John Sedota is on top in the battle for the Fredonia Village Board seat.

Fredonia resident John Sedota announced he is seeking a seat on the Fredonia Village Board.

“My goal is to use my four and a half years of experience as a Pomfret town councilman to work with the village board towards producing quality services to the village, while at the same time working diligently to manage property taxes and increase transparency and efficiency,” Sedota said.

He is endorsed by the Republican Party.

If elected to the village trustee position, Sedota said he will resign from his position on the Pomfret Town Board.

Sedota noted that the village elected a new mayor during the last election. Mayor Doug Essek’s trustee seat was filled by EvaDawn Bashaw, who had not run for the position. In addition, the position was not offered to the next highest vote getter who ran for the seat.

“This is not fair to the village residents who voted for a change in leadership,” Sedota said. “The board needs to be more balanced, and I am willing to bring my knowledge and experience as a town councilman to the village board to provide more balanced, transparent, and productive government.”

Sedota graduated from Fredonia High School in 1987. Shortly after graduating from Fredonia, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was an ammunition specialist stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana for two years, then served in the U.S. Army Reserve out of Gerry.

He returned to active duty in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield. Sedota received an honorable discharge in 1995. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Fredonia with a degree in psychology and minors in political science and philosophy.

After graduating from SUNY Fredonia, Sedota worked for several years in retail management as an assistant and store manager before obtaining his current employment with Chautauqua County Department of Social Services. He has worked for the county since 1996.

He is currently a child protective services supervisor with over 15 years of supervisory experience. Sedota served four and a half years on the Pomfret Town Council and was re-elected to a second term last November.

He has worked to hold the line on taxes while not compromising services.

Sedota has past experience serving over four years as treasurer for CSEA Local 807 and currently is active as a steward/grievance representative.

He is a member of Holy Trinity Church in Dunkirk and resides in the Vvillage of Fredonia with his wife, Trisha, and son, Cayden. Sedota and his wife also have three adult children; one is currently employed as a child protection caseworker with Chautauqua County residing in Fredonia. Two are employed full-time working and residing in Buffalo.