Mayor White sets his sights on an eighth term

When the village election rolls around on June 20, Liverpool Mayor Gary White plans to run for an eighth two-year term.

White – a Republican – is a retired Syracuse Police Department deputy chief who oversaw general services, records keeping and the uniform bureau before retiring to work in the automotive industry.

He served six terms as a village trustee and became deputy mayor during the Marlene Ward administration before first running for mayor in 2009.

Only one other previous mayor served eight terms. That was Ray Grandy who held the top job from 1951 to 1967. Just prior to Grandy, Michael Heid was first elected in 1934 and returned to office six more times for a total of seven terms.

White is the 13th mayor of Liverpool.

Twenty-six years in village gov’t o ngoing issues

White first ran for mayor in 2009 when he prevailed over independent candidate Tom Stack by a vote of 291 to 154.

In subsequent elections White ran unopposed as he may again this year.

So with 12 years as a trustee and 14 more as mayor, White has already logged more than two decades in village government.

On June 20, two trustee seats – those belonging to incumbent Republicans Christina Fadden and Dennis Hebert – will also be decided.

Nominations for those races, as well as the mayor’s, will be determined this spring by the Village of Liverpool Republican caucus.

Democrats have failed to field any candidate for village office since 2001 and have not conducted a caucus since that year.

He’s running again, White said, because he wants to help guide several ongoing projects into the future.

“There are some things we’ve been working on for a while now, and I just want to see them through,” he told me after a recent village board meeting.

The issues on which he’s focused include his proposed restriction of tractor-trailer traffic here, opposition to the state Department of Transporta - tion’s plan to redesign Onondaga Lake Parkway, pushing for development of the Basin Block along lower First Street and the longtime need for improvements on Route 370, aka Second Street.

‘Fire for Effect’

Paul Pearce is a Vietnam combat veteran who remains haunted by his past.

A gifted photographer who lives in Liverpool, Paul will showcase both new and vintage work in an exhibition called “Fire for Effect” now hanging through Feb. 26, at Tyler Art Gallery, at SUNY Oswego.

Paul’s work is often downright courageous. It has evolved from anti-war to an introspective exploration of the entire culture of war and violence. He believes we exist in a world of tension and division, as a dark cloud of fear and paranoia threatens our collective sense of well-being.

Pearce will give a gallery talk at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15, and he’ll be honored at a gallery reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, both at Tyler Art Gallery, 7060 State Route 104, in Oswego.

The gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday; closed Mondays and school holidays; 315-312-2500

Sixty-five years and counting

Kathleen and Jack Fisher – who live in Liverpool – celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Feb. 5. Jack couldn’t help but ask: “How many folks do you know who’ve been married 65 years?”

That’s true. Not many, Jack. It’s a rare and wonderful red-letter day for you and yours!

Congratulations to you both!

Last word

“Racism – as we’ve seen in the killing of Tyre Nichols – is not merely personal but structural. It has been built with 10,000 bricks into our society. It won’t be undone with a couple of moves. It will need to be dismantled piece by piece. With purpose of heart, regular reminders and a community, we can do our part to take it apart.” bigelow, ext 331, art@eaglenewsonline com

– Pastor Garrett Anderson of Liverpool’s First Presbyterian Church.