Maria Sexton is the Democratic candidate for Vestal Town Supervisor. Sexton served as a police officer and a sergeant in the New York Police Department (NYPD) for 20 years, where she created and supervised a program that investigated animal cruelty cases. She also taught high school history for nine years and served as a United Federation of Teachers representative for seven years. Questionnaire responses have been edited for clarity.
1. What motivated you to run?
I started going to Vestal Town Board meetings because of a local issue. What I saw turned my stomach. The Town Supervisor — [John] Schaffer — was yelling at people, and the Board would listen to residents, then vote — unanimously — the opposite way.
On issue after issue, it was the same thing. The Board wouldn’t tell the residents what was going on, wouldn’t listen to them and would vote however they wanted, often against expert opinions.
It needs to change. I’m lucky to have found Glenn Miller and Robert Greene. They are both intelligent, educated people who are dedicated to serving the people of Vestal. Together we will ensure that the Town Board becomes completely transparent, welcoming resident input and ideas while dealing with our problems and considering new possibilities.
2. How does your background and previous experience make you a strong candidate for this position?
I am uniquely qualified for the position of town supervisor. I have a strong administrative background and extensive supervisory and field experience. I can, literally, write a plan, set up a budget for it and make it happen — directing, supervising and monitoring the entire operation.
I have extensive administrative experience — reading, analyzing and writing plans, reports and budgets that are hundreds of pages long. I have the ability, though, to break those reports down and make them short, accurate and readable, so that anyone can read and understand them easily. I organize and run meetings professionally, welcoming input and collaboration.
I have substantial experience supervising and managing personnel. I supervised my own personnel on a continuous basis for ten years and would supervise hundreds of personnel at a time during mobilizations. I also created a highly acclaimed program made up of 62 volunteers, supervising them, clearing bureaucratic roadblocks and articulating all of the good work that was accomplished.
Additionally, I have a tremendous amount of field experience. I planned for, and executed, the deployment of personnel and equipment, quickly and efficiently in large, small, planned and unplanned operations. On patrol, I have extensive experience handling violent crimes, individual crisis situations — both mental and emotional — and medical emergencies, emphasizing tactics, de-escalation and problem solving. I also have extensive counterterrorism training and experience and have a thorough knowledge of the law and its practical application.
In summary, I have the skills, experience, ability and most importantly, the dedication to become the next town supervisor.
3. What do you believe are the biggest issues facing your constituents, and how do you plan to address them?
The biggest issues for our residents are rising taxes, inflated assessments, irresponsible rezoning and a Town Board that doesn’t act in the best interests of the residents.
The budget
We plan to reassess the budget — eliminating waste, increasing efficiency and controlling costs, while still protecting our town workers. We will do it completely transparently, with maximum resident input. Town workers will have a better, more professional, supportive work environment. They will be truly respected and appreciated and will have a real say in everything that is done.
Assessments
The residential property assessments in Vestal have been raised three times in the last [four] years. As a consequence, they are inflated and not indicative of the real value of our houses. Our plan will decrease them, reassessing them as the market goes down and never reassessing if the market goes back up. We will bring the assessments under control and establish them at more reasonable levels.
Rezoning
The Town Board has been rezoning areas irresponsibly, often against expert opinions, hurting residents while benefiting businesses and large developers. That needs to stop. We will develop a comprehensive plan that will ensure that development is encouraged, but only in appropriate places, never at the expense of our residents. Any rezoning that is proposed will be considered publicly, with real input from the residents and fully respecting their wishes.
Lack of transparency and input
Currently the residents cannot see what the Town Board is doing and do not have a say in anything that is done. There is no accountability. [Miller], [Greene] and I will ensure complete transparency and maximum resident input in everything that we do, including videotaped meetings posted on the website, detailed minutes and electronic surveys — with an in-person option. All the residents will be able to see everything that the board does and have a real say in it. Additionally, we will be proactive, considering new ideas and possibilities, including flood mitigation, utilizing technology, establishing a comprehensive plan and improving relations with Binghamton University, the Vestal Library and the schools.
4. Many students and community members are concerned about increasing prices, including housing and household essentials. How do you plan to address these concerns?
Unfortunately, the town cannot control inflation, however we can do our best to help our residents and [BU] students cope with it.
Our plan includes controlling taxes for residents by reassessing the budget, eliminating waste and increasing efficiency. That does not eliminate the problem, of course, for our residents [who] live in apartments or [BU] students, so ensuring affordable sources of food and essentials will be a priority.
Vestal has a number of businesses that offer food and other essentials at minimal cost — Aldi, Walmart, dollar stores, discount clothing stores, [and] others. They’re located on the Vestal Parkway and are accessible by either bus or car. We will establish communication with the existing local businesses, so that their issues and problems can be resolved, and we will encourage new businesses that provide affordable food and services to come to Vestal.
Also, in our comprehensive plan, we will designate areas in which we encourage the development of affordable housing — apartments and small houses.
Lastly, I would work with our police department and our schools to identify families or individuals that are housing or food insecure. We will encourage them to apply for assistance from state, county and private outreach services and will assist them with paperwork and following up as needed.
5. Why should students and young people vote for you?
First, and most importantly, we will listen to them. If they have a problem or an idea, we will listen to it, consider it and respond. If we need to take action to help them or implement an idea, then we will do it and keep them advised as it develops.
We will ensure continuous communication, cooperation, and collaboration with [BU], including students, faculty and administration, to resolve problems and coordinate on projects.
We will also encourage the establishment of programs that allow students to work or volunteer in Vestal and gain real-life experience in private businesses and town offices. We would encourage the schools to do the same. These opportunities would allow students to try working in the fields that they are considering for majors or gain real experience in the fields that they have already chosen.