Leslie (Marino) Wille has announced her candidacy for the position of village of Fredonia Trustee, following approval by the Democratic caucus. During the caucus, Wille thanked the members in attendance for the opportunity to serve the village as a trustee. She is eager to work together with the other board members and the mayor, and to represent the members of the community.

Daughter of Anthony and Judy Marino, also of Fredonia, Wille is a lifelong village resident.

“My family has lived here for generations, and now I am raising a family of my own here,” she said. “I am vested in this community, and its well-being. I want to see Fredonia thriving. I want it to be the place where people envision their futures; the place where they want to make their homes and raise their families.”

Wille resides in the village with her husband, Toby, and children, Milo (age 4), and Eben (age 3).

Wille graduated from Fredonia High School, and went on to study music and psychology at SUNY Fredonia, where she served as her freshman class president. A deep longing to help others and participate in community service led her to co-found a local non-profit organization, Buffalo Fambase, Inc., for which she currently sits on the board of directors. The organization focuses primarily on channeling the unbridled passion of local sports fans into endeavors to raise funds and help where there is a need locally. The original intent of the group was to raise money for Carly’s Club at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. It has since grown to raise funds for other local charities as well as individuals when the need arises. In addition to her work with Buffalo Fambase, she is an active member of the local volunteer group, Partners In Kind, dedicated to helping those in need in Chautauqua County.

She is a small business owner; through her business, Rooted In Love, she provides birth doula services, working privately with expectant parents throughout their pregnancies, births and into the postpartum period. Her focus as a doula is on education and preparation throughout pregnancy, and support and empowerment during and after labor and birth.

“I’ve always been drawn to want to help people, and when I looked at the experience of pregnancy and birth in our communities, I found that something was lacking,” Wille said. “This seemed like a natural way to support and educate parents and families, and in turn, strengthen our communities.”

Wille hopes to expand her business in the future, offering a range of services within the community that expectant parents currently would have to travel to find. Additionally, she is employed locally by Bob Evans.

Wille states that she views serving as trustee as another form of community service.

“I’m running for this office because I think that we can, and should, do better, and I want to be apart of that,” Wille stated. “I think that the residents of the village need a voice on the board, and I aim to be that voice. As a trustee, I would focus on not only listening, but hearing the concerns of the members of this community, and working with the other members of the board to find a solution for them. I talk to people daily in my job, and it seems that most can agree on at least one thing; something needs to change. I feel that I have the positive outlook and progressive mindset needed to foster that change. I’m an independent thinker, meaning that I don’t just vote along party lines. With me, voters are getting a candidate who will thoroughly examine each issue brought before me, from every angle, before voting in the way that I feel is in the best interest of the village.”