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As the Fredonia-Pomfret Democratic Committee was considering who to endorse for the position of village mayor in January and February, newly announced write-in candidate Athanasia Landis was facing a different battle.
In a letter to the OBSERVER on Tuesday, Landis revealed her personal struggle with an illness over the winter that affects so many. During that time, on two occasions, she reached out to town committee Chairman Christopher Schaeffer to express her interest in seeking the position.
"The chairman knew there was at least one more person interested in running for mayor of the village," Landis wrote. "I had emailed him on January 22 and again on February 2 declaring my interest along with the reason, a serious health issue, I wasn't going to be able to attend the interviews at that particular time.
"As a matter of fact, at that particular time I was in a hospital in Pittsburgh getting chemo and practically struggling for my life. I asked Chris to give me some time, a few weeks maybe, to sort things out given that we were months away from the elections.
But he answered with a deadline and declared that (Mike) Ferguson will be the candidate. The Fredonia-Pomfret Democratic Committee had made the decision without even offering me the opportunity of a primary."
Landis went public with her illness after the committee's announcement on Tuesday that it remains in the corner of the only candidate on the ballot for this year's election for village mayor: Ferguson.
"Mike Ferguson has been our candidate since February," Schaeffer said. "He is the only person who put in the work to be on the ballot. He circulated petitions as the state Election Law requires. There was ample time for any other candidate Democrat, Working Families, Conservative or Unaffiliated, to run a petition. No one did."
Landis, however, countered those comments. "Running as a write-in is not the easy way out since it's both challenging and expensive," she wrote. "It requires a great deal of work since my name will not appear on the ballot. I would never have chosen to do it if I had an alternative, but I didn't, and neither did the people of the village as to who their next mayor was going to be. For over seven months now we have had nothing but a mayor-in-waiting who didn't seem to have a platform, never discussed his positions on any of the serious issues, and never offered any solutions except collaboration, new studies, and talking to the right people. Platitudes and 'warm, fuzzy' comments will not resolve any problems, experience is critical."
Serving as village mayor from 2016 to 2019, Landis helped the village secure a $2.5 million state grant to help in renovating the Fredonia Opera House and assist in pedestrian improvements that include signage, crosswalk updates and sidewalk replacements. She also oversaw the elimination of a village administrator and while making major water repairs for James Place residents to eliminate a problem with discolored water.
Ferguson's goals as mayor, as stated in Tuesday's announcement, include gathering the input of experienced engineers and community water management experts for a full account of the costs associated with all of the recommendations on water service. He aims to determine the right course of action for a long-term solution to the water problem, not just a temporary fix.
He also aims to hold out-of-town property owners accountable for the conditions of their properties, working in cooperation with Fredonia's neighboring communities, and the largest area employer, the State University of New York at Fredonia, to discuss shared services opportunities that will result in savings for our taxpayers.
Landis, in closing, said her entrance into the race brings a benefit village voters. "In our country we don't install a mayor, we elect them," she said. "After consulting with my physician, my family, and my supporters I have decided to give the people of the village the choice they deserve."