Candidates vie for Town Council and Town Justice in Le Roy
There are two town council seats and one town justice seat that Le Roy residents will vote for on Tuesday.
John Duyssen and Mike Welsh are running for town justice, and Ninja-Aileene Calhoun, James Farnholz, Dave Paddock and Rob Stiles are running for town council.
Duyssen is one of several generations that has lived in Le Roy, and does not plan on going anywhere. He has been an active member of law enforcement, working all crime levels from felonies to violations, successfully prosecuting many cases. He retired from the Sherriff’s Office two years ago and said the position seems like a good fit.
“I’m pretty well respected by all the law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and defense attorneys,” Duyssen said.
As a town justice, the best thing to do is interpret the law and be prepared, Duyssen said.
“We need an unbiased view, to interpret the law on a case by case basis, and be prepared for every case that enters the courtroom,” Duyssen said.
Duyssen said ethics and standards are important as a town justice.
“I have a very sincere interest in the protection of my community.”
Welsh has served as the incumbent judge in Le Roy for the past four years. He was also a member of the Genesee County Legislature for 21 years, the village attorney for 17 years, and a practicing attorney for 40 years.
“I like being the judge and I am trying to do a good and honorable job with it,” Welsh said.
If elected, Welsh would like to accomplish fairness and justice in Le Roy, making the community a safe and secure place.
“I think it’s a very good thing to do, to be the judge in the town,” Welsh said. “You can help the community, you can do justice by applying the law to the facts.”
It is important to Welsh, to not bring prejudice to the bench.
“I try to honor the Constitution of the U.S. and New York by applying the law,” Welsh said. “I want to be fair, not prejudice, and hear each case based on its merits, and I think I do that.”
Farnholz has lived in Le Roy for the last 30 years with his wife and two children. He taught Social Studies at Le Roy High School for 32 years and was the Le Roy teachers' associate president for many years, coaching football, wrestling and tennis.
“I always enjoyed Le Roy and love working for the community,” Farnholz said. “Le Roy is a great community.”
As the teachers' association president, Farnholz said he has experience negotiating contracts, working with budgeting, personnel and other issues, which will help him serve the community well.
“As with any community there are certainly things and issues that need to be addressed and I thought I could help to address those issues,” Farnholz said. “Our main focus is to be fiscally responsible.”
Although Stiles and his wife both work in Rochester daily, they live in Le Roy. Stiles has worked for an asphalt maintenance company and owns his own snow removal business.
“We always get questioned on why we did it, and we say, ‘We just love our town,’ ” Stiles said.
He was approached by the mayor to run after there was a last-minute vacancy on the ticket.
“[Greg Rodgers] needed someone to run, and though I would be interested and that I was qualified,” Stiles said.
With his business experience, Stiles said he would like people to understand that there are consequences to changes in a business.
Multiple attempts were made to reach candidates Ninja-Aileene Calhoun and David Paddock, and they did not make themselves available for an interview.
