What Today Means to the Candidates

Today marks the close of another election season in Garden City.

The village will welcome a new mayor - its 45th actually - and two new trustees to the board in the names of John Watras, no newcomer to village politics, and Richard Silver from Central and Robert Bolebruch from the West.

Patch asked the candidates before the polls opened at noon to tell us what the day means to them personally, and what it means for the future of Garden City. Here are some of their responses:

John Watras:

"Personally, I hope everyone comes out and voices their support for their board and for their mayor. It's an opportunity for everyone to come out to say we support you and we want to see you get things done."

"As mayor, I'm going to listen. I'm going to be supportive. I'm going to get things done, period. It's not going to be a 'gotcha administration.' We're going to work together. I'm looking forward to working with the existing trustees and the new trustees coming on. I believe that we're going to get a lot of issues taken care of and energize executive staff that much more to accomplish our goals."

Dennis Donnelly:

"Election Day represents the culmination of the almost six-month process of electing village officials.The selection of nominating committees by the POAs , the open interview process, the selections put forth by the respective nominating committee, intra POA challenge elections in January and finally Election Day. The residents of our village get to participate in the election process from start to finish.    I will hopefully (if re-elected ) continue to help keep taxes as low as possible while maintaining village services at a high level."

John DeMaro:

"Election Day is a very exciting and important event in the village. We have a unique form of government that has served our community well. I encourage all village residents to vote. I hope to be re-elected and look forward to working with our new mayor and the board to improve the quality of life in the village."

Richard Silver:

"For me, this is an opportunity to make a contribution to our village and build on the legacy of service of so many people who have volunteered their time, talent and energy to make Garden City a place we are proud to call home.  It is both humbling and exciting for me."

"For Garden City, today is a reminder of the success of the collaborative form of government -- neighbors serving neighbors -- that has been the hallmark of the Village for close to 100 years.  It is also an opportunity to blend continuity and new perspectives that can strengthen and refresh our governance process as we confront some very challenging strategic, fiscal and other issues."

Robert Bolebruch:

"It is an honor to serve this great community where I and my family have lived for the last 18 years."

"I look forward to working with the other trustees on the various challenges that our village faces. Most importantly, I will listen to every resident's opinion and value all of their comments on every subject."

Polls remain open until 9 p.m. at village hall. Patch will post election results once they are tallied later this evening.