PORTALND - Al Valentin has announced his candidacy for the position of tax collector for the town of Portland. He is endorsed by the Democratic Party and the Independence Party.

Valentin has been a resident of Brocton for the past 15 years. Throughout his 27 years of service with the U.S. Postal Service, Al has worked as a Letter Carrier and Supervisor in the Fredonia Post Office, Officer in Charge for the town of Stockton and the village of Silver Creek. Al became Postmaster in the village of South Dayton before becoming Postmaster in Brocton where he served the community for 15 years until his retirement in 2008. In preparation for management level duties, Valentin had also undergone leadership training at the United States Postal Academy in Washington D.C.

As a letter carrier, he was a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), AFL-CIO. While serving as Postmaster, Valentin was a member of the Chautauqua County Association of Postmasters and served as treasurer. He has been also a member of the American Legion, John W. Dill Post 434 for the last 10 years.

Valentin served in the U.S. Army for three years during the Vietnam Era. Trained as a Photographic Laboratory Specialist, he was made Laboratory Foreman and attained the rank of SP5. He served in the 592d Signal Company, Berlin Command in West Berlin Germany for 2 years. He left the service with an honorable discharge.

Attending the State University of Fredonia, Al received a bachelor of science degree in political science. Presently he is continuing his education by taking courses in computer science at Jamestown Community College.

One of his most proud achievements was to help the process through the Postal Service to relocate the old, inadequate Brocton Post Office on Lake Avenue to the new building on Main Street. At the time, the intent was to have the office located on a different site further out of the village. But after some consultation with local leaders and concerned citizens, Al was given the final decision by Postal Authorities where the new Brocton Post Office would be located.

Valentin has been married to the former Angela Schieres for 25 years and resides at 147 Lake Avenue in Brocton. They have two children: Alexander and Andrew.

Mr. Valentin would like to add, "Brocton, Township of Portland, and Chautauqua County has been my home for the last 34 years. Serving the community has been an honor and a privilege as Postmaster. And now with your support I wish to continue serving the Town of Portland in the capacity of Collector of Taxes and Assessments. I look forward to serving the citizens of the Town of Portland. And I pledge to perform the duties of the office with dedication and efficiency. I would appreciate your vote on November 3, 2009."

Feel free to call Al at 792-9776 with any questions, comments, or concerns.