|
Post-Standard, The (Syracuse, NY)
October 27, 2005
Section: Neighbors West
Edition: Final
Page: 13
SPAFFORD SUPERVISOR
There are two candidates for the job; neither are incumbents. If Barnett is elected supervisor, her seat on the board will be filled by appointment. The board seats are two-year terms at $5,330 a year.
Illustration: PHOTO
NO CREDIT
Webb Stevens
Age: 64
Address: 2062 East Lake Road
Family information: Married to Sally for 44 years; children,
Kimberley, Tracy, Kelly Cusick
Education: High school; attended magistrates classes associated with
being justice for 19 years
Employment: Life-long farmer and school bus driver 21 years; own and
operates Locust Creek Percheron Draft Horse Farm
Political experience: Assessor six years and chairman two years;
magistrate for the town of Spafford 19 years
Ballot lines: Republican, Neighbors First, Independence
Community Involvement: Member of the Magistrate Association of Onondaga County and State of New York Percheron Draft Horse
Association director.
List two very specific things you want the town board to accomplish
during the next term. Specifically, what would you and the board do to make this happen?
I believe local government must be open and
receptive to the needs of town residents and ought to work in an orderly and civil manner. I also want our town to develop a planning
process that protects agriculture and is sensitive to the rights of property owners.
Your town faces dwindling income and rising costs. Do you raise taxes
or cut services to balance your budget? If it's service cuts, which ones?
In this town there are few services provided. I would hold the
line on spending and, if necessary, raise taxes as little as possible.
Joyce Barnett
Age: 49
Address: 2680 Nunnery Road
Family: Married with two daughters, 14 and 9
Education: Bachelor's, Eisenhower College, majored in political
science, minor in sociology
Employment: Resource development/public relations consultant; past
development director for Syracuse Symphony, Onondaga Community College
Political experience: Town council member, elected 2003
Ballot lines: Democrat, Spafford Party
Community involvement: As town board member: community
advocate/liaison for issues of planning, inter-municipal efforts for
safe truck traffic, development of a new town community center, parks
and recreation committee and the town veterans memorial committee; community organizations: Spafford Area Historical Society (board);
past first vice president, Skaneateles Garden Club; past president,
Spafford Area Garden Club; past Central New York board member/vice president, Association of Fund Raising Professionals
List two very specific things you want the town board to accomplish
during the next term. Specifically, what would you and the board do to make this happen?
1. Increasing development jeopardizes Spafford's
rural character, lakes and agricultural base. 1970s zoning must be updated and a plan developed to preserve the town's unique qualities
or Spafford's future will be determined by developers. 2. The supervisor sets the tone. My public relations/management skills along
with a strong commitment to inclusion, effective communication and
fair play will repair divisiveness inherited from the past board, as
well as facilitate cost effectiveness, improved services and more
responsive government. Town appointments will be advertised and based
on qualifications.
Your town faces dwindling income and rising costs. Do you raise taxes
or cut services to balance your budget? If it's service cuts, which ones?
I will conduct a thorough review of expenditures and do
cost/benefit budget analysis across the board. In Spafford, state
requirements for audits have sometimes been ignored; records are
muddled and vague. Records are not easily accessible to the town board or the public; some are kept in homes instead of town hall. As
supervisor, I will ensure responsible, professional fiscal management.
Copyright, 2005, The Herald Company
|