BATAVIA/Homelessness, affordable housing key topics of ILGR candidate forum

BY MIKE PETTINELLA
For Video News Service

As could be expected considering the venue, homelessness – specifically the need for a warming center for people without a place to live – and affordable housing were recurring topics during Tuesday’s Meet the Candidates Day at the Independent Living of the Genesee Region, 319 West Main St., Batavia.

Sixteen candidates for nine local government positions participated in the forum, which began at 11 a.m. and ended around 2:45 p.m. Each political hopeful had 15 minutes to talk about his or her background and positions on issues affecting life in the county.

ILGR is part of the Western New York Independent Living Inc. Family of Agencies, a nonprofit regional advocacy, service, and program provider for individuals with mental, physical, sensory, intellectual or developmental disabilities. Its goal is to help those with disabilities to live as they choose — free from institutional care and restrictive environments.

Data provided by the ILGR revealed that 448 people received homeless services in Genesee County from October 2024 through September 2025. The agency also reported that a survey conducted by the Cold Night Café steering committee showed an 88 percent favorable response for the creation of safe space for people to shelter overnight when the weather is 32 degrees or below.

The Cold Night Café project is comprised of community organizations, including Oak Orchard Health, Department of Social Services, Batavia First Presbyterian Church, and ILGR, as well as individual members.

ILGR specialists Rebecca Batt and Kahlil Simon posed questions about homelessness, the warming center and affordable housing.

Brief summaries of the candidates’ talks follow. The Meet the Candidates Day video is available for viewing at www.youtube.com/user/WNYIL.

He also called for a more balanced budget – property taxes “are taxing us out of our houses,” he said – and better communication and more transparency from city hall.

On homelessness, DiSalvo said he was in favor of a warming center and questioned why some on city council are opposed to it. He said Ellicott Station, the 55-unit unfinished building on Ellicott Street, could be “a great resource for people.”

When asked about zoning changes in the city to facilitate lower income housing initiatives, he said that would be beneficial “as long as it’s helping and not hurting people.”

DiSalvo called for a return of community events, such as the July 4^th Picnic in the Park, which have “disappeared over the years.”

She charged the current council “complacent,” adding that she has not seen any campaigning or signs from her two opponents in the race for two council seats.

On the issues, Hanes mentioned the need for public water and called for better communication – “We have to make an effort to talk to people,” she offered.

A resident since 1992, she said people look at the term “affordable housing” as a curse. “They (current council members) don’t even say the words,” she said.

Running for the third time, the 28-year Stafford resident encouraged people to get out and vote to bring reform to a board that hands out raises “like Tic-Tacs,” isn’t accessible and doesn’t follow open meeting laws. She said she frequently uses the Freedom of Information Law to obtain information – having to wait the full 20 days to get a response.

She noted that the tax rate is increasing every year — expected to jump to $2.02 per thousand of assessed value in 2026 – and that the town has paid out more than $100,000 in attorneys fees “and we’re not done yet.”

On the dispute between James Pontillo and the board over the former’s historic property at Routes 5 and 237, she said the town needs “a credible, ethical and honest code and zoning person.” She said she hasn’t agreed with Pontillo’s position on everything but did say that the board has “stonewalled him” for years.

On the topic of a warming center, he said he thought the Department of Social Services does an adequate job of placing people, and was concerned about the vetting the volunteers due to the vulnerability of homeless people.

He said city leaders are looking at a range of affordable housing options, mentioning Ellicott Station, the former Continental School of Beauty building and “the higher end” downtown apartments. He said he is all for zoning reforms.

ILGR staff asked him about city representation on committees affecting the agency and he said he would look into it, offering to fill the spot himself if necessary.

Jankowski acknowledged that the city misses the boat at times on following up to residents’ concerns, noting that “people want closure.”

On taxes, he said the city tax rate has dropped from $10.71 to $8.46 over the past 12 years and that includes adding $1 million to the tax levy.

He said he would represent Batavia as a whole, calling residents “all friends and neighbors,” much in the way of his 7-year-old son’s “blended classroom” at John Kennedy School, comprised of pupils of all levels of abilities.

Lord called for better communication between city government and its citizens, and maintaining a balanced budget while making sure “we deliver quality services.”

He encouraged people to get in touch with him at any time, hoping that being on city council affords him more of an opportunity to help people out.  On housing, he simply said more is needed and on a warming center, he said it was worth exploring, preferably as an entry point to more services.

He received pushback from ILGR employees when he said that mental health problems was a key factor in homelessness. Rae Frank, ILGR director, countered by saying that the top reason was the person’s financial situation, not drug addiction or mental health.

On zoning, Richmond agreed that “certain sections” in the city could be rezoned, calling for private and grant money to assist in more housing options.  He said the city already is seeing what can be done with structures such as the Brisbane Mansion (former City Hall), Wiard Plow building on Swan Street and sites on Liberty Street.

He said he supports a warming center – “If the church wants to do it, great,” he said – and changing zoning laws, adding that “if it meets all the criteria, it shouldn’t have been a problem.”

On running for the legislature, he said it was time for him to move on after 13 years, and said he was pleased that Lord, “a young man,” was running for city council at-large.

“You can stay in a position too long; you just run out of new ideas,” he said about his position on city council. “I think I can do some good (on the legislature). I know the district very well and I’ve seen a lot of changes in the district.”

Bialkowski mentioned the new playground equipment at Austin Park and said he wanted to make sure any of the used equipment that still is in good shape could be installed at Kibbe Park.

