Duane Preston and Adam Tabelski are running for the Councilman-at-Large seat on the Batavia City Council, a position that became open when former Council Member John Deleo left to run (successfully) for a seat on the Genesee County Legislature.

Preston, a longtime Batavian, is running on the Democrat and Conservative lines, while Tabelski, a former mayor of his native Medina who moved to the city a couple years ago, is running on the Republican, Independence and Reform ticket.

Tabelski has been serving as the Councilman-at-Large after his appointment in January, per city rules that the position had to be filled by a Republican.

Preston owns and manages about 70 apartments in the city and is chairman of the Batavia Planning & Development Committee. Tabelski is an account manager for Wendel Engineering.

Leading up to next Tuesday’s election, The Batavian posed four questions to the candidates (listed in alphabetical order).

What is the most important city issue you would like the next City Council to tackle? (Examples: vacant housing, business development, attracting residents back to the city/downtown, finances/spending, etc.)

Preston: The most important city issue to me is reducing city taxes. In  2006-2009, the city of Batavia residents took some very hefty tax increases in the amounts 12.6 percent, 20 percent, 9.7 percent and 4.2 perent change over the previous years. The city taxes that were levied on us got our city out of debt but never went away.

Those increased taxes are still built into our taxes today. At that time, the tax increases were greatly needed as we had a large debt. But times have changed; we have paid off a lot of old debt and are funding 12 reserve funds. We need to challenge old ways and stop taking the easy way out by raising taxes. We can still contribute to our reserve funds and reduce taxes. 

Tabelski: In the face of stagnant or reduced sales tax revenue, which is the largest single revenue source for the City, we must craft a responsible budget plan that makes critical investments in our personnel and infrastructure while generally living within our means in other areas.

Adopting a good budget is always Council's most important annual task.

What three additional issues would you like to see the next city council focus upon?

Preston: Downtown business development. Batavia could do a better job capturing foot traffic downtown. We have a Thruway that brings thousands of people to our doorstep daily, and we need to monopolize more on that fact. Even our very successful soccer program detours hundreds of people out to the town daily, six months out of the year.

The council needs to work together and develop a plan that brings people downtown and creates more foot traffic. There are many ways to bring people to our downtown, for example -- expanding the ice arena to a three-rink arena is an idea that would foster out of town tournament play. This would bring in additional tax dollars from restaurants, retail and hotel stays. Batavia is in a great location for Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse tournaments. Get the foot traffic in the city! For every 1 percent in sales tax revenue generated, we can reduce our property taxes by 1.5 percent.

Mall/city center revitalization plan. Ultimately Council will need to figure out what the long-term plan for the mall will be. Is it a city support center or will it be used for retail? Either way, we need to turn this space from a liability to an asset. An expanded City Centre can harbor all support services for the city: Police Services, City Hall, Office for the Aging, Pathstone, Rural Opportunities and light medical use. Even partnering with GVEP (Genesee Valley Education Partnership) or GCC (Genesee Community College) to hold a few satellite classes in this facility for added foot traffic can only benefit downtown businesses.

Another consideration would be support for a mixed use retail plan. Whichever decision is made, it is imperative City Council cleans up the concourse issues with the mall association. Let’s put this behind us and move on to the future use of this facility. 

Volunteer group. I would have Council look at the possibility of a volunteer group to continue the efforts of the former Vibrant Batavia. We would need to set up Ward member groups to keep the open lines of communication going. There are many citizens in Batavia that would love to volunteer a few hours a month to hold informational neighborhood meetings and discuss hot topics that are plaguing our neighborhoods. Safety in our neighborhoods is paramount! 

Tabelski: A) Renewed sales tax sharing and water/wastewater agreements with the County. These agreements, which are interrelated, are set to expire after next year. They have established steady revenue streams that, if changed, could significantly impact the City's finances. I am confident we can sit down with our partners in local government to find a good solution for all.

B) Explore reducing operating expenses through energy efficiency measures. This is a way for the City to reduce our costs without eliminating a service or personnel.  First, we need to conduct a review to see where the best opportunities for energy efficiency may be. As just one example, conversion to LED street lighting could save substantially on our electric bill.

