Patrick Venetz
Patrick J. Venetz will be seeking the Republican nomination in the race for Town of Webb Justice. Venetz, a longtime resident of Old Forge, formerly served Webb as Town Justice.
With 12 years of judicial experience, he has handled over 9,000 cases.
He has over 22 years of law enforcement experience in both the public and private sectors and has an AAS degree in Criminal Justice-Police Science. Continue reading
To the Editor:
With the support of my family, I am excited to be running for the position of Supervisor with the opportunity to serve the residents and businesses of the Town of Webb.
The decision to run was not one I took lightly. I had talked to a good cross-section of the community and received many words of support before deciding to announce my candidacy last March.
Since then many summer residents have returned, and I would like to introduce myself and share some thoughts and ideas as I seek this office.
I have been actively campaigning and look forward to seeing as many voters as possible in the coming weeks.
Being a lifelong resident of the Town, I believe this is a great place to live, raise a family and retire.
The past 14 years I have served as a department head for the Town, managing the Old Forge Wastewater Treatment Plant.
During this time I feel I have met challenges and found solutions in the department and shown the ability to be proactive.
The department has been honored with awards from State and Federal agencies and a major industry organization.
We have steadily increased efficiencies, worked within realistic budgets, improved water quality and decreased costs of operation.
Our department developed an asset management plan that included capital improvements through reserve funds. These programs have allowed the district to realize financial sustainability despite the tough economy we’ve all been facing.
I believe this type of approach could benefit the Town as a whole. I feel realistic operation and maintenance budgets, prioritization of major projects and capital improvement programs will help improve fiscal responsibility in all departments.
My past 11 years serving on the Planning Board, seven as chair, have given me the experience to effectively oversee a board and conduct public meetings.
The Planning Board process often involves decisions that would affect the Town as a whole. As such it requires straight facts, attention to detail, and careful consideration of the public’s input.
Our main industry is tourism and we are fortunate to be a desirable destination area.
We need to maintain our existing infrastructures, exhibit environmental stewardship and be aware of clean water initiatives, for our area to continue to attract visitors.
Local healthcare is an increasing concern given the rising costs, complexity of the healthcare system and our location.
Standard operating procedures that have worked well in the past don’t necessarily meet the changing needs of the community today.
I am willing to work together with everyone that has a stake in our local healthcare situation.
I intend to identify and prioritize concerns and make needed changes to better serve our community in the future.
I feel I have worked well with other departments and the Town Board in the past and look forward to the challenges going forward.
Your help and support would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Theodore C. Riehle, Jr.
Candidate for
Town of Webb Supervisor
Mary Brophy-Moore
Mary Brophy-Moore of Old Forge has announced that she is running as a Democratic candidate for a Town of Webb Council seat in the November election.
Born and raised in Rochester, she has lived in the Town of Webb since 1987, after being a summer resident since childhood.
Her parents, Joe and Joan Brophy, and her sister Anne DeFilipps and her family, have lived in Old Forge for a number of years.
Brophy-Moore is married to Town of Webb Supervisor, Robert Moore, who is not seeking another term in the November election.
She said she has been the proud stepmom of Sara Moore for nearly 18 years.
She is running for town council because she is interested in town government, she said.
“One of the reasons I love living in a small town is it’s easy to become involved because you care about it so much,” she said.
Brophy-Moore said she previously ran for town council in the mid-1990s.
“Nobody knew me then, but I actually came within nine votes of winning. It was a great experience, and it inspired me to stay involved,” she said.
She has been a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals since 1998 and Chairman of the Board for the past seven years.
She is also on the Zoning Ordinance Review Committee which she said has given her an opportunity to make some changes and to address issues that had not been addressed in the past.
“But I think it’s time for another type of government involvement, and that’s why I’m running for Town Board,” she said.
Before moving to Old Forge, she earned a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in Human Services from SUNY College of Technology in Utica and completed graduate course work in Rehabilitation Counseling at SUNY Albany.
She worked in the human services field in Schenectady for several years, “before deciding to pursue my dream of living in the Adirondacks,” she said.
After moving to Old Forge she worked in a variety of positions.
“Looking back, I’ve had a lot of wonderful experiences. I worked for the State of New York as assistant Forest Ranger and Fire Tower Observer, which I loved. Unfortunately, I hurt my back so I wasn’t able to continue,” she said.
