Trending
Athanasia Landis may have been the hardest working mayor in the village of Fredonia over the last 20 years. After a short stint of learning on the job, she embraced the position while making some tough choices during her four-year tenure from 2016 to 2019.
Some of her greatest achievements occurred when she went to bat for the village. Millions of dollars in grant funding from the state went to improvements in and around Barker Common and at the Fredonia Opera House.
Her entry as a write-in candidate has shaken up an otherwise fairly quiet election. Through the last five weeks, she has been tireless in pushing her ideas and platforms. She definitely has given voters a choice and if she does win, residents will be in good hands.
Michael Ferguson, who entered the race toward the end of March, also has the ability to lead Village Hall. The former county executive candidate, who was endorsed by the Democrats, has always had the ability to communicate and bring people together to find common goals.
Though he has not led a municipal government, he is well aware of the problems that face the village. Chief among them is the water system and the potential for a new hospital.
One of the most important characteristics for the position of mayor revolves around working with the trustees. Landis and current Mayor Doug Essek have often had their battles with the five-member group. They are the ones with the votes.
Our newspaper was a major supporter of Landis during her only tenure in office. If she is able to win as a write-in, that is a tremendous achievement. In this case, however, we endorse Ferguson who will likely be able to bring more consensus with an often fractured Village Board.