League of Women Voters of Cortland County Hold Forum For Candidates in Board of Trustees Race

The League of Women Voters of Cortland County held a virtual forum for candidates running for three seats for the Village of Homer Board of Trustees. Participating in the forum were all candidates running including the three incumbent candidates, Liz Arnold, Ed Porter, and Ed Finkbeiner. Robert Russell, Tim Maxson, and Mike Opsteegh, all look to win a seat.

According to the Cortland County Board of Elections, two 4-year seats are available for Trustee with a third seat open to fill a 2-year term. Arnold, Russell, Porter, and Maxson are all running to fill a full term in the two available seats. For the 2-year term, incumbent Finkbeiner faces challenger Mike Opsteegh.

The forum was held over Zoom Tuesday evening. Prior to the start of the forum, Kim Cameron, President of the League of Women Voters of Cortland County provided an overview of what to expect. The League of Women Voters of Cortland County is a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to encourage people in the community to be engaged in their community, including engaging in local voting.

The forum began with each candidate getting two minutes for an introduction of themselves and an opening statement. Following the opening statement, each candidate was asked about their background, skillsets, and what makes them qualified to be a Trustee for the Village of Homer.

In total, 7 questions were asked during the forum with each candidate allowed one minute to answer. Those questions were:

• What are the 2 most important issues that your village faces today and how would you address those?
• How do you balance community growth with maintaining the VIllage of Homer’s historical character? Please address signage, billboards, and heritage tourism in your response
• Given the financial difficulties imposed by Cortland County changing the sales tax distribution, how would you approach funding for infrastructure improvements, such as roads, sewer, and parking, as well as social programs, such as municipal recreation, without overburdening taxpayers? What would your priorities be?
• What initiatives would you support to engage community members of all ages and to provide activities or services for them?
• The Downtown Revitalization award addresses projects on Homer Main St. but omits several projects, for example the Riverwalk, deemed “not shovel-ready.” As a trustee, which unfunded projects would you try to implement?
• How can you ensure keeping our village and public spaces safe?
• Where do you see the village in 5 years and how would you help get it there?

Following the questions, each of the five candidates were allowed to give a closing statement on why they should be chosen to be a trustee for the Village of Homer.

The forum is available to watch online via the League of Women Voters of Cortland County’s Youtube page, found HERE. The forum lasted approximately 1.5 hours.