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Espersen seeks seat on Fredonia Village Board

Jon Espersen

Jon Espersen has accepted the Republican Party nomination as a candidate for village trustee in Fredonia.

“I have been a resident of the village of Fredonia for 30 years, and I’ve never seen the village trustees as dysfunctional and inept as I have witnessed over the past few years,” he said. “It is for those reasons that I have chosen to run.

“Upon graduation from Brocton Central School I attended SUNY Brockport, after which I enlisted in the United States Navy, serving duty stations in Coronado, Calif., and Lexington Park, Md., including a deployment to Chinhae South Korea to participate in a joint exercise between the Navy Seals and their South Korean counterparts. While stationed at Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 4 I was a member of the base SWAT team after undergoing training in Anniston, Ala. During my service I was awarded two Navy Achievement Medals and was named Shore Sailor of the Year.

“After eight years of active service I settled in Fredonia, where I became the Vice President of Brandonn Funding Corp. while continuing to serve in a NATO Unit of the Naval Reserves out of Buffalo.

“In 2000 I started a new business, Expert Processing Services, assisting mortgage brokers across the country sell real estate notes and other forms of receivables to institutional investors and personal trusts. An acknowledged expert in that field, I was invited to lecture at conventions and trade shows as well as participate in various round table discussions.

“Community Service has been a large part of my life. I currently serve on the board of the WCA Home and the John W. Dill Post 434 Brocton American Legion. I am also a member of the Brocton Central School Alumni Association where I have organized and overseen the annual alumni golf tournament, raising over $20,000 in scholarship money to date.

“A longtime member of the Fredonia First United Methodist Church, I have been a member of the Administrative Council, serving a term as chairperson. Currently I am a trustee of the church and a member of the Finance Team.

“Last spring I raised over $5,000, which was donated to the Chautauqua County Veterans Discretionary Fund by accepting donations for walking every street in the villages of Fredonia, Brocton, Mayville and Westfield.

“I currently reside on Forest Place with my wife Gwen. I have two children, Amanda Hood residing n Wake Forest, N.C., and Aaron Espersen in Portland.

“Regarding the current state of the village Board of Trustees, their acrimonious and uncivil behavior is an embarrassment and a black eye for the village. Petty party politics has no room in an effective and efficiently run organization or governmental entity, yet that is precisely what can be witnessed during many Village Board meetings.

“Finger pointing and the blame game cannot and should not replace representative government. I have personally not felt represented since the current board assumed office, and that refrain is heard time and time again when speaking with unsatisfied and angry citizens.

“If elected, my pledge is to return civility and decorum to the Village Board, to let village employees know they are valued and appreciated each and every day, to allow hired supervisors to actually supervise without unnecessary interference, and to work with the mayor and other board members to work to improve conditions allowing business large and small to be competitive. I am asking for the support of the voters of Fredonia to help me return a cooperative spirit to our local government. I would be happy to discuss any ideas or hear any suggestions you may have. My email address is espersenjon@gmail.com.”

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