue in the Village of Albion. Simultaneously, search warrants were executed at 23 Lydun Drive and 142 East State St. in the Village of Albion. A quantity of drugs, cash, ammunition, scales and packaging material were seized during the search.
Abron was arraigned in the Town of Carlton Court by Justice Patricia Russell and was remanded to the Orleans County Jail on no bail. Abron is scheduled to appear in the Town of Albion Court on March 14 at 3 p.m. Abron has four prior felony convictions.
Other agencies assisting with this investigation and arrest were the Albion Police Department, the Genesee County Local Law Enforcement Drug Task Force, and The Orleans County District Attorney’s Office.
Photo by Tom Rivers: Jason Dragon, second from right, speaks during a candidate forum on Thursday at the elementary school. Other candidates, from left to right, include Kevin Doherty, Joyce Riley, Gary Katsanis, Sandra Walter, Stan Farone and Eileen Banker.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2018 at 11:52 am
Some candidates see dissolving police force with county takeover as way to make village more sustainable for taxpayers
ALBION – Seven candidates for three open positions on the Albion Village Board shared their ideas for moving the village forward during a two-hour candidate forum on Thursday evening.
Michael Bonafede, the forum moderator, said the village is fortunate to have seven qualified candidates run for the March 20 election.
“These aren’t career politicians,” Bonafede said at the forum, which was held in the elementary school cafeteria. “They’re like us. They’re not doing it for the money. It is easy to run down local politicians. But these are our friends and neighbors.”
Eileen Banker
The Republican team – Eileen Banker for mayor and Gary Katsanis and Stan Farone for trustee – includes two current trustees, Banker and Farone. Current Mayor Dean London isn’t seeking re-election. The Republican trio said Albion is on the right track by securing grants for upgrades at Bullard Park, the sewer plant, and other village projects.
Bullard, once the upgrades are done, will make Albion more appealing for young families, Banker said. Bullard will get a new spray park and other improvements with a state grant covering most of the cost.
The GOP candidates said the village has partnered with local organizations for festivals and community events. The village has also established partnerships with nearby municipalities where Albion provides personnel while running the Holley Police Department, and Holley and Elba sewer plants.
Gary Katsanis
Katsanis, a former village trustee, said the shared services are a way for Albion to maintain services while staying under the 2 percent tax cap.
Farone and Banker both praised the village employees and department heads for their work in Albion and with the partnering municipalities in the shared service programs.
The village also created a local development corporation and secured a $75,000 grant to tackle zombie houses, vacant sites that have been foreclosed by banks.
Stan Farone
Banker said grant writing efforts are paying off with $668,000 secured in the past three years. The village just was notified it was approved for a state grant for $300,000 for a new vacuum truck.
The Republicans said they were strongly in favor of keeping the village police force. A study last year from the Center for Governmental Research looked at alternatives for policing in Orleans County. One alternative would be dissolving the village police departments and having the County Sheriff’s Department take over the service in the villages. That would cut the village taxes in Albion by approximately $6 to $8 per $1,000 of assessed, while increasing the tax rate in the county by $1.50 to $2, according to the study.
The Democratic-endorsed candidates – Joyce Riley for mayor, and Sandra Walter and Jason Dragon for trustee – said they would consider dissolving the police department, to bring down villages taxes to make the community more affordable for residents. They want assurances the Sheriff’s Department and State Police would fill the void if there wasn’t an Albion police force. (The police department couldn’t be dissolved unless it was approved by village residents in a referendum.)
Joyce Riley
“We realize our police department consumes a lot of our money, and our community is satisfied with the way they are doing the current policing, and I am here to say to you, ‘Please take another look,’” Riley said. “Because as we have a decreasing tax base we are not going to be able to afford this over the long term. We need an active government that is actually going to look at to see if we can deliver services in a different way.”
Albion currently keeps a minimum of two officers on duty at all times, including overnight shifts when there aren’t too many calls. The study from CGR said Albion could have one officer on overnight and that would save taxpayers about $100,000.
Riley would like to try going to one officer overnight. Banker, Farone and Katsanis all said they want to keep two officers on at night for officer and community safety. Farone said officers respond to drug overdoses and provide Narcan to help bring someone out of an overdose.
“They are the first responders,” Farone said.
Jason Dragon
The current local taxing system is grossly unfair to village residents, Dragon said. The village residents pay a village tax rate of $17.76 per $1,000 of assessed property. Moving just outside the village lines can save the average homeowner more than $1,000 in taxes.
Dragon said the tax burden in the village discourages investment and chases out residents and businesses.
“The tax base in the village is stagnant,” Dragon said. “Outside the village it isn’t. People view the village as too expensive.”
Sandra Walter
Walter also said the current taxing structure is punishing village residents, leading to deterioration in the community.
She said the Village Board needs to look at all village services, including police, and decide what the community can afford and if a different municipality can provide the service.
“Everyone does love the police force,” she said. “It’s great to have such an outstanding police force. But we need to look down the road not only at them but everything to make sure we are sustainable.”
Kevin Doherty is running under the independent “Spark Some Action” party. He operates a communications maintenance business. He has been president of the board of trustees for the Hoag Library the past seven years when the organization built a new library and secured more than $1.3 million in donations from the community for the project.
Kevin Doherty
Doherty said the village needs to adopt a Wegmans mentality where the focus is on customer service and being the best village it can possibly be.
