Mayor and trustee seek re-election, newcomer on ballot

The Village of Williamsville Board of Trustees will hold an election June 19 to fill mayoral and two trustee positions.

Mayor Mary Lowther and Trustee Richard Sweeney have announced their candidacy for re-election. However, Trustee Bea Slick, who was appointed last April to fill Ron Daniels' seat, has decided not to run in the election.

Political newcomer Brian Kulpa will instead join Lowther and Sweeney as the Village Vision independent party.

Lowther was appointed mayor after F. Ray Hazlet resigned in 2004, and she ran unopposed last June in a special election.

"In four short years, we have worked hard to make the village better. We have re-energized the volunteers who assist the village, won hundreds of thousands (of) grant dollars and focused on infrastructure improvements throughout the village," said Lowther, adding that the board has worked cooperatively with local elected officials and kept taxes low.

"Our response during and after the October storm demonstrated the villagewide leadership, support and hard work that got things back to normal as quickly as possible," the mayor said.

Lowther appointed Sweeney to trustee after she began her duties as mayor. Sweeney was a trustee from 1987 to 1991 and worked with the Zoning Board of Appeals, Traffic and Safety, Glen Park, Environmental committees and Tree Board.

Kulpa has been a member of the Parks Committee for the past three years and is an active participant on the Village Community Plan Committee.

Also seeking re-election is Justice Jeffrey Voelkl who has been the village judge for the past four years. He initiated a Community Service Program in his court and supervises the court offenders during their service hours.

"This is a strong team, and I look forward to working with them for the next four years to continue keeping the unique village character and charm while maintaining the excellent services our residents and businesses have come to expect," Lowther said.