Four Rotterdam residents are vying for two open seats on Rotterdam’s Town Board.
Both seats were vacated by Democrats. Diane Marco is retiring and Robert Godlewski is running for a seat on the Schenectady County Legislature.
Democrats Richard Leet and John Silva are running against Republican Michael Della Villa and Republican-endorsed John Denny.
Leet, 50, moved to Rotterdam in 1981, and is currently the manager of CVS Pharmacy. Leet is also active in St. Gabriel’s Church, serving on the parish council and as chairman of the pastoral planning committee, which is in charge of setting goals for the future of the parish. He also is a religious education teacher.
I have been involved in nonprofits; that is my background, Leet said. `I was asked to run, which is foreign to me, but there are many issues in the town. I feel like our quality of life is suffering. We need to decide what our goal is for the town, and we should do that by bringing the community together.`
Silva is the CEO of Hometown Health Centers, which specializes in providing primary health care to low-income and uninsured patients. He moved to Rotterdam eight years ago from Boston, where he served as a town selectman. Silva said he is not used to party politics and feels it is a detriment to local governments.
`We need to stop placing blame for our problems and work together to solve them,` he said. `This is about vision and collaboration, about listening first and acting second and having the ability to say you are wrong and try it another way.`
Della Villa, a Schalmont graduate, currently serves as president of the Schalmont Board of Education. He feels the town needs to concentrate on smart economic growth and bettering the future for Rotterdam’s children.
`We have a lot of work to do, and sometimes it seems like we are pushing a large load up Mount Everest,` he said. `We need a sound economic development plan and smart growth with a focus on our children and community support.`
Denny, 62, a registered Democrat endorsed by the Republican Party, is also a Rotterdam native. He has worked for the town for more than 20 years in various departments and is retiring in January. He said he is qualified for a position in town government because he understands the inner workings of the town.
`I’m not a lawyer or doctor; I’m an everyday working, hands-on kind of guy,` Denny said. `I have been involved in a lot of things, and I know what’s going on because I’ve worked there. I have a lot of knowledge about the town and good ideas to help save the town some money.`
All four candidates feel they have what it takes to create positive change in the town, including ways to lessen the property tax burden and fix water problems within the town.
Leet said the town should create a schedule for reassessing property to prevent the shocking changes that the current reassessment project created.
Lessening the burden of taxes on town residents is a large concern for each of the candidates.
Silva said the town should take a better look at the reassessment because he feels homes and properties were assessed wrong, which has caused the sharp increase in property taxes.
Denny agreed. He said the town should have used its own personnel to complete the reassessment project rather than hire a private firm.
Della Villa said the way to decrease the property tax burden is to increase the tax base by bringing in more business. Silva agreed, saying the town should develop a comprehensive business plan.
The four candidates also have plans to tackle the town’s water issues, including problems with drainage at Masullo Estates, the lack of sewers and a new water tower in Rotterdam Junction.
Leet and Silva want the whole town to address these issues, not just those who would be affected.
`Right now, the town wants everyone to pay for these things on their own,` Leet said. `We feel there might be a way to bond for these things.`
Denny said he would be useful when dealing with water issues because he has worked for the highway department and the department of public works on the town’s sewer systems and drainage systems. He doesn’t agree that the monetary burden for fixing the drainage problems should be put on the entire town; rather, the affected residents should get together with the town to solve the problems.
Della Villa said the town has been dealing with water issues for decades. He said an engineer should be looking at the drainage issues, especially at Masullo Estates.“