Erica O’Donnell is a newcomer to the race, but not to having particular goals for the city, she says. She has a vision for Batavia and how City Council can improve upon some of the many things she believes are going well right now. She is the lone Democrat seeking a council-at-large seat on the Republican-heavy council and thinks that her presence would add some fresh thinking to the nine-member group.
Erica and her husband Patrick purchased their home on Batavia’s southside in 2012, and soon after welcomed a dog named Gatsby, followed a few years later by a daughter Lila, 7, and a son Connor, 4. Both children attend City Schools. She has been involved with the local Democratic Committee, helped out with her grandfather’s campaigns for Alabama Town Board and clerk, and Genesee County Legislature, and has since volunteered for and organized campaigns for races at every level of government. She served as secretary of the Genesee County Democratic Committee in 2016 and Second Vice Chair in 2017 and was elected Chair of the City of Batavia Democratic Committee in late 2017.
Q: What do you feel is your responsibility as a council person-at-large?
A: In my mind, the biggest job, and definitely the main responsibility as a city council member, is to represent the city of Batavia You’re at large, so you represent the entire city, so it’s my responsibility to take the concerns, questions, desires, hopes, and dreams, all of that, of the residents of the city of Batavia to council and to city officials and try and execute that to the best of my ability.
Q: What’s going right in Batavia?
A: We’re definitely seeing great growth downtown, with new restaurants and businesses opening, it’s super exciting, just different activities for families and kids. I’m raising my two kids here, I think it’s a wonderful place to raise a family. We get a bad rap sometimes … that’s not been my experience at all. And we’re not perfect, certainly, there are challenges in the city, but the best way to remedy those is to get involved in and around your community. So I’ve seen great things growing for kids, for families to do something. Usually, when I wanted to do something with my kids you have to go to Buffalo or you have to go to Rochester, and now there are places to go and things to do almost every week in Batavia, and I think that’s awesome.
Q: What could use some improvement?
A: We can definitely do better with those things as well. I grew up in Alabama, and my husband grew up in Oakfield and works in Rochester, and we could have shortened his commute by quite a bit by living in Monroe County, but to be perfectly honest it was way more affordable to live in Batavia. The home that we bought on the south side would be triple what we paid for in Henrietta, Brighton, Penfield … it gives us a lot of freedom to be able to stay home with my kids. During COVID I was able to stay home with them. When you talk to people my age, they maybe don’t think of Batavia as a great place to purchase a home and raise a family, and I think just promoting what a great place this is, and geared toward families to come in. And restaurants and bars are great, but you can only do that so many times. I love going to Eli Fish and O’Lacy’s, but it’s probably not the best place for my 5- and 7-year-old.
Q: What would be your top priority for 2022 if elected?
A: I have a couple of pet projects and an overarching vision. My overarching vision is to bring a fresh perspective and new thinking to the council. I’ve been told many times ‘this is the way it’s always been done,’ and I think there are ways we can come to compromises, and things can be difficult and still be achievable. You might not get 100 percent of what you want all the time, but you can make progress, and you can try your very best, and get there little by little. A couple of my little pet things, parking in city lots and city streets overnight. Right now, if I were to go to one of our establishments downtown, have a couple of drinks, and decide, you know what? I need to take Uber home, I need to catch a ride with a friend, I need to walk and do the responsible thing and leave my car overnight with a parking ticket. Yeah, and that's one of those things that I think there could be a compromise.
Obviously, we need to remove snow. Well, is it possible that snow removal can happen on a Tuesday or Wednesday and then Thursday through Sunday it's ok to leave your cars overnight in certain lots? I think there's a solution there. I think there's something that can be done. Same thing for parking overnight … if you're having family functions and if you're doing work on your house. I know at one point our neighbors were siding their house and it was right on our driveway. Well, it took a couple of days. I didn't want to get a nail in my tire, so we parked on the street and had to make a special arrangement with the city so we didn't get a ticket. I still think it shouldn’t be that big of a deal, you know, and that can be fixed easily. It's something that doesn't cost much. And you know, we can find a solution.
