水果派AV

Legislator Jim Basile, who is running on the Conservative line after losing the Republican primary in June, has served as a lawmaker for two years and is the mayor of Fair Haven. Outside of his public service duties, he has spent 40 years working in the construction industry.聽

Jonathan Anna, the Democratic candidate who will also appear on the Preserve and Protect Our Water line, is a retired Onondaga County sheriff's deputy who lives with his son in the town of Sterling. He joined the town government as a codes enforcement officer.聽

Al Simmons, who won the Republican nomination by defeating Basile in the primary, is a retired Cayuga County Highway Department employee and serves on the Ira town board.聽

District 1 is slightly different than what it's been for three decades. Before the 2020 census, the district included the towns of Sterling and Victory. When new legislative district maps were drawn and presented to voters in 2022, the northern Cayuga County district added the town of Ira.聽

Basile wants to keep his job and has pledged to resign as mayor of Fair Haven if he is reelected as a county legislator.聽

"The (District 1) legislator is going to have to pull those three towns together," Basile told 水果派AV. "I look forward to doing that. I look forward to continuing some of the work I've already done and some of the work I didn't get to finish."聽

Anna thinks the northern part of the county is often overlooked, especially when it comes to the county providing services in places like Ira, Sterling and Victory. He proposed placing a northern satellite office in the district and wants to hold monthly breakfasts to meet with constituents.聽

"If you're not visible and talking to people, you don't understand what their needs are and you can't do your job," Anna said.聽

If Simmons is elected, he plans to have a network of town officials, mainly supervisors and highway superintendents, to keep him updated on what's happening in Ira, Sterling and Victory. He also plans on communicating with his constituents.聽

While Anna and Basile have other jobs, Simmons is retired. Serving as a legislator, he said, "will be my main focus."聽

Simmons has a few priorities if elected to the county Legislature. He wants to keep taxes low, address concerns with existing water districts in the northern towns and work on improving utilities, namely broadband.聽

Basile's agenda is similar, with broadband and taxes also on his to-do list. Streamlining county services and "sticking up for constituents in District 1" are among his other priorities.聽

Broadband is also an issue Anna hopes to address if he wins the District 1 seat. He also plans to work on offering better access to county government services and, generally, finding solutions to problems facing the county.聽

On the issues, there is some agreement between the candidates on challenges facing the county. As the 2024 budget process begins, one question that has been raised is whether the county should continue providing $375,000 to the Cayuga Economic Development Agency. CEDA fired its second executive director in a year and the agency faces uncertainty.聽

Legislator Robert Shea has proposed shifting CEDA's funding to the Cayuga County Industrial Development Agency. A final decision will be made in the budget.聽

Anna said he is learning more about the funding issue and doesn't see why the county couldn't support the IDA, but he questioned CEDA's lack of support for northern Cayuga County projects. (CEDA's website lists one business, Sterling Custom Canvas, that it has assisted in District 1.)聽

"I think there's got to be a better way," he said.聽

Basile and Simmons are supportive of Shea's idea to shift the funding from CEDA to CCIDA. While CEDA has struggled, Basile said, the IDA "seems to have a pretty solid foundation."聽

Although the funding would be directed to another agency, Basile thinks it's important for CEDA to continue its role in helping businesses. Simmons is asking for a cost-benefit analysis of how county funding is used to support economic development.聽

"I want to see that money coming back," Simmons said. "I want proof."聽

The three candidates support what the county is doing to try and capitalize on Micron's planned $100 billion investment in central New York. They also agree that the county should look at certain infrastructure needs, namely broadband, to attract businesses and people linked to the project in neighboring Onondaga County.聽

One issue the candidates disagree on is how to handle the county's management. Cayuga County previously had an administrator who was tasked with overseeing day-to-day operations. But in recent years, those duties have shifted to the chair of the county Legislature.聽

Anna criticized this approach, saying "it's a full-time county being operated on a part-time basis." He supports having an elected county executive.

Simmons believes the current system is appropriate, but is open to having a county executive post if the population grows.

Basile hopes the next county Legislature, beginning in 2024, will make a final decision on this question. He didn't take a position on which option is best, but thinks legislators should explore each alternative.聽

The election, which will be held on Nov. 7, is for a four-year term. The number of county Legislature districts will decrease from 15 to 11 in 2024.聽聽