Then she was employed as general manager for Adirondack River Outfitters, followed by Circulation Manager for the Northern Logger Magazine and Northeastern Loggers Association.
She left the position when she and Robert needed to devote more time to their small cottage colony business in Eagle Bay.
“I loved doing that. It was great running a business,” she said. The couple sold the business when Robert became Town Supervisor in 2002.
“That’s when I went to work for Niccolls Memorial Church as Administrative Assistant. It’s a perfect fit for me,” she said.
“It’s a wonderful community of people and I have the opportunity to use a lot of my skills-from computer skills to people skills, to being involved as a support person to help others, and to help those who are helping others. It’s been very rewarding,” she said.
If elected as councilwoman, she said her focus will be on maintaining the quality of life in the area.
Another priority is to establish a Senior Center in the Town of Webb.
“I envision something that would be wheelchair accessible,” she said. “There may be grant opportunities and perhaps a public/private partnership using building space somewhere. It would be wonderful to have a place for seniors to go.”
She is also a proponent of the TOBIE Trail, she said.
“Once it’s completed, it will be wonderful for our town-for locals and visitors. It should be marketed aggressively and be used the way it was meant to be used-linking Thendara to Inlet.”
Another priority, she said, is for a sustainable, affordable local health care system, utilizing technological advances that are now available.
In regard to her recent health concerns after being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing treatment, she said her prognosis is excellent.
“I just want people to know that I expect to be fully functioning by December of this year. I just want to get over this bump in the road, get my hair back and be able to serve,” she said.
Robert (Bob) McCoy announces candidacy for Webb Council seat
Republican, Robert (Bob) McCoy of Big Moose has announced his candidacy to fill one of two Council seats on the Town of Webb Board.
One seat is currently held by Republican Councilman J.B. Herron who is seeking re-election.
The second seat is held by Richard Risley who is now running for Town of Webb Supervisor.
McCoy said that he decided to run for Councilman when he learned that there was a vacancy on the board.
“I don’t strongly disagree with anyone on the board but for years I have offered opinions and some have been acted on. Every member of the the board is approachable and will will take time to listen,” he said.
McCoy, who is past president of Webb Property Owners Association (WPOA) and is currently Secretary, has been a member of the organization for 24 years.
He is also Secretary/ Treasurer of the Big Moose Volunteer Fire Department.
“One area that I would want the board to look at, not this year, but in the following years, is the construction of the budget,” he said.
Another issue that needs to be addressed, he said, is Health Services in the area.
“With the percentage of the budget that’s going to the Professional Offices we need to get the best bang for our buck,” he said.
“There are studies being made and meetings being scheduled and I would like to make sure that these initiatives would improve the health system and not be left in somebody’s inbox. It should be brought up so that some resolution can be brought about. There is going to be a change. The next step is to decide which way they want to go,” he said.
McCoy, who is a Big Moose property owner, said he would like the town board to monitor the property revaluations.
“I’ve been in WPOA since the year it started and when I was still of the seasonal mentality, but now I have shifted over to full time resident and I see the other side.”
He said that town assessor Jean Murdock is an accessible person, which he believes to be positive.
“It’s important for the town to have good contact with her. Communications are so important and a lot of communication is asking the right questions,” he said.
McCoy has been a summer resident of Big Moose for two decades and a full time resident since 2004, when he retired after 22 years as a shift manager with Rochester Gas & Electric at its nuclear plant.
He also spent six years in the Navy on Nuclear Cruisers.
McCoy, who is a widower, has two sons: Robert, 26, and Michael, 24. Both sons live in Penfield and spend time at Big Moose whenever possible.
“I’m at a point in my life where I still have the health and the energy to continue to contribute to the community,” McCoy said.
