Letter from Mayor Gunderson 

I write this message “From the Mayor” for the last time.  On Monday, April 5th at noon, my term officially ends and I turn this honored and privileged elected position over to Bonnie Apgar Bennett.  For those of you who have supported me these past 12 years, I thank you deeply for entrusting me with this office.  I can only hope I was deserving of your support.  To those of you who chose not to support me, I can only hope that as we enter a new era, we can let any differences slip away and say hello when we meet on the street.  I think it’s safe to say that we are attracted to living here for a wide range of reasons.  I also think it is safe to say that we all have our own personal views when we think about changes that are all around us and how these changes might ultimately affect the lifestyle we have carved out for ourselves.  I can easily relate to that, having chosen to be a lifelong resident of Aurora and having witnessed many changes over the past seven decades.  While some will view living in one place as limiting to ones’ growth and understanding of our big wide world, it does provide for unique opportunities as well as challenges.  I’ve always felt, since I have to live somewhere, why not a place I feel comfortable in with people I know and respect—a place where I can become involved to whatever level I aspire to.  Aurora has provided me all of that and more, as a great place to grow up, raise a family, be employed and work on a dream project.

Undoubtedly, beyond my family, the greatest reward has been serving our community alongside so many fellow villagers whether they served on the Village Board, on one of our three appointed boards, or as a village employee.  To these many individuals I have had the privilege to serve with, I say thank you for your service to our village.  To those in decision-making roles, I commend you for your willingness to step forward and accept responsibility by taking on roles that often test your principles and your judgment against some very vocal views of a particular situation, sometimes against friends and/or neighbors.  Take much satisfaction in the fact that you became involved and did not sit on the sidelines belittling the actions of others.  I thank Jim Chase for his willingness to be my Deputy Mayor, for the times he stood in for me, and for being someone I could bounce ideas off of at the spur of the moment.  Last but not least, I thank my wife, Maralee for putting up with the bouts of frustration, griping and grumbling that would crop up every now and then. 

To conclude, I offer my best wishes to Bonnie, George, Janet, Lili and Marie, and all the others—22 if I counted right, who will remain in service to our great village.

 

Tom G. 

                                     Village Election Results

 

The Village Election was held on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Out of 279 registered voters, 174 ballots were cast.

The results were as follows:

 

 Mayor:

                  George Farenthold -            61

                  Bonnie Bennett -                80 - Winner

                  Alan Connors -                   27

                   Sarah Malena -                    1

                  John McCartney -                 1

 

Trustees:

                  Marie Taylor -                     88 - Winner

                   Janet Murphy -                  130 - Winner

                  John McCartney -                39

                  Attilio Rezzonico -                         1

                  Alan Clugston -                   1

                  Alan Connors -                    5

                  Ken Zabriskie -                    2

                  Todd Zwigard -                   2

                  Jim Chase -                        1

                   Charles Echelbarger -            1

                   Marie Dentes -                     2

 

Time Warner Franchise

On February 18th, a representative from Union Springs, Pat Johnson from Albany, and I, met at the firehouse to discuss our Time Warner Cable contract.  Although our current contract expires in April, we have extended it for six months as we renegotiate.  The meeting was helpful and informative as I move through this complicated process.  We covered the three types of services included in the contract as well as the negotiable and non-negotiable issues.  There is very little that we can negotiate, so the help of a professional advocate from Albany has been invaluable.  We are meeting again in April to discuss further setting franchise fees, line extensions and public access.  As we finish with our negotiations, a public hearing will be scheduled and announced to all.

Janet Murphy

Notes from the Clerk

 

I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to the four women who served as our election inspectors for the Village Election.  They were Ann Tobey, Deborah Carlisle, Marie Fenner and Patricia Bianconi.  It’s a long day for the inspectors—about 12 hours—with the most challenging part, the count, occurring at the end of the night.  I appreciate their willingness to perform this important service for the village.

