Village of Marcellus, New York Newsletter

The Marcellus Village Newsletter
Marcellus: A Great Place to Live!

Volume 14
Issue 4
Fall/Winter 2009-10

Mayor Plochocki Will Not Seek A Second Term In March

Dear Village Residents,

It seems like just yesterday that you gave me the honor to serve you as your Mayor. It is
hard for me to believe that in a few short months it will already be four year that I have held
that position… in hindsight; it seems like such little time. For this and many other reasons
it is with deep sadness that I write to inform all of you that I will not be seeking another term
as Mayor of our fine Village of Marcellus.

Deciding not to run for re-election has been perhaps the toughest decision to date in my life.
I love being Mayor - the many wonderful people in our community make the job both
rewarding and fun. Ever since I announced in the fall that I was leaning against
running for a second term, the calls, letters and words of support asking me to
stay on have been overwhelming. I cannot express to you how much all of this
has meant to me! All else being equal, I would stay.

Unfortunately, though, all else is not equal. To do the Mayor's job right, including managing
four departments with over 20 full and part-time employees, as well as designing, getting
funding for, and executing large-scale infrastructure projects - it pretty much has to be done
full-time. Accordingly, I greatly scaled back my time practicing law to accommodate the
needs of the job. Moreover, the Mayor's job is virtually a volunteer job that pays a mere
$3,900 a year. I went into the job knowing all of this, of course, and my wife has been
supportive of the financial sacrifices entailed. Especially in these tough financial times,
however, another four years of that level of sacrifice I cannot ask of my wife, or myself,
at this time.

Many have suggested that I stay on but just spend fewer hours at the job; I am reluctant
to do that, though, because it is paramount for me to do the job right. Some of you have
even told me that, regardless of who else runs for the position and even though I won't be
on the ballot, you will write-in my name anyway when you vote in the hope that I might
win re-election as a write-in candidate. Of course, I find that extremely flattering and,
surely, in the unlikely event that I actually won re-election by such means it goes without
saying that I would be greatly moved. However, for the reasons I have discussed, I can't
promise I would take the position even in those circumstances.

On a brighter note, there is another significant reason I am not seeking re-election:
I may soon be running for the State Assembly. Our current State Assemblyman, Will
Barclay, is considering a run for Congress. If indeed he receives the nomination for that
position, he would be unable to seek re-election to his State Assembly seat this year.
In that scenario, I would seek the nomination for that position. Most of my formal legal
and policy training is focused on the state and federal level, and accordingly, I would like
to believe I could use my skills to greatly benefit our community as a state representative.

Maybe I will be fortunate enough to get that chance, just as I have been fortunate enough
to have been given the chance to serve you.

-Your Mayor, Mike Plochocki

P.S. The next (and my final) newsletter will go into more detail about the many wonderful
projects that occurred in our Village this fall, as well as ones that will continue or begin in
the spring. For now, here are just a few updates/reminders. . .

2010 VILLAGE ELECTIONS
VILLAGE ELECTIONS WILL BE HELD ON MARCH 16, 2010, AT THE VILLAGE HALL.
At this time our Village will elect the next Mayor. One of the two Trustee (Village Board
Member) positions will also be voted on at this time. To be on the ballot to run for either
Mayor or Trustee you must get a petition (available now at the Village Hall) signed by 50
Village residents and return it to the Village Hall between February 2 and February 9, 2010.

VILLAGE/LIMELEDGE WATER SYSTEM PROJECT UPDATE
The portion of this project involving the Village is finally complete! Thus, we have
decommissioned our old reservoir, and as of December 1, 2009, we have fully made
the change to OCWA (Onondaga County Water Authority) water.

*** Note that the enclosed water bill is the last one you will receive from the Village
(it includes the December OCWA water charges) and it is to be paid to the Village.
All future water bills will come directly from OCWA. ***

TRASH UPDATE AND SCHEDULE
Trash pick-up will be delayed by one day for the following remaining holidays this year:
Memorial Day and Labor Day. Also, please flatten all cardboard for recycling into 3' x 3'
pieces.

AND, AS ALWAYS. . .
Pick up after your dogs!

Park in the correct direction on Village Streets (a car is considered illegally parked and
can be ticketed when it is parked in a parking spot facing the wrong direction).

Also, do not park on Village Streets between the hours of 2-7 AM through April 30th!

Finally, please ensure that all garbage cans have lids.