The Brighton Town Board is the legislative appropriating, governing and policy determining body of the Town. The Town Board determines the types and levels of service to be provided in the Town. The board annually adopts the Town budget which reflects the cost of conducting operations and monitors Town operations. In its legislative capacity, the Board passes resolutions and enacts ordinances and laws which govern the functions of town government and ensure the safety and well-being of all residents. The Town Board consists of five members - the Town Supervisor and four Councilmembers - who are elected by town voters and represent the Town at large. Councilpersons serve a four-year term of office, and the Supervisor serves a two-year term.
Profession
Owner, Transcontinental Properties
Campaign Phone
585-309-2638
I am the most experienced of the candidates, currently serving my eighth year as a Brighton Town Councilmember. I have diligently attended the annual Association of Towns conference, and have held several leadership positions within Local Progress.
I have recorded several accomplishments, creating the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Advisory (IDEA) Board, which led to Brighton hiring one of the only municipal Chief Diversity Officers in upstate New York; I campaigned for and enacted Community Choice Aggregation (CCA), which saved Town residents $1.6M. I serve as liaison to the Town’s Sustainability Oversight Committee, overseeing the Brighton Town Park’s lodge upgrade to a carbon neutral building. As the Chair of the Community Services Committee, I coordinate several events, including Clean Sweep, Electronics Recycling and Secure Document Shredding, and Councilmember On Your Corner. I have a proven track record of listening to and acting on constituent feedback.
Town communication must be increased, modernized, and diversified. With all the amazing things happening in Brighton, we need to ensure that every resident knows about events and happenings in town, has a voice in their development, and a tool for getting timely answers to their questions and concerns. Poor communication has been the root cause of several recent mishaps in Town governance, from the short-lived plan to get rid of the public pool at Brighton Town Hall to the recent changes to recycling pickup by the Town’s refuse districts.
The Town also should continue to upgrade infrastructure to be sustainable and accessible, and update its zoning codes to be inclusive and to provide for more climate-resilient development.
I was instrumental in securing the Town’s allotment of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funding under the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act. This important step laid the foundation for sorely needed updates to Brighton’s zoning codes that will help us meet benchmarks as a Pro-Housing Community. These updates will focus on deemphasizing so-called Euclidean zoning and prioritizing inclusionary zoning, that will be less car-forward. An updated zoning code also would provide for more climate-resilient development.
The Town of Brighton should budget for and plan to construct a Recreation Center. The results of a Community & Recreation Center Needs Assessment and Feasibility Study were introduced to the public in July, 2022. Since that time, no action has been taken by the town. In 2024, the Town attempted to remove the municipal pool and replace it with a splash pad, with no input from the community and no regard for the study recommendations. The community rose up, and I am the only Councilmember to collaborate with constituents to make sure their voices were heard. My advocacy led to funding from New York State, courtesy of Senator Cooney and Assemblymember Clark, saving and upgrading the pool while also installing a splash pad. We were able to save one of the last municipal pools in the area, and create an aquatics center that prioritizes community needs and not the convenience of town staff. I will bring the study's recommendations to a vote, and implement them with input from residents.