ALEXANDER TOWN COUNCIL – Brenda Post (D)

Post, a longtime employee in the human services field, most recently at UConnectCare, said she’s pleased that Alexander voters have a choice “for the first time in decades and decades” of one-party (Republican) control.

She said she attends board meetings and notices that “everybody is on the same page; everybody goes the same way.” This isn’t always good for the residents, she said, calling for more discussion of the issues, such as taxes, strategic planning and contracts.

Post said she has met some people that react strangely when she tells them she’s running as a Democrat (four people are running for two seats) but many others who respond by saying, “I vote for the person and not the party.”

Asked about how people should think about Alexander, she said residents value their farmers – “We need them and rely on them,” she offered – and that the community is full of people who care about their fellow citizens …”

ALEXANDER TOWN COUNCIL – Sarah Kohl (D)

Also running on the Democratic ticket, Kohl echoed Post’s thoughts on the contested race. She said she has attended town board meetings and hopes to use her skills in web development marketing and innovative problem solving to advance the town’s mission.

On the issues, she said it should be up to voters to decide about the creation of water districts, supported solar on a limited basis per town ordinance and looked forward to revising the town’s comprehensive plan that she said is “old enough to drink” having not been updated in 21 years.

A Darien native and RIT graduate, she said the town is looking into land conservancies, which give landowners rights to preserve for nature and wildlife proliferation. She also mentioned that she is on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals.

On issues, he brought up taxes – “We want them used for a good cause,” he said – as well as WNY STAMP in the Town of Alabama – “Stop throwing good money after bad,” he said – and the Genesee County Economic Development Center – “They make money on tax breaks they give out,” he said.

Plitt noted that residents of Darien and Pembroke pay more for their water, despite promises made over the years, and credited Gov. Kathy Hochul for helping communities out as much as possible.

On affordable housing, he said more is need, mentioning the county’s Smart Growth plan, but warned against being overrun by subdivisions. He like the idea of a warming center.

Finally, he urged people to vote and to run for office, stating, “There no secret code … there’s room for everybody.

He said he has the “passion and drive” to succeed and deeply cares about the plight of his neighbors. “I seek to digest information and form an opinion to the best of my ability,” he said.

Borrelli said the city “definitely” needs a warming center, agreeing with ILGR staff that homeless people are not drug addicts but victims of economic instability. He also called for cooling shelters in the summer for the elderly.

“It’s all why we can’t,” he said. “It should be how can we?”

He what people are charging for apartments in Batavia is “atrocious,” adding that young married couples can’t afford to own a house.

When asked about taxes, he replied, “No taxes,” drawing a laugh from the audience. “We have to control them and look for other revenue sources.”

She said she found value in talking one-on-one to Le Roy residents, who indicated a disconnect with their county legislator. She said she hopes to close the communications gap, calling engagement with constituents one of her priorities.

Mancuso said a warming center would be a “great idea,” noting that homelessness is up 25 percent from a few years ago. She also called upon the GCEDC to focus on lower income housing and to consider different types of opportunities at STAMP, which she said “is vacant for the most part.”

When told that New York State has contracted with a Georgia company for home health aide management, something that has caused numerous problems, she questioned why leaders would send money outside of the state.

She said her focus is on modernizing and organizing town records, setting standard operating procedures and responding to residents in a timely fashion. She said her responsibilities include registrar of vital statistics, local issuing agent for the Department of Environmental Conservation, and elections custodian.

Bartholomew attended the state Town Clerks Association annual training conference and has taken the position of secretary of the Genesee County Clerks Association. Currently, she said she is working on a new town website, Facebook page and becoming a notary public.

She said she is focused on fixing the delay in reimbursement to the county for advance payments for mandated services and programs in order to achieve a more balanced budget, helping the community’s senior population to “age in place” and making sure that mental health and special educations programs are fully funded in Genesee County.

Calhoun also stressed the importance of getting public water “to the last four corners of our area.”

She viewed a warming center as an “absolutely wonderful idea” – calling any pushback on that as “silly” — and supports more low income housing – “places for kids to stay here and grow their careers.”

On the construction of a data center at WNY STAMP, she said it’s “not the greatest idea,” adding that other parts of the country have rejected this due to noise pollution, environmental impact and cultural impact. She said local residents have made it known that it isn’t wanted here.

He said he is on several legislative and related committees, including STOP DWI, Criminal Justice Advisory Board and the Genesee 2050 steering committee. He mentioned the legislature’s effort in assisting ILGR through annual contributions and through the opioid settlement.

He called serving on the legislature “a juggling act” in that services have to be paid for in consideration of keeping taxes as low as possible. He said it’s not an easy job but he has the time since he is retired.

Another key area is the retention of county employees, Dibble said, adding that the county has looked at what other counties pay and have raised the compensation level in Genesee County in recent years.

Asked about homelessness, he said he has seen the problem first-hand and realizes that it has escalated – mentioning that he knows three or four people who are in that situation in Le Roy.

“I think that a warming center is a good idea. I do agree with the gentleman earlier who said that training is a must,” he said.

On low income housing, he said it was a good idea to spread it out as much as possible – and be on bus lines. “I think it’s good to integrate people into the community,” he added.

Lambert said the watershed (Oatka Creek) must be protected at the federal level … “and we need to do as much as we can at the local level to keep everything as clean as possible.” On taxes, he said to keep them low, infrastructure must be maintained.