Story and photos by Julie Carasone
On Saturday afternoon at TF Browns, the Genesee County Libertarian Party held a meet and greet for candidates running for local office.
Deborah Kerr-Rosenbeck is running for Batavia City Council for the 3rd Ward and she is running against current City Council Member John Canale and Democratic candidate Nick Russo.
Kerr-Rosenbeck is running for the first time and says that she wanted to get more involved.
“I am currently on the zoning board of appeals and it gave me insight on government and maybe some things that need updating, changing and more attention and I would pay more attention to what is going on,” says Kerr-Rosenbeck.
One of the things she says she wants to do is to be more connected to residents. For example, during the summer when there is an issue with residents mowing their lawn.
“My plan would be if there is an issue in my ward and an issue with someone mowing their lawn, I would knock on their door and ask them if they needed help and try to connect them with someone that can help.”
“Nine times out of ten, its an elderly person or someone that is disabled or cannot do it due to medical issues. If someone checked on them first, instead of putting a notice on their door, giving them how many days and charging them $200 to do it, when I can find someone to do it for free or a small fee,” said Kerr- Rosenbeck.
Rosenbeck has lived in Batavia for 32 years, was Genesee County Youth Director for 25 years, and has 3 children that currently live in the area.
Josiah Berkemeier is running for the first time for Bethany Town Council. He is currently married and a farmer helping run the family farm.
“There are a variety reasons why I am running, one because I think its time for younger people to get involved. I would like to inspire younger people and show them that a younger person is running and its okay for them to run too,” says Berkemeier.
“I would ensure that the town board is looking out for the best interests of the residents, making sure what is going on is what the residents want and also the property rights of individuals are being protected as they have the right to things on their property within reason”.
Former Gubernatorial candidate, Larry Sharpe showed up at the event to support the local candidates and to also build support for the Libertarian Party.
“My goal is to have a county organization in every county of the state, to retain ballot access and never lose it again,” says Sharpe He spoke to the crowd about supporting local officials, voting gold, and building support for the Libertarian Party.
Duane Whitmer, the unofficial Libertarian 27th district Congressional Candidate, was also at the meet and greet to talk to residents on why he was running against current Congressman Chris Collins.
Whitmer says he noticed a lot of issues concerning veterans, the tax code for small businesses, and people leaving in droves from NY state and this is why he decided to run. Even though he is not the official candidate, “I want to reach out to as many people out there and get my name out there”.
Whitmer is a local small business owner in Hamburg, NY. He was born and raised in Franklinville, NY. He is a 2009 graduate of SUNY Fredonia with a degree in Accounting.
Colin McAllister, who is running for Genesee County Legislator District 8, was not available as he was away.
For more information on the Genesee County Libertarian Party you can go to Turn Genesee Libertarian Gold or Genesee County Libertarian Party on Facebook.
For any questions, email them at gclp.ny@gmail.com.