While the area on Main Street will always be known to residents as “the village”, the Village of Macedon government will cease to exist after March 2017, according to Village voters last Tuesday.
By an official vote tally of 339 YES to 191 NO, village voters approved the Dissolution Plan which was adopted by the Village Board in December. It was a final chance for village residents to reaffirm their vote to dissolve, made last summer.
On the same ballot, Tuesday, residents chose William “Bill” Murray as their mayor, ousting the sometimes contentious reign of Mayor Marie Cramer. After the storm of campaigning was over, Murray won with 356 votes to Cramer’s 171.
Murray was the founder of a group known as “One Macedon”, which was formed to encourage dissolution of the village, and have residents stand as one community.
Mayor Cramer, not a fan of dissolution, fought hard to keep the Village intact, with support from members of the “Village Pride” group and some staunch supporters.
Another proposition on the ballot Tuesday was whether the Village Elections should be held in November instead of the traditional March date. The proposition passed, but is now a moot point, as the Village will be out of existence by then.
Two current Village Trustees up for election were reaffirmed by voters, to serve until the Village ceases. Trustees David Sliney and Don Lohse, who were proponents of the Dissolution, won back their seats.
At his victory party, following the vote, Murray stated, “It is time for the lawsuits and the screaming and the games to end. It is time to get down to business.”
The new mayor will be sworn in on April 4th at the Macedon Town Hall, and will begin his work of pulling the community back together on April 6th, at his first Village Board meeting. “My agenda page for the first meeting just reads “A Lot”.
Bill said that he was not surprised by his win in the Mayor race, based on how angry the residents were with all the fighting. “That is now done and we can go about the business of dissolution and move forward.”
Murray noted that, although the last date for dissolution is listed as March 31, 2017, it could be happen much sooner. “It will depend on how fast we move with the plan. Codes need to be rewritten or merged with the towns. There are personnel issues and filings to complete.”
Asked how much his full time job as a law enforcement officer will hinder his doing his part time job as Mayor of the Village of Macedon, Murray stated: “I am surrounding myself with good people who will do a good job. I do not need to be involved in all parts of the job to get things done. The problem with Marie (Cramer, the former Mayor) was that she had her hands in all the cookie jars…she made the cookies, put the cookies in the jar… and kept the recipe. I know how to delegate.”
“I just want to bring Macedon’s good image back. We have looked bad for too long,” stated Bill.
How will the new Mayor handle the sale of the now defunct Macedon Fire Department building and equipment?
“I intend to get right on that. We are interested in selling the fire hall and the equipment. I know, so far that South Macedon is interested. We will also have to contact New York Canal Corporation to see if they would authorize the Town to take over the lease of the land,” Bill said.
John Collella, a member of South Macedon Fire & Rescue, stated that they are ready to put money into renovating and modernizing the building.
“We are definitely interested in a conversation with the Village for us to either inherit or work with them to get us into the building. It is a central location already funded by taxpayers and is a good fit for us. We would also take a look at what equipment was left and see where it might complement what we curently have,” Collela stated.
Since so much of the anger, frustrations and name calling was being hurled back and forth between the Village and Town of Macedon, newly-elected Town Supervisor Sandy Pagano said that she was also relieved to see the issue of Dissolution finally decided, and a path to normalcy restored.
“I look forward to serving all Macedon residents to fulfill their vision for the best community in which they live and work. The Village of Macedon was incorporated 160 years ago. I plan on retaining the integrity of the community and preserving its heritage. Downtown will not be lost, the borders have come down. I look forward in working with the New Mayor, Bill Murray, come April 4th.”
As for personnel decisions, Murray explained that he would need to keep the Village Code Enforcement officer on until at least mid summer, as the Mayor and Trustees go about combining and updating the Town and Village Codes.
Other plans going forward?
“Due to the fact that the Village Hall has always been too small for the public to fit in at meetings and there are no bathrooms at the Village Hall, I would like to change our meetings to the Town Hall, which is still situated in the Village of Macedon. The space and facilities are better suited for meetings, and, when there needs to be an executive session, we would not have to ask people to leave the building, as is the case now.” Murray intends to bring up this issue and several others when he meets with the Town Board in joint session soon.
The old Village Board will meet on Wednesday, March 23 for their last meeting at 7 pm at the Village Hall. The first meeting with the New Mayor will be on April 6th at 7 pm.
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