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Town of Salina Supervisor
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eLECTION dAY IS tuesday, nOV. 7 Meet the Clay candidates The Star Review sent a questionnaire to the candidates running in the town of Clay election. Below are their responses.
Town Supervisor
residents.
Damian M. Ulatowski (incumbent) Republican, Conservative
What makes you the ideal candidate?
Dave Capria Democrat
What makes you the ideal candidate?
I bring a strong background in sales to this position, which equips me with excellent communication skills. I regularly engage with individuals to understand their needs and expectations regarding the services offered by CH Insurance-Benefits, the company I represent. My approach involves active listening and empathetic understanding, enabling me to assist clients effectively. In addition to my professional experience, my proudest accomplishment is my daughter Lilly, a talented and bright young woman who excels academically and athletically at Lemoyne College.
Why are you running for this position?
My decision to run for the position of Clay Town Supervisor is rooted in a desire for accountability within our Town government, which is the 17th largest town in New York State, home to over 60,000 residents. I previously ran for Clay Town Supervisor approximately 16 years ago, when there was a substantial Republican majority. Currently, there is a significant Democratic majority in Clay. Remarkably, Clay has not seen a single elected Democrat since 1992, a gap of over 30 years. The residents of the Town of Clay deserve meaningful representation, which requires an end to decades-long one party rule. Here is where it gets almost scary! In the past ten years the Town of Clay Republican only controlled board has cast 17,484 votes; 17,389 of which have been YES votes!!! So, since 2013 The Town of Clay Republican only controlled board has only cast 95 No votes!!! In the whole year of 2019 not one NO vote was cast by theTown of Clay Republican only controlled board!!! This is beyond ridiculous. That is the result of one-party rule, where discussion and debate simply doesn’t exist. That isn’t healthy for our democracy, which is based on a system of checks and balances. This pattern of unanimity raises concerns about the diversity of perspectives in the town’s decision-making processes. With all that we have before us, it is crucial that we have town representatives who will take a critical, thoughtful look at every proposal.
What are issues the community is facing and what would you do about them?
The most pressing issue confronting the Town of Clay is the imminent arrival of Micron and the construction of its semiconductor plant. This development presents an unprecedented opportunity for our community. We must manage this growth judiciously, ensuring that we are fully prepared for the influx of new residents, businesses, schools, and homes that will inevitably follow such a substantial corporate presence. It is imperative that we establish a robust infrastructure system capable of accommodating this anticipated growth, thus safeguarding and enhancing the quality of life for our current residents. Regrettably, our town has not adequately addressed the existing infrastructure needs, as evidenced by our deteriorating drainage system and poorly maintained roads in various areas. These issues underscore the failure of the current town board to fulfill its responsibilities. I am deeply concerned that without proactive measures, they will continue to neglect our infrastructure needs, jeopardizing our future, especially in light of the challenges posed by Micron’s arrival. We must demand effective, forward-thinking leadership to navigate these challenges successfully and ensure a sustainable future for the Town of Clay and its
Many people ask what entails being the Supervisor of an especially large Town like the Town of Clay. In this position, you wear a variety of hats, including CEO, CFO, Departmental Supervisor, and the most rewarding the political leader of a community. Each of these titles oversees many items from a multi-million dollar budget, dealing with dozens of employees in multiple departments, assisting in regulating such items as SEQR decisions and laws, to dealing with residential concerns on taxes, roadways, trash, and more. As Supervisor for the last 15 years, I feel I have come to know both residents concerns and business development opportunities all for the betterment of the Town of Clay. I also serve as President of the Onondaga County Supervisor’s Association and have served on Boards both in the past and present. All of these positions have helped me to know how to lead into the future. I have brought millions of grant dollars into Clay for projects from a special needs playground to cleaning up a brownfield in historic land adjacent to what is now 3 Rivers Park. I have held Town taxes flat for the past 3 years and if our proposed budget is passed by the Board, Clay residents will again not see an increase in 2024. All these accomplishments position the Town of Clay to thrive not just survive. To our 60,000 (+) residents. I again say we are a great place to live, work, and raise a family.
Why are you running for this position?
I am running for Clay Town Supervisor because I want to continue to shepherd the numerous projects that we have initiated as a Town. As well to expand new and existing experiences for Town residents with most projects funded by grants from a host of grantors. I also want to continue to be the political leader in our community and listen to residents ideas/critiques and together come to viable solutions that will efficiently and effectively benefit both the citizens and the town.
What are issues the community is facing and what would you do about them?
My priorities are always to provide the best possible service to Town residents, and to deliver those services on a fair and consistent basis. Following that, I want to be sure that as Micron moves into our community, they develop a footprint that respects the residents and compliments the Town. Because, in its wake we will see unprecedented growth in our community and I want to make sure that the housing and commercial development will not suffer Town residents, but rather compliment our place in Central New York.
Town Councilor (vote for 3) Joseph A. Bick Republican
What makes you the ideal candidate?
I am a Registered Nurse with extensive experience. I have an Associate, Bachelors, and master’s degree in nursing, and I am a Board Certified Nurse Executive at St. Joseph’s Health and St Peters Health partners where I serve as the Regional Director for Emergency Management. I have served on the town board since 2006, I am currently the Deputy Superivsor. I am a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, serving in the US Army as the ICU Head Nurse for the 691st Forward Surgical Team in Khost Afghanistan.
Why are you running for this position?