“It’s clear from the past few years that whatever we’re doing isn’t working,” he said during the forum that was attended by about 60 people.
Doherty worries the village will continue to lose people and be stagnant with the same approach to the village government.
“The people running this year and the folks who sat in the chairs for the Village Board are good people with good hearts but pulling together for a common goal just hasn’t been accomplished,” he said. “The cure for Albion is more people and more accessible residential property.”
A village government with a focus on customer service will change the perception many have that Albion is in decline.
“We need to have people who want stores, who want restaurants, who want shops and happy people draw the attention of potential manufacturers,” Doherty said.
Michael Bonafede, former president of the Albion Board of Education, served as the forum moderator. He said the community is fortunate to have several candidates running in the March 20 election.
Banker works as the chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve Hawley. She also is on the board of directors for Community Action of Orleans & Genesee, and on the advisory council for Genesee Community College. She also has been a member of Albion Fire Department Auxiliary since 1979.
“The reason why I’m running for mayor is I think it’s important to be involved in your community,” Banker said. “Being on the board for the last two terms (eight years) has enlightened me to the struggles municipalities face. Our current board is not divided in any way. We are united with the same philosophy of what can we do best for the village and its residents.”
Farone, a Kodak retiree, is a founding member of the Central Orleans Volunteer Ambulance. He helped start the Energize Albion group, which has planned several events in Albion. He is along-time volunteer with the Fire Department. He also works part-time for the Mental Health Association of Orleans & Genesee Counties as a project manager, based out of the Albion drop-in center at the Arnold Gregory Office Complex.
He surged residents to volunteer in the community and attend village meetings. “We have to make this village grow and we can’t do it with the help of everybody,” he said.
Katsanis is retired after working in medical data analysis for Strong and then Blue Cross. He managed a staff that stretched from Buffalo to Utica. He is a member of the Albion Lions Club, the Albion Merchants Association and was active with the Albion Main Street Alliance.
“I have the time, I have the skills and I have the willingness to work,” Katsanis said. “I support our community and I believe in our community.”
Riley is a former member of the Albion Board of Education. She worked as a registered nurse and later supervised an ambulatory surgical unit in Washington, D.C., overseeing 200 employees. When she retired, she moved back to Albion in 2015.
“If you like what we currently have, I’m not for you,” she said. “I have the experience. I have the know-how and I have the tenacity.”
Walter retired about two years ago as a claims processor for CRFS in Albion. Before that she was a supervisor in collections for Dime Bank and North American Mortgage in Albion.
“Many of you care about our community,” she said. “The future of this village is up to you.”
Dragon works as a software engineer/consultant. He also manages the website for the Orleans County Democrats. Dragon grew up in Albion, moved away and returned. Despite its challenges, Albion remains an attractive place to live, Dragon said.
“We have too many uncontested elections in this county,” Dragon said. “People deserve a choice come election time.”
Doherty, in addition to leading the Hoag Library and running his communications maintenance company, was a long-time 4-H leader and Fair Board volunteer, as well as a member of the Albion Board of Education and his church’s vestry.
“The Village of Albion needs a mayor who is a leader,” Doherty said. “I have a proven and documented record of team play, team building and team leadership which are just what the Village of Albion needs right now.”
To see a video of the forum on YouTube, click here.
ALBION – A couple from the Village of Albion has been charged with sexually abusing children between the ages of 12 and 16.
Renee Koch, 54, and her boyfriend, Richard Hering Jr., 45, have been arrested and charged with forcible touching, sex abuse and act in manner injurious to a child less than 17 years of age.
Renee Koch
Police are declining to say how many children are involved or their relationship to Koch and Hering.
Hering Jr., 45, has been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, four counts of forcible touching and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He was previously on the sex offender registry as a level one offender after being convicted of attempted sexual abuse in the 2nd degree in Clarendon in 1995.
Koch has been charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, two counts of forcible touching and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Both were arraigned in Albion Town Court and committed to Orleans County Jail.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2018 at 10:00 am
ALBION – Village of Albion residents can hear directly from the candidates who are running for the Village Board in the upcoming March 20 election.
The Lake Country Pennysaver and Orleans Hub are sponsoring a candidate forum 6 p.m. today at the Ronald L. Sodoma Elementary School cafeteria.
The event is set up as a forum and not a debate. Candidates will give opening and closing statements, and will respond to questions submitted by the audience.
There are seven candidates seeking three positions on the board. Republicans have endorsed Eileen Banker for mayor and Gary Katsanis and Stan Farone for village trustee. Democrats are backing Joyce Riley for mayor and Sandra Walter and Jason Dragon for village trustees. Kevin Doherty made it a three-way battle for mayor when he submitted petitions to run under the independent “Spark Some Action” party line.
The March 20 has voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall.
ALBION – A contingent of Rotary Interact members from Charles D’Amico High School recently attended the prestigious Clarence Student Leadership Conference at the Clarence High School.
The event was sponsored by the Clarence Rotary Club and included prominent western New York figures representing education, law enforcement, mental health, media, the court system, and other careers.
Joining advisor Tim Archer included Albion students, from left: Tess Pettit, McKenna Boyer, Malory Adams, Alexa Adams, and Noah Wadhams. The Albion Interact Club holds a similar student leadership seminar of its own. This year’s seminar is entitled “Service Above Self.”
