Oswego Chamber of Commerce Hosts Village Candidate Forum

The Oswego Chamber of Commerce hosted the Village of Oswego board member candidate forum Wednesday evening at Village Hall.

There are seven candidates running for three open seats.

Candidates opened the forum with a one-minute statement about their platform. Their responses included (in order of appearance, done through random drawing):

Scott Volpe: I’m proud to have been able to hold true to my campaign promises… I’ve saved residents and businesses millions of dollars annually. Let’s all team up to protect Oswego’s heritage and future.

Ken Duda: Why do I want to do this? Because I care. I bring accountability and success. As a board we need to have a meaningful discussion… and need to realize that you’re never going to please everyone.

Judy Sollinger: The first time I ran for office… was because of an editorial by Roger Matile that said, “make a difference.” I feel like I’m making a dfference now. I’ve seen a lot of changes over the years, we’ve made a lot of improvements, and I would love to see us do more.

Pam Parr: I get government. I get fiscal responsibility. I also get the difference between what you say and what you do. I’m pro-Oswego, pro-planning, pro-business and I can prove it.

Ryan Kauffman: I’m running because I have the business experience that will help ensure the growth of our town. I want  to speed up the development of the Oswego train station, lower property taxes, restart the Oswego Economic Development…

Jeff Lawson, running as an incumbent, was not able to make the forum due to an emergency at work, said Oswego Chamber of Commerce president Steve Hatcher. Candidate Scott Finkenbinder, who if elected would only be on the board until he relocated in June, did not attend. 

Candidates were then each asked the same four questions by moderator Sandy Benson, a director at the Oswego Chamber of Commerce.

The four questions with a one-minute time limit included:

• What would you have the village do to entice businesses to locate or expand in Oswego?
• What effect do you think an additional sales tax levied by the school district would have on the Village?
• There have been numerous studies over the years that have identified community priorities. What are top priorities you would like to see accomplished during your term as trustee?
• With the increased traffic on state route 30 it would seem advisable to complete the infrastructure for Kendall point industrial park for the long awaited second access route. Do you agree with this observation, and if so, what role should the village play in bringing the project to completion?

The forum was livestreamed and can be viewed here on the Village's website.