I have dedicated my entire adult life to servClay l Page 13
Meet the Salina candidates
grants that were to take over one of our hotels. We fought back and won! Most importantly, the town has secured millions in grant funds over the last 2 years for projects that will transform our community and provide new development that will ease the tax burden on our residents. The work has just begun. Two years is not nearly enough time to complete all that we have been working on. I am running for re-election to finish what we started.
The Star Review sent a questionnaire to the candidates running in the town of Salina election. Below are their responses.
Town Supervisor
Nick Paro (incumbent) Republican
What makes you the ideal candidate?
I have a law degree from Syracuse University College of Law, a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, and an associate’s degree from Onondaga Community College. But before I went to college, I gained real world experience by opening a rent-to-own store just outside of Pittsburgh, PA when I was 21 years old. I remember waking up well before the sun rose to drive from Pittsburgh to Youngstown, OH to fill the box truck up with furniture and appliances. I would drive back to Pittsburgh and unload it before I worked the rest of the day either delivering furniture to customers’ homes, selling items at the store, or following up on accounts. In fact, the store was successful enough that we opened a second location before I decided to sell my share of the business and move back to Liverpool. I wanted to get involved more in my home community and to make a difference in the place where I grew up, so I came home and went to college. After I graduated, I landed my first job working in the Onondaga County Legislature, first as a legislative aide and then as a legislative analyst. I worked under now County Executive Ryan McMahon for two years and gained incredible knowledge on how local government works, and how to make government effective for the community. While working in the Legislature I also started a not-forprofit organization, Together Now, Inc. with the vision to provide high school students, between the ages of sixteen and eighteen years of age, with paid summer internships. The organization’s Emerging Leaders Summer Internship Program included a weekly personal and professional development workshop rooted in the spirit of entrepreneurship and personal growth with the end goal of providing life changing skills, experiences, and connections to future leaders of our community. In 2019 I was appointed, and then ran for election, as the Salina 1st Ward Councilor. I learned the issues of the town of Salina and listened to feedback from constituents on how they envisioned our town progressing into the future. In 2021 I was elected as the town supervisor. My first term has been amazing, we have had many successes and I have worked extraordinarily hard to reposition Salina for the future.
Why are you running for this position?
I am running to continue what we have started, transforming the town of Salina into a community we all want to live in, raise our families, and enjoy. In only 1 term (less than two years) as the supervisor we have been able to accomplish so much. We have invested in our parks - check out Duerr Park’s new playground, pavilion, or walkways; or Schaffer Park’s new pavilion and fence; and Electronics Park is having parking lot improvements done as we speak. We have paved a record number of roads in the last two years (30+ roads), implemented solutions to drainage problems, and have conducted studies in search of a more permanent solution. We fought back against the proliferation of smoke shops opening on every street corner by putting into place a law that effectively banned new ones from opening, providing the town with tools to shut down nuisance smoke shops, and give control of our communities back to the neighbors. We stopped the insane practice of “full value” assessments and lambasted state government on their heavyhanded infiltration of local issues. We stood up to New York City and protected our town’s right to self-government, rejecting the bus loads of mi-
What are the issues the community is facing and what would you do about them?
Infrastructure – paving our roads and improving drainage throughout our neighborhoods is always the most important issue for any town. Since I was elected supervisor in 2021, we have paved more roads (over 30 roads paved) than any time in our current highway superintendent’s history with the town. I am very proud of that achievement and look forward to continued improvement to our roads and making sure our neighborhood streets are the best in the county. Additionally, we are undertaking a vigorous drainage improvement plan throughout the town. We have allocated funding to clean out and re-ditch our drainage easements and have continued removing gutters and installing new roadside drainage where the gutter systems have failed. Park improvements – the parks system in any town is an amenity for all of us to enjoy, whether it be an easy walk to get some exercise, or a place to bring young ones to play. We wanted our parks system to be improved. We have added an additional 5 acres of land to Duerr Par and will be constructing a nature trail in 2024. At Duerr, we updated the playground, added a pavilion, and installed new pathways between the ball fields. At Electronics Park we just updated the parking lot and installed new sidewalks. At Burnham Park, we just repaved the parking lot by the football fields, and we will be installing a walking trail around the park in 2024. At Schaffer Park we installed a new fence to make the park more inviting and installed a new pavilion. All our parks now have camera systems for 24/7 monitoring, keeping them a safe place for us to enjoy. Codes – we have been more vigorous than ever in the most problematic part of our town holding businesses and homeowners accountable to improve our community. From neighbors who never mow their lawn and yards that pile up with broken down cars and debris, to smoke shops with enough LED lights to send a beacon to Hancock Airport, we are on their cases and working to make sure our neighborhoods and communities are well-kept. We now require tobacco licenses that come with tighter regulations on signage and lighting.
Stella Penizotto Conservative
What makes you the ideal candidate?
I have 29 years of experience operating a successful business and have served on a not for profit board. I have also won numerous awards over the year including being named Small Business Person of the Year by the US SBA. In the course of operating my own business I have learned how to manage human resources, obtain grants, work with people in the public sector and the community and possess many other skill sets that a town supervisor needs and should have to serve all the residents.
Why are you running for this position?
Many citizens in the town including myself do not agree with the direction the town has taken in the last two years and believe it’s time for a change and need to bring our town back together.
What are the issues the community is facing and what would you do about them?
Transparency is lacking in our town in almost every aspect. I plan on posting the town board Salina l Page 2
Volume 131, Number 44 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
sports: C-NS girls soccer wins sectional class AA title.
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road repairs ahead: DOT to reconstruct Route 370.
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history ������������������������ 7
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letters ������������������������ 6
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