To Town of Forestport residents: 

I know it is hard to believe, but its election time again and we need you to come forward if you wish to serve our town.

The election calendar is on our Townofforestport.org website.

Most people don’t realize you have to be registered to be a candidate with the Board of elections by July. 

Please call them at 798-5761 if you are a Democrat and 798-5763 if you are a Republican.

The process is free and very easy. You need very few signatures to qualify.

They will provide you with courteous advice and everything you need. Do it today!

The positions that are up for reelection are: Town Supervisor, Town Justice, two Town Board seats, Town Clerk, and Tax Collector.

It is imperative that we offer voters several good candidates for these positions.

The Town Supervisor position does not require prior government experience, but business or administrative experience is a must as are computer skills.

Emails come in daily from many different governmental agencies, organizations, board members and taxpayers, and it is the Supervisor’s job to correspond, make suggestions and problem solve.

In most small towns, the Town Supervisor is also the Chief Budget Officer, and that requires additional financial and computer skills to submit forms online to New York State, the County and other agencies. I may not run for reelection, so this would be an open seat in Forestport.

You do not have to be a judge or have prior courtroom experience to be a Town Justice, but experience with mediating and problem solving is a must. Law enforcement, attorney experience or other experiences can be useful in demonstrating your mediation abilities and trustworthiness

Basic computer skills are helpful in researching case law and corresponding by email. I have been told that Justice Ritter will not run for reelection, so this seat would be open as well.

The Town Clerk position requires more advanced computer and filing skills as well as good communication skills.

The Town Clerk is the most visible position in Town government and is the first office most people visit when visiting Town Hall. He or she would have a general understanding of all the departments in Town Hall, so people could be directed properly for the best service.

This seat will likely be open too, as the Town Clerk has stated that she will not run for reelection.

The Town Board members can come from all walks of life and many different backgrounds. They need good comprehension skills in addressing an array of governmental issues, an interest in the community, basic computer skills and the time to devote to the Town’s work.

The Tax Collector position has office hours during January, February and March. Computer skills are required to access the system.

I have offered the preceding as a general information outline in hopes of stimulating interest among potential candidates in our community.

You can look on the town website and find the 2015 budget to get an idea of the compensation for the position you are interested in.

We are looking for capable people to serve our town.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Thank you,

Parker Snead, Supervisor

Town of Forestport