C) Reaching an accord to allow redevelopment at the Mall and support of other downtown economic development projects such as Ellicott Station. Unfortunately, the public doesn't see the work that Council and our legal team puts into the Mall because it involves real estate and litigation -- matters best discussed in executive session. But Council and City staff agree that finding and bringing new investment to the Mall is near the top of our priority list.

What do you believe is the best option when it comes to the city’s police headquarters?

Preston: Adaptive reuse of the City Centre is the best bang for our buck. The city is currently holding storefronts that combined with other parcels may possibly be the key to a police station reconstruction. Why would we want to spend $7-$10 million on a new site? Similar to the City Hall expansion on the mall, we can clean up a section of the mall and take care of our police station needs all at the same time and for less money than building new.

Tabelski: This is not a simple question but suffice it say that an 1850s Italianate residence -- despite its good location near the center of the City -- is ill-suited to be a 21st century police department headquarters. Our government is actively trying to address the situation by investigating a preferred site for a new facility that was identified by an ad hoc citizen task force. If this option does not pan out, we have other options to pursue, including renovations to the current facility. The public should understand that there real estate negotiations underway so the situation is fluid. No matter what, we will keep the long-term cost impact to taxpayers at the top of mind.

What three books published within the last 250 years have most influenced you?

Preston: The books that have influenced me the most are the ones that have made me who I am today -- "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie, "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki and "Building Real Estate Wealth in a Changing Market" by John Schaub.

Tabelski: "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau, "1776" by David McCullough, and "The Collected Poems" by Stanley Kunitz.

Over the next few days, Billie and I have some personal matters that will disrupt our normal routines. We'll be in and out of town. Nothing serious, just things that will pull us away from 100 percent focus on The Batavian.

We've planned for this and have arranged with Mike Pettinella, Jim Burns, Steve Ognibene, Rob Henry, Rick Franclemont and our news partners at WBTA and 13WHAM to help with coverage.

Timothy Mark Brady, 53, of Jerico Road, Bergen, is charged with resisting arrest. Deputies attempted to arrest Brady on a warrant stemming from charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance, unlawful growing of cannabis and unlawful possession of marijuana. Brady was confronted outside his residence and allegedly attempted to flee on foot and was taken into custody after a short chase. He was jailed on $5,000 bail or $10,000 bond.

Rosemary R. Jackson, 30, of South Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Jackson is accused of shoplifting from Walmart.

Shannon Laurer and Jennifer Goss have started Catty Shack, a neighborhood cat rescue and release program serving Genesee County. Yesterday, City Slickers hosted a fundraiser to help cover the costs of dealing with stray cats locally.

Catty Shack is primarily a TNR (trap, neuter and release) program, but tame cats may be adopted to appriopriate homes.

Catty Shack has already captured, neutered and released 16 cats, will trap 18 more next week and have 20 kittens that will soon be ready for adoption.

To find out more, visit the Catty Shack page on Facebook.

Paulie Guglieamo, owner of Guglieamo's Pasta Sauce and a radio personality in Rochester, was the celebrity chef at the Culinary Arts Program at BOCES yesterday.

Guglieamo shared with students how he started his business and talked about some of the challenges and pleasures of starting and owning your own business. He then took the students into the kitchen and showed him how he makes his pasta sauces, which are based on recipes developed by his grandmother during the Great Depression and use garden-fresh ingredients.

He encouraged students to follow their passions as they set themselves on a path toward their eventual careers.

"If you have passion and you truly love it, you can do it," Guglieamo said.

Guglieamo's sauce is now sold in Wegmans, Tops and other retail outlets throughout the northeast. He said he's succeeded because of the passion he has for his product.

"When you actually have something that is an extension of you -- that's my brand, that's me, that's my actual phone number, I put my cell phone number on every jar we sell -- you can't possibly fail," Guglieamo said. "I cannot not sell this jar of sauce. I can't walk into a store and not sell it."

When Guglieamo was first starting his radio career, he was in sales.

"I was very, very, very bad (at sales)," he said.

If a customer offered an objection, he didn't have an answer, but now, selling his own product, he has all the answers.

"I have the answers to everything because this is my life, this is my baby right here," he said.