Stuart deCamp of Thendara has announced he is running as an Independent candidate for Supervisor of the Town of Webb in the November general election.Assessing waste, reducing spending and living within our means are at the top of his list of priorities if elected Supervisor, he said.Born and raised in Thendara, he is a 1982 graduate of the Town of Webb School, a graduate of SUNY Fredonia College, and The Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain, where he studied the Spanish language and taught the English language. He is also a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Management.In 1987, he was hired by F. Eugene Romano of Old Forge and Utica to work at his Resort Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he was responsible for the daily operations and for supervising 155 employees, which included staff and union workers in Reservations, Food and Beverage, Purchasing, Security, Pool and Human Resources. He was also in charge of a $44 million refurbishing project and was responsible for coordinating architects, engineers, designers, imports and exports, contractors and supplies, with full control of all construction materials and payments to contractors based on contract agreements. When the year-long project was completed in 1990, he continued to oversee various departments for quality and hospitality.He was assistant general manager of the hotel when he was called home in 1996 to care for his ailing father. At that time he was hired by Tricor Management in New Hartford, which completed a multi-million dollar home renovation over the next three years.In 1998 he earned his Insurance and Securities licenses, which he still holds today as an Independent Broker. He and his partner, Jimi Ortiz, are co-owners of three businesses in Thendara: Moose River House Bed and Breakfast, Feathers and Boughs, Inc. Pet Centers, and the Thendara Town Hall Wedding and Events Center.“I firmly believe my abilities to operate a 238 room Resort Hotel and Casino, 365 days a year, seven days a week, overseeing hundreds of employees, staff and cost controls, while being hospitable to guests and one another, gives me the unique ability to operate the Town of Webb, with its diverse needs and personalities,” he said.Since returning to Thendara and Old Forge 15 years ago, he has been involved in various construction projects. “I’ve worked with the Zoning Board, the Planning Board and the Codes Department getting projects done, and I feel that the town works very hard, but it could use additional help, and I think I can help the town significantly. “Having run hotels, casinos, restaurants and bars, I think that I could benefit the community as a whole, because we are a tourist community and all of us, whether we want to admit it or not, need tourism.”Old Forge and Thendara used to be a lumber town, he said, until it reinvented itself into a tourist and second home destination. “Now we are at a place where we need to ask: what can we do to better expose what we have to offer?”He has heard comments, he said, from people who are concerned about taxes and where the taxes are going in the next few years. “I want to get involved and help in any way that I can. There are many people in this community on fixed incomes who have lived here for 25 or 30 years who say, ‘Why all of a sudden am I taxed out when I’m 65 or 70 years old?’ That’s not fair. It’s just not fair,” said deCamp.“It’s a huge challenge, but every problem has a solution. You just have to work at it until you find the solution that works best for everyone. I have the energy to do it. I have the know-how, and I hope the community likes what they know about me and will support me for the position of Town Supervisor.deCamp is running on the Independent party line, “Voice of the People.”
David Berkstresser of Old Forge has announced his candidacy for Town of Webb Supervisor in the September Democratic primary and the November gemeral election.
Berkstresser, a resident of Old Forge for over 30 years, said he has the knowledge and experience to effectively serve the people as Supervisor of the Town of Webb.
“I’m a very conservative individual and there are no more important issues in the Town of Webb than the local economy and where the future will lead us,” he said.
Berkstresser, who received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Scranton, moved to Old Forge in 1975 where he raised four children, Stephen, Kim, Molly and Sara, and step-children, Yvonne and Jeff Marshall.
His wife Jeanette, a life-long resident of the area, has been employed at the Town of Webb Professional Offices for a number of years.
He has operated a successful heating and plumbing business in the Town of Webb since 1980, and has guided six children through the local school system, all who were involved in various academic, athletic and artistic activities.
Berkstresser said he has always valued strong involvement in local organizations. Continue reading
Kelly Hunkins of Old Forge has announced that she will seek reelection for the position of Town of Webb Tax Collector.
She was elected in November 2010 to finish the term of former tax collector Tricia Crofut who resigned from the position, and hopes to continue her service to the community for the next two years.
“Serving as tax collector has been a remarkable experience. I enjoyed working with the taxpayers and believe I did a good job in my position during the tax collection period.
I appreciated the support of the community in last November’s election and hope for their continued support as I seek reelection,” she said.
Hunkins is a 24-year resident of the Town of Webb. She and her husband, Mike Hunkins, have one son, Alex who is a Town of Webb School graduate.
Aside from her being the bookkeeper for the family excavation business, Michael Hunkins Construction, LLC, she works as assistant, bookkeeper, and receptionist for Old Forge dentist, Dr. Joseph Rintrona.
She is an active member of the Old Forge Fire Department and a certified EMT with the Old Forge Ambulance Corp.