ER school board incumbents compete for longer term

Candidates for two seats on the East Rochester Board of Education have no challengers, but will compete to determine which gets a full three-year term.

Running are Terry Brown-Steiner, who has served on the board since 2005, and Lafayette Eaton, who was appointed in October to replace Robert Dow. Dow moved out of the district.

 The winner will take a three-year seat. Whoever comes in second will fill the remaining year of Dow’s original term, which expires in May 2009.

Both candidates say they want to maintain programs while keeping taxes stable.

“I believe I have a significant role to play to make sure that programs are protected and taxes are kept in check,” said Brown-Steiner, an attorney with The Odorisi Law Firm in East Rochester. “The most important issues are keeping the real property taxes as low as possible, given the fixed tax base that East Rochester has.”

He pointed out that the proposed $25 million budget carries a tax levy increase of less than 1/2 of a percent, but that the tax rate is 2 cents lower than this year. He said the tax increase is the lowest in the county when looking at real budget dollars.

Brown-Steiner graduated from the University at Buffalo Law School in 1985. He also has a bachelor’s degree in political science from SUNY College at Geneseo. He and his wife, Diane, have three sons, two who graduated from East Rochester and one still attending: Ben, 22; Jake, 19; and Sam, 15.

Eaton, who has two children in the district, said he is running to be involved in the community.

“One of the issues I’m definitely concerned with is making affordable quality public education, keeping the district fiscally sound and at the same time, reducing the tax burden without cutting programs in any major way,” Eaton said. “I will work hard for the district. I’m very happy with the programs in the district and the level of commitment by our faculty and staff. The community is very supportive of the schools. I have very good feelings about our community and our district.”

Eaton is a chemistry instructor at St. John Fisher College, where he received a master’s degree in math/science/technology education in 2006. He has worked at the college for five years. He received bachelors degrees in education and chemistry from the University of Wisconsin in 1999. He and his wife, Kristina, moved to East Rochester four years ago.

Eaton said he believes his background in education serves him well as a school board member.

“I’ve worked in academia most of my working career,” he said. “I want to continue public education as we know it.”

Eaton and his wife, Kristina, have two girls, Paige, 5, and Madelin, 3.

Voting, which includes the school budget, is 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the district office conference room, 222 Woodbine Ave.

Denise M. Champagne can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 352, or at dchampagne@messengerpostmedia.com.

Free legal seminars for the elderly

To assist New Yorkers with the task of getting their legal documents current and in order, the New York State Bar Association's Elder Law Section is focusing its 2008 Mitchell Rabbino Decision Making Day programs on helping elderly New Yorkers answer the question, “Is Your Legal House in Order?”

During May and June, volunteer attorneys will speak at workshops held at more than 100 sites throughout the state, including senior centers, community centers, libraries, nursing homes, hospitals, and houses of worship. Free presentations will be given explaining legal procedures and documents to help people make better, more informed health care and financial decisions.

Local programs scheduled include:

• 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 8 at the Sweden Senior Center, 133 State St. Brockport.

• 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8 at the Perinton Community Center, 1350 Turk Hill Road, Perinton.

Subject areas that will be discussed in this year’s sessions include:

 *   New York’s Health Care Proxy;
 *   Living Wills;
 *   Do Not Resuscitate Orders;
 *   New York’s General Durable Power of Attorney and its uses;
 *   Organ and Tissue Donation; and
 *   Probate

Since its inception 14 years ago, the Mitchell Rabbino Decision Making Day program has offered valuable consumer information and assistance, and provided participants with the resources necessary to make informed legal decisions. The workshops continue to provide an opportunity for practicing lawyers to assist to the public with important legal procedures, such as creating advance directives to plan for the possibility of incapacity and making a will to ensure the appropriate distribution of assets at death.

For details on sites and dates in your area, visit: www.nysba.org/DMD2008 or contact Kathy Plog at the State Bar Center, (518) 487-5681 or kplog@nysba.org.

Bloomfield school board: Two seats, two candidates

Two seats are open on the Board of Education, and two current board members want to retain them.

Running for the board are Kelly Lane and John Mavromatis, who are currently finishing up appointed terms for board members who resigned this year.

Lane, 43, who has been on the board for about a year, said her first term has been “a big learning year.”

“You put a lot into learning a lot about it, educating yourself on all of what’s going on, the whole idea of the school board,” she said. “I put a lot of investment into it for myself and for the school board.”

Lane owns Lane Design and Marketing Solutions and has done freelance marketing and consulting in the area.

Lane said her knowledge of the business world combined with a passion for education makes her an ideal candidate for the board.

The Candidates

Kelly Lane
Age: 43
Address: 7762 Olmstead Road, Bloomfield
Work: Owner of Lane Design and Marketing Solutions
Community Involvement: Board of Directors of the Bloomfield Soccer Club, Cub Scout Leader, School Climate Action Committee, Boy Scout Planning Committee

John Marvromatis
Age: 63
Address: 121 Main St., Bloomfield
Work: Pyschology Professor, St. John Fisher College.
Community Involvement: Lacrosse and baseball coach, Boy Scout volunteer

“It’s combining that drive for really quality education, but taking the business aspect and remembering that it all has to conform to logistically what’s possible,” she said.
Lane noted Bloomfield is going through a period of change, with Mike Midey taking over as superintendent this fall.  “There’s been a lot happening in Bloomfield and a lot of positive growth,” she said.

John Mavromatis, 63, first took a seat on the Bloomfield Board of Education last February to fill a spot left vacant by Mark Muller.

Like Lane, he said his first months on the board have been about learning the ropes.
“I’m getting my feet wet, learning what the board does,” he said. “You always have some idea when you’re on the outside, but all the terms I had to deal with I wasn’t aware of.”

Mavromatis has been a psychology professor at St. John Fisher College since 1970 and has lived in Bloomfield since 1976. He has two sons in the district and has volunteered as a lacrosse coach, a baseball coach and for Boy Scouts.

Mavromatis said Bloomfield is heading in a good direction and being on the Board of Education is his way of giving back. One area in particular that he said he would like to see grow is Bloomfield’s International Baccalaureate program, a program that allows students to earn college credit. Bloomfield started it this year.

“I’d like to see that grow into something that is worthwhile, so students look forward into getting into this program.”

Mavromatis said Bloomfield’s strength is in its staff. Teachers and the new superintendent are what make the district “a fine place for learning,” he added.
“Those are the strengths, what goes on in the classrom,” he said.

Wayne board drops hotel tax

Wayne County supervisors rejected a proposal to adopt a tax on short-term stays at hotels and bed and breakfasts at their April meeting.

Under the proposal, stays under 30 consecutive days would be taxed up to 5 percent of the rate for each room.

The proposal itself is not a new one. Several counties across the state have passed similar legislation with state approval in hopes of generating more revenue without further burdening the wallets of local taxpayers.

Walworth Supervisor Bob Plant said the idea has been discussed for nearly a year and a half following the conclusion of a study. Plant noted his backing of the resolution stemmed from the potential revenue the measure could bring into Wayne County.

The resolution needed a two-thirds vote to pass. The following supervisors voted no: Macedon Supervisor Bill Hammond, Lyons Supervisor Jim Fabino, Arcadia Supervisor Dick Colacino, Ontario Supervisor Robert Kelsch and Savannah Supervisor Ken Lauderdale. Although absent from the meeting, Wolcott Supervisor Kim Park and Sodus Supervisor Steve LeRoy also counted as no votes.