Le Roy's junior high students participated in the school district's second annual Class Up the Community day on Tuesday.

"I cannot thank our students and staff enough for the hard work and positive attitude they showed all day in our community," said Principal Tim McArdle. "The day represents an amazing learning opportunity about service and helping others, which is the backbone of our country. Now more than every we have to take any opportunity possible to pass on these values to our students!"

Students and staff worked at the following locations: Le Roy Historical Society, Machpelah Cemetery, St. Francis Cemetery, Le Roy Ambulance Base, Methodist Church, Police Station and nine private residences. After the work was done, students enjoyed their lunch outdoors at school and had time for outdoor games and to play on the Le Roy Town Rec huge inflatable. 

To end the event, students watched a video of the pictures that were taken throughout the day! 

McArdle thanked Lynda Lowe, who was the event director, and the junior high staff, bus drivers, cafeteria staff and buildings and grounds staff, "for all of their hard work and efforts to make this day a reality."

Community members donated rakes or loaned rakes for the projects.

"This is a wonderful learning experience for our students, a huge thank you to the community as well as our students and staff for making today a big success," Lowe said.

There were 197 students in the seventh and eighth grades participating, along with 24 staff members as well as bus drivers and building and grounds crew members.

Photos and information courtesy Tim McArdle.

Press release:

Affordable Colleges Online (AC), an informational resource for online learning and college affordability, released its ranking for the 2016-2017 Best Online Colleges and ranked Genesee Community College number one in the New York State community college category.

Under the specific ranking methodology, AC uses independent data provided by IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) created by the National Center of Education Statistics to help determine its ranking. Qualifying colleges were evaluated based on the:

• Published tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students;

• Number of online programs offered for two year degrees or certificates;

• Student-to-faculty ratio;

• Percent of full-time and first-time undergraduate students receiving financial aid;

• Average amount of institutional aid received.

Under this criterion, GCC scored a 91.63 overall, with 15 degrees or certificates available to earn online and more than 100 online courses available each full semester. Student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1, and tuition and fees are below $5,000.

"Online learning at Genesee Community College is not only an area of perpetual growth and development, but it is a point of collegiate pride at GCC," said Craig Lamb, Ph.D., dean of distributive learning at GCC.

"We are continuously reviewing GCC's coursework, curriculum and academic programs as well as students' needs and interests, and also the overall career marketplace to determine which new programs and classes we should develop into an online opportunity. It is both an art and science, and involves a very careful analysis to ensure online students are receiving the same quality education with rigor and engagement. We are delighted that AC has recognized our efforts."

Introduction to Food Processing Technology (FPT101) is one of the newest online courses, and it will be offered during the 12-week spring semester running Feb. 13 through May 13.

In addition, GCC currently offers 15 different online associate degrees, and the next session of online courses is scheduled during the Winterim session that begins Dec. 12 and finishes Jan. 6. From the History of Rock and Roll to Female Role in Film, and more than 10 other courses, students of all ages can make the most of their between-semester break.

An in-depth look at the Most Affordable Online Colleges in New York for 2016 can be seen here by clicking on the two-year college tab: http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/new-york/.

In order for universities to qualify for this ranking they must be a public or private not-for-profit accredited institution. Ranked schools must offer at least three online associate degree programs with an annual tuition fee less than $5,000.

Founded in 2011, AC Online www.AffordableCollegesOnline.org provides quality data and information about pursuing an affordable higher education. As a free resource, it offers materials and tools covering diverse topics such as financial aid and college savings, opportunities for veterans and people with disabilities and online learning resources. Higher education institutions that have developed online learning environments that include highly trained faculty, new technology and resources, and online support services to help students achieve educational and career success are a particular focus.

The owner and employees of Rancho Viejo are dressed up in celebration of The Day of the Dead, the holiday in which families pay respect and remember their family and friends who have passed away.

Guillermo Leon, owner of Rancho Viejo, says that the tradition is not one of grieving, but rather one of celebration.

"Its a very special day in Mexico where everybody goes and celebrates with their dead families. If they used to like tequila, they bring them tequila or their favorite foods. They'll have a big party."

The restaurant is running deals through Nov.  2, including 15 percent off for anyone who comes in costume, and many drink specials.

