Mayoral candidates for Dryden and Trumansburg

By Jamie Swinnerton
Tompkins Weekly

 

On Tuesday, March 20, several villages in Tompkins County will be holding elections for mayor and village board. Tompkins Weekly contacted candidates in contested races for mayor, here are the answers of the candidates who responded. The Village of Groton does not have a Mayoral candidate on the ballot. Linda Woodard is the only Mayoral candidate on the ballot in the Village of Cayuga Heights, running on the New Heights line.

Michael Murphy is running for Mayor in the Village of Dryden and is running on the Democratic and Protecting Dryden lines. Murphy is currently a Village of Dryden Trustee.

 

Tompkins Weekly: What do you bring to the position of Village Mayor?

Michael Murphy: My wife and I moved to Lee Road 40 years ago and raised our three girls Mary Pat, Ellen and Nancy here. I was active in the 2016 children playground project in Montgomery Park. I serve on the Dryden Town Historical Society Board and as a Village Trustee for the last five years. During the last five years, I worked closely with Mayor Jim Zimmer and Mayor Reba Taylor. I learned a great deal from them. I am most proud of the work I did with them in advancing the water project. Summer of 2018 the project will be completed with three million dollar savings in interest because the village acquired a zero percent interest rate. Arsenic level in village water has been a major concern and our new wells will have less than one part per billion compared to our other wells at eight and nine parts per billion and the Jay street well at 15 parts per billion. The maximum allowed is 10 parts per billion.

I will do the research and hard work of seeking the best solutions. I will talk to and consult with village employees, village residents, and experts in the search for the solution that maximizes the results from your tax dollar. As a retiree, I have ample time to contribute to the community.

 

TW: What do you hope to accomplish if elected Mayor?

MM: I believe in sensible development, good communication, and thoughtful budgeting. Among other projects, I want to improve the Village website, take advantage of Swift911-instant messaging to residents, explore the cost savings of LED street lighting, and recruit a motel to build in the village. I believe we can make the village a better, more affordable place to live by growing the tax base with appropriate businesses to fill the vacant lots on Rte. 13 and by getting developers to build appropriate housing in the village. I am also enthusiastic to finish the water project and some of the street safety projects we have initiated in my time as a trustee.

 

Murphy is running against incumbent Republican candidate, Randy Sterling. Sterling has previously served as a Village trustee, and as Mayor. He was appointed Interim Mayor to fill in Reba Taylor’s seat through April 2018. After being nominated for the Republican ticket in the February caucus, Sterling said he was running for Mayor because “I’ve lived here for 40 years, I’m interested in local government, and I need something to do. I’ve been a patrolman here and I care about this village. Quite frankly, it’s a great place to live and we want to continue that.”

 

Rordan Hart is running for Mayor for the Village of Trumansburg on the Democratic line.

 

TW: What do you bring to the position of Village Mayor?

Rordan Hart: I bring to the position of Mayor of Trumansburg both experience and work ethic. Over the last 11 years, I have taken it upon myself to gain a thorough knowledge of every aspect of Village function – from budgets to personnel, to operations, to the historical context of the various Village departments and their responsibilities. The Village is fortunate to have wonderful employees who deserve the support of leadership that is well informed about their needs and duties. I am also well versed in Municipal and Village Law, as well as the intricate relationship between the Village and our partners in the School District and the surrounding Towns.

Above all, I bring to the position a deep love for this community in which I grew up, and in which I am now raising a family. I bring the commitment to being here for the Village well into the future, no matter what the issue of the day happens to be.

 

TW: What do you hope to accomplish if elected Mayor?

RH: What I will work to accomplish as Mayor is the process of reuniting the community by bringing groups together rather than dividing them even further. This will take effort and engagement, but I know it can be done. Additionally, several issues loom large: Modernizing facilities for our Fire and EMS Departments, hopefully with Federal or State grant money; working with surrounding municipalities to meet their residents’ water needs which, in turn, will lower Village residents’ water bills over time; and reviewing the Village’s comprehensive plan and zoning in a thoughtful, methodical way. This all stems from a recognition of the important role the Village plays in our region, which has become one of the most desirable places to live in New York State.

 

Not on the ballot, Trumansburg resident Steve Garner is running a write-in campaign against Hart for Village Mayor.