 

I would like to say a few things about the election.  First of all, the number of registered voters is slightly inflated.  There continues to be a few names of people listed in the village poll book who are actually not eligible to vote, and since I happen to be one of them, I have researched this question carefully.  Both the State Board of Elections and the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) legal counsel state unequivocally that you must RESIDE within the village limits in order to vote in village elections.  It does not matter if you own property within the village.  If the residence from which you are registered to vote lies outside the village limits, you may not vote in the village election or hold elected positions in village government.  I plan to work with the Cayuga County Board of Elections to address these errors in the poll book.

 

Secondly, through examining the poll book just days before the election, we became aware that at least one eligible village voter’s name had been left off the roll.  New York State election law is very clear on this matter.  IF YOUR NAME IS NOT IN THE POLL BOOK, YOU MAY NOT VOTE.  The only way to vote in this case is through a court order from a county judge.  Fearing there might be other voters missing from the poll book, I made arrangements with Judge Leone to be on call for Aurora residents on Tuesday evening.  There were, indeed, a small number of voters who discovered their names were missing from the poll book, and Judge Leone graciously returned to the Court House and provided court orders for all who requested them.

 

Lastly, I’d like to explain the reason for these names being omitted from the poll book.  Since last fall, the post office has been handling more and more mail that is sent out with “endorsements” such as “return service requested” or “do not forward.”  When that is the case, even though they might have “local knowledge” of the intended mail recipient, the post office staff is prohibited from passing that mail on to its PO box.  If you were registered to vote at your street address, the yellow postcard from the Board of Elections was not delivered to your post office box because it came with the “do not forward” endorsement.  It was returned to the Board of Elections and your registration became inactive.  You must contact the Board of Elections and update your address to prevent future problems, and it is a good idea to check with the Board of Elections prior to any election to make certain that you are registered.  This can be accomplished easily by going to their website at www.elections.state.ny.us/

 

THE POSTMASTER RECOMMENDS THAT YOU USE YOUR PO BOX NUMBER ON ALL CORRESPONDENCE.  YOU MAY ADD IT TO THE ADDRESS LINE, OR USE YOUR FOUR-DIGIT ZIP CODE EXTENSION.

Leaf and Brush Pick-Up

 

The DPW team asks that you please bag your leaves for pick-up.  Brush should be cut to four-foot lengths or smaller.  If you have a large amount of brush or lawn debris, Adam will drop off the Village’s trailer for you to fill as you clean up your yard.  Contact Adam at 364-5239.  The DPW will do their best to pick up leaves and brush daily, but sometimes they are called away to perform other duties for the Village.  Your patience is appreciated.

 

Zoning and Building Permits

Before you begin any project, contact the Village Office at 364-7293, or drop by to meet with Code and Zoning Enforcement Officer, Mick Piechuta on Monday afternoons from 4 to 6 PM.

 

Special Village Office Hours in April

 

Deborah Brooks will not be holding Treasurer’s Office hours on Thursday, April 15th.  She will hold office hours on Tuesday, April 13th from 9 AM to 1 PM.  The following week, Village Clerk, Dee Nance will be on vacation.  Code Enforcement Officer, Mick Piechuta will hold office hours Monday, April 19th from 4 to 6 PM.  Deputy Clerk, Deborah Brooks will hold office hours Tuesday, April 20th and Thursday, April 22nd from 9 AM until 1 PM.  There will be no afternoon office hours on the 20th or 22nd.

 

Village Water and Sewer

When paying your water and sewer bill, please remember to return the payment stub.  Please have the exact amount if paying by cash.  Please note that payment on all water and sewer bills is due by April 30, 2010.  On May 1st there will be a 10% penalty added.  IF YOUR PAYMENT IS NOT RECEIVED IN THE VILLAGE OFFICE BY NOON ON TUESDAY, MAY 11TH, YOUR BILL WILL BE SENT TO THE COUNTY AND ADDED TO YOUR VILLAGE TAX BILL.  Payments will not be accepted in the Village Office after this point.

Aurora Volunteer Fire Department

The AVFD is holding their annual HAM AND TURKEY RAFFLE, April 10th from 5 to 8 PM at the firehouse.  This is a fun night for the whole family featuring FREE FOOD, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS AND FABULOUS PRIZES.  Don’t miss it!