A possible chimney fire is reported at 7126 Fisher Road, Elba.

No flames showing, but the residence is filling with smoke.

Elba, East Pembroke and Oakfield dispatched.

UPDATE 6:24 p.m.: Corfu to stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 6:33 p.m.: Fire police are closing Fisher and Drake.

Karl R. Samuelson, 62, of Albion Road, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Samuelson was arrested at 5:27 p.m. on Oct. 27 on Lewiston Road in Batavia after he allegedly stole a bottle of liquour from Mr. Wine & Liquor in Tops Plaza. He was released with an appearance ticket for City Court on Nov. 22. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen.

A 16-year-old who lives on Liberty Street in Batavia is charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly engaging in a physical altercation with another student at Batavia High School at 3 p.m. on Oct. 28. The defendant was issued an appearance ticket for Nov. 8 in Batavia City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Officer Jamie Givens.

Miracle Angel Patterson, 25, no permanent address, of Rochester, was arrested on a warrant out of Batavia City Court on Oct. 30 after being located in Rochester on an unrelated incident. Patterson is charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property stemming from an incident on Jan. 26, 2015 on Park Road Road, Batavia. Patterson was arraigned and held in Genesee County Jail without bail. Patterson was due in City Court on Oct. 31. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Joseph M. Marsceill, 31, of Central Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on Oct. 31 on a bench warrant out of Batavia Town Court. He was advised to appear in Batavia City Court at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 31 and was subsequently arraigned and put in Genesee County Jail on $350 bail. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Richard E. Stafford, 76, of Orange Grove Drive, Batavia, is charged with failure to appear in court regarding an unspecified incident on May 9 on East Main Street, Batavia. Stafford was arrested Oct. 31 on a warrant out of Batavia Town Court after being released from UMMC. He was arraigned in City Court then put in Genesee County Jail on $500 bail. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot.

Ryan R. Hernandez, 19, of Albion Road, Oakfield, is charged with failure to appear on a bench warrant. During an unrelated investigation, Hernandez was located inside a residence on Walnut Street in the City of Batavia. He was subsequently arrested, posted cash bail, and was released from custody. He is scheduled to be in City Court on Nov. 3. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Officer Jason Davis.

Trick-or-treaters in East Pembroke last night could go house-to-house, but there were also adults in costumes who parked their cars, opened their trunks full of candy, and the kids could "trunk-and-treat" along the row of cars as well. About a block of away, the East Pembroke Volunteer Fire Department provided candy and served cider and donuts.

Press release:

The Red Osier has a goal to become as community-orientated as its owners, Steven Foster and Tim Adam. Together with their staff, they have decided to rename November "Lovember" with a month of promotions to give back to the local community.

In November, bring in a bag of nonperishable goods or new clothing and you will receive a $10 gift voucher toward your next dinner visit. All food will be donated to the Le Roy Food Pantry, while the clothing will be donated to the local homeless community.

Bring in a package of new undergarments and socks during November, receive a complementary chef dessert. All items will be donated to restaurant employee Wendy Cappoli-Frongetta's grassroots organization "Spirits and Skivvies" that donates underwear and garments to local less fortunate throughout the community. Her goal is to restore dignity and comfort to the fellow human one pair of underwear at a time. There is an auction of donated items this Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. at the Byron Fire Hall where all proceeds will support "Spirits and Skivvies."

On Thanksgiving, the restaurant will be open 12 to 5 p.m. This is the first year in the history of the restaurant that it has been open on this holiday. All -- 100 percent -- of the sales proceeds from the day will be split between Genesee Cancer Assistance and The Stafford Monument Committee, which is erecting a monument at the Stafford Four Corners to honor the past and present military personnel from Stafford. Throughout the month, we will have our annual buy a $50 gift certificate and receive a complementary $20 gift certificate as well.

It is extremely important to get our local businesses and their staffs involved in the holiday spirit. If we can make a small difference one can of vegetables or a package of underwear at a time, that's what we will do. We hope that our spirit of "Lovember" will resonate to other businesses within our area.

Photos submitted by Rob Radley.

The parents, children and teachers at Imagination Station celebrated Halloween together yesterday afternoon.

