Both candidates for the Montezuma supervisor's post see tremendous potential for their community, but they also see obstacles they believe best qualified to lead the town past.

For the last year and half, John R. Malenick, Democratic candidate for Montezuma town supervisor, has lent a helping hand to the town, working with the town planning board, lending his expertise in the realm of planning and codes.

“One of my first jobs was in the St. Lawrence County planning office,” Malenick said. “So I've been involved in planning and code related issues one way or the other for about 25 years now.”

Through his work, Malenick has seen that many of the codes for the town have become outdated or simply aren't followed or enforced. In many ways this inspired Malenick to take his first foray into the world of electoral politics.

“I really just didn't think this was right,” Malenick said. “These are the kinds of things that cost money and I thought that it would be a good time to get involved. I'd like to see more interaction and talking take place between the town's governing bodies.”

For the past several years, Malenick said that he has also seen taxes rise year after year.

“We don't have the base to support that,” Malenick said. “Especially for the elderly in this community that is difficult, it is crippling to them. So that was something else that made me want to run.”

But Montezuma is a place that Malenick sees as being full of potential for growth.

In particular, he points to Richmond Aqueduct, a structure built in the 1800s, spanning the Seneca River branch of the Erie Canal.

While time has taken its toll on much of the structure, what does exist, Malenick believes, could be a valuable asset to the community, attracting tourism, for this historically unique attraction.

Malenick said that he has begun speaking with Jim Eckler of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, about ways to help preserve the aqueduct and take advantage of the historical and wildlife opportunities in Montezuma.

“I think this is something that has really been overlooked,” Malenick said. “There is a lot of history in this area, like the canal and the aqueduct. There is the wildlife refuge, but there is also a salt marsh and other things I think we could take advantage of to draw more people here and to raise more interest in this area and help promote growth in this community.”

William Scott Saroodis, the Republican incumbent supervisor, was a political novice when he won the position eight years ago. He said these years have been and continue to be a learning experience, a fact that has helped keep the political process interesting.

“I was initially approached by the Republican party to run,” Saroodis said. “Before that I didn't have any experience. It has been very interesting over these years to have this experience and it is still interesting even as more time goes by.”

During his tenure, Saroodis pointed out that several projects such as community playground improvements and an addition to the town hall have been accomplished.

But he said there is still work to be done.

“Right now one of the big things is I think we have to develop our aqueduct,” Saroodis said. “It has been slow going so far, but that is one of the big things that I think we need to get accomplished, it just hasn't been going as fast as I'd like to see it.”

Taxes and working to diversify the tax base have also been important issues for Saroodis.

Five years ago, the town underwent a re-evaluation and things were at 100 percent (equalization rate), but are now down to 92 percent.

“That is definitely something we are going to have to look at again,” Saroodis said. “We want to do everything we can to get it back up to 100 percent.”

Along with looking into ways to make Montezuma a more attractive destination for tourists, Saroodis believes that looking into industry, while still preserving the rural feel of the community is an important issue that needs to be pursued.

“We want to hold down costs,” Saroodis said. “We want to keep taxes at a level people can afford and hold down other expenses as much as possible. ... And we want to pursue things with tourism to get more people to come here, but we also want to keep it like a small town and not turn it into a city.”

No matter how the election turns out, Saroodis said that he has enjoyed his time as town supervisor thus far and he looks forward to the opportunity to continue to serve in any capacity he can.

“Win or lose it has been fun,” Saroodis said. “It has been a really interesting experience for me. I have tried to do as much as I can with the time I've had and if I win I will continue to do the same.”