The other thing is the city website. That's something that we could walk in, and in a week, fairly cheaply have it fixed. I was looking for someone for the city manager and they'd ask for the city manager's email address and they couldn't find it. It's got to be on the website. And I found Jason Molino's address. And this list, you know, was earlier on in the summer. It can be hard to find the information that you need to either get a hold of someone in the city or just to, you know, maybe you just have a quick question and it should be easier to find on the city website. I just think that that's something that would be an easy fix.
Q: How will you contribute to city operations?
A: I think that I have a different perspective than most City Council members right now. I call myself an older millennial … I just think I'll bring a fresh perspective. I think I would come at things from a different angle than other City Council members. I would also, if elected, be the only Democrat on City Council. And that might not make a huge difference in day-to-day operations. I don't think that matters much too, you know, average citizens when it comes to, you know, they want the streets plowed down, the leaves picked up, the whole spectrum. But I do think it makes a difference to have people who are cut from a different cloth to at least have a different side of things.
I'm not a stranger to City Council. I don't have a problem reaching out. I mean, for as long, really, for as long as I've lived in Batavia, if there's something bothering me, I'll call my City Councilperson. And 99.9 percent of the time, I'm treated with the utmost respect and I get a response. I don't think it would be a hindrance at all being a Democrat in Genesee County, we're in the minority and I wouldn't get real far if I wasn't willing to work with people who are from the other political parties.
Q: Why should you get a resident’s vote for this position?
A: Well, I mean, everything that we've discussed already. I think I'd bring a fresh perspective to the city. I think that I'm a hard worker and a creative thinker. I also believe in doing things proactively. I think we've got a bad habit of kicking the can down the road and, even just the police station. That's something that's been going on and been discussed and drawn out for ages, and we still haven’t broken ground. So I think we need to deal with things head-on, and before it becomes a bigger issue.
Just to bring new ideas, creative ideas, thinking outside the box. I'm involved in a lot of different community organizations. I volunteer all the time and I think just by talking to people and just listening to what people have to say, I'm putting it into action. Being involved and hearing from different groups, I think, is something that's needed.
Q: Does there need to be more housing in Batavia?
A: I think there needs to be more affordable housing. I think that. We own our home. But the two houses to either side of us, which are almost identical in square footage, happen to be single-family rentals. And I know the rent of both homes is double my mortgage. OK, so not everyone is able to get a mortgage. Not everyone is in a position to buy a home and maybe doesn't want to buy a home. Maybe they know they need to be mobile for their job, or they're only here temporarily. But they shouldn't be punished with such a huge burden for their rent, so I don't know what the answer to that is. But I do think there needs to be more affordable housing and affordable rentals in the city.
Q: Do you think there should be more downtown businesses, and if so, what types?
A: Absolutely. I think there should be more downtown businesses. And I hope that in the near future, there will be more of a variety of downtown businesses. I mean, restaurants are great. Barbershops are great. You know, I would love to see more retail on the street.
Q: City Council already voted for a new police station. How do you feel about a new police station and its location?
A: I think it’s absolutely necessary for everyone involved. The location they chose wasn't my favorite location, but we spent a long time researching. They put together the task force and this was what they chose. So I think that, you know, you don't ask people's opinions and ignore them if that's what they think is best. And that's, you know, where it should be done.
Q: Do you think the police department needs more, less, or the same funding for what it needs to do?
A: I think things are going well with our police department. Personally, I haven't heard a lot of complaints. I know all of my interactions with the police, and I know I'm saying that a huge amount of privilege as a white woman, has been positive. That being said, I mean, nobody gets a blank check, right? So you need to be responsible for the funding of all of our departments and the police department. No exception.
Q: Do you feel that city taxes are fair for the amenities that taxpayers receive?
A: I do. Maybe this is going to be an unpopular answer for some people. No, I mean, nobody likes to pay taxes, let's be honest. Yeah, but that's the price we pay to be a part of society. I know that we have a bad snowstorm. I've got to dig out my driveway, but my street's going to get clear. I've got a big pile of leaves out front that my husband dragged out there, that the city can come to pick up. It's my responsibility to pay my fair share. It's the price we pay to be a part of society.
Q: Have you said everything you wanted to about running for council-at-large?
A: Yes.