As many 50 young girls, grades 2 through 8, have just completed the new Fall Ball Training Camp run by Tom McCulley and Otis Thomas in the renovated Notre Dame High School Gym.

The camp was offered to girls attending either St. Joe's or Batavia City Schools.

"There’s not really a whole lot going on for girls this age," said McCulley, who takes over from Dave Pero as head coach at Notre Dame this season. "We thought this would be a way to get them ready for the upcoming season no matter where they may be playing."

The camp is designed to get the girls in basketball shape for the season, drill them in fundamentals and help them learn how to focus, follow directions and participate as a team member.  

McCulley said this training will help the girls as they move up to higher levels. It's a lot harder for a coach to work with an incoming freshman, say, who hasn't had this kind of experience.

The camp ran for five weeks.

This was the first year for the camp and given its success, McCulley expects it to become an annual event.

"The girls love it," McCulley said. "They’re excited about it. They show up every week, so obviously, they want to do it. It gives them a chance to compete and to learn how to compete, learn how to prepare and stay focused and take direction, so when they do get up to the higher levels, at least they have a foundation to build upon."

This gorgeous lady is sleeping on a cozy pillow on a deck at a home on Sliker Road in Indian Falls, but that's not her home, and the homeowner would like to help find her owner.

The concerned citizen said the German shepherd won't let her get close enough to read her tags. She just runs off.

UPDATE 8:53 p.m.: Owner and dog are reunited.

Photos submitted by Glenn Adams.

There was a two-vehicle accident at 10198 W. Bethany Road this afternoon. Alexander Fire Department was called to the scene, with the Bethany Fire Department assisting. The two drivers were transported by ambulance to an area hospital(s).

UPDATE 10:06 p.m. (by Howard): John Brown, owner of Select Collision, wrote to us this evening. It was his son Brandon in the vehicle in the top photo. Brandon is at Strong with no major injuries. John said Brandon crested the hill and there was a vehicle coming at him on the center line. He swerved to avoid the vehicle and lost control, crossing into the truck's lane. His car was split into two. In John's words, "He walked away."

UPDATE Tuesday, Nov. 1 (by Howard): The accident was reported at 2:34 p.m. in the area of 10198 W. Bethany Road, Alexander. Brandon J. Brown, 17, of Conway Road, East Bethany, was driving a 2008 Subaru Legacy northbound on West Bethany Road and traveled over the center of the roadway, according to the Sheriff's Office, and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. That vehicle was driven by Joseph L. Graham, 49, of Werner Road, Attica, in a 2010 Toyota Tacoma pickup. Both drivers were able to exit their vehicles. Brown was transported by Alexander ambulance to ECMC with head and arm injuries. Graham was transported to Strong by Mercy EMS with neck and hip injuries. The investigation is ongoing. Assisting were the Town of Bethany Volunteer Fire Department, Town of Alexander fire and Mercy EMS.  The accident is being investigated by Deputy Chris Parker and Deputy Lonnie Nati and Investigator James Diehl.

From our news partner WBTA:

At around 1:30 p.m. today, Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics were called to 4975 West Ag Park Drive for a reported motor vehicle accident with entrapment and the vehicle on fire.

The accident is said to have occurred at the bend behind the County Maintenance Building.  

The female victim reportedly made it out of the vehicle with the assistance of two passersby, however the truck was into the woods and on fire at last report.  

Mercy Flight was requested.

UPDATE 9:17 p.m.: Tim Hens shared this on social media:

Crazy afternoon. Sitting in my office when I hear a police call on the scanner for a single vehicle off the road with entrapment and on fire literally 1500 ft from my office.

Jumped in my car and responded with a few guys from the shop... Christopher J Klein, Rob Barone, Mike Nicolucci and Tyler Lang. Showed up to a fully engulfed vehicle. Tried to extinguish with a few small fire extinguishers with no luck. We were beside ourselves thinking there was someone inside, but two earlier passers-by luckily got there before us and managed to drag the woman to safety into the woods. They had to pry the passenger door open with the cab on fire and yank her out! Truly heroic whoever they were! Tyler Lang did an awesome job keeping the woman stabilized until police and Mercy Flight got there.

Life changes in a second. So glad she is alive.