On Nov. 3, Rochester residents will vote on three open positions: town board member, town supervisor and highway superintendent. Two candidates are running for each position; this week we take a look at the town board race.

Lene Fornino, 24, is a clerk for the Ulster County Department of Motor Vehicles. She is running for office for the second time on the Republican and Conservative party lines. A lifelong town resident, Fornino is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Utica University.

Fornino said she learned a lot from her first campaign, including the importance of reaching out to unaffiliated voters and others who are “on the fence,” rather than focusing solely on party lines.

“I feel that with Heritage Day, it was a great place to communicate with people from different points of views,” Fornino said. “I feel that with all these positions, they have become very politicized, when it really shouldn’t be about that. It should be about the town.”

Fornino said her goals remain the same: reaching across party lines and getting young people involved in politics. As the youngest person running for office this year, she said many residents have responded positively.

Although she is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines, Fornino said she is “open to all opinions and ideas regardless of party line, because it’s for the well-being of the town and the people of the town.”

Affordability is a top issue on Fornino’s campaign agenda.

“What [the town’s] main concerns are, [from] what I’ve heard, is housing. A lot of issues also entail the highways and roads, which is more for highway superintendent, but the town board is the one that okay’s the budget for the highway,” Fornino said. “I think it’s important that ... a huge priority for the town in general is to make sure that we spend money wisely in terms of differentiating the wants and needs of the town.”

Regarding the town’s recent revaluation, Fornino said, “I believe everyone can agree that the town’s reval was done incorrectly and inaccurately.”

“Property assessments should be conducted fairly and thoroughly – which was not the case with this year’s reval and it’s the job of the assessor and their department to do exactly that,” Fornino said. “If allowed, the revals should have been reviewed prior to them being sent out to the people of the town and I feel that this situation would have never taken place.”

Fornino said she would like to increase transparency between the Town Board and residents by encouraging more people to attend meetings, share concerns and use the town’s website to stay informed.

“I think it’s important that we get young people involved, and I would love to be an outlet for the young people and show them and everybody that young people are capable,” Fornino said. “I care a lot about the town. I care about the people of the town. If it weren’t for the Town of Rochester and the people in the Town of Rochester, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Christian Wulf, 54, has lived in Rochester for 19 years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in arts, finance, banking and economics from State Business School in Hamburg, Germany, in 1995. Wulf is running as a first-time Democratic candidate.

Wulf has canvassed with the Democratic committee during several election cycles. When former board member Alexis Albaugh resigned earlier this year, he began considering being on “the other side of the equation.” He said his love for the area and desire to do what is best for the town motivated him to run.

Since then, he has visited local businesses, attended meet-and-greet events and gone door-to-door to speak directly with voters.

“What I’ve learned in the past and relative to my day job where I’m more on the sales and marketing side, is that it’s more about listening to people, what their concerns are,” Wulf said. “Of course, I have my own convictions and ideas for the town and for the future, but at the same time, I want to make sure that what I see and what I would like to see aligns with what the community members want to see.”

Wulf said residents have raised concerns about affordability, rising taxes, health care and road maintenance. He has also heard residents bring up national issues, including LGBTQ+ rights.

“What that means to me at the town level, while we don’t set national policy, [is] having an inclusive town government that embraces all parts of the community,” Wulf said.

Wulf hopes to draw on his 30 years of financial services experience to develop a 10-year financial plan for the town. He pointed to what he described as a “huge backlog on town infrastructure and building maintenance” that he believes needs to be addressed.

Wulf also supports “responsible and transparent development,” finding efficiencies in the town budget and improving communication between the Town Board and residents, particularly in the wake of the town’s revaluation controversy.

“Towns – and the country and the world – change, and I think what is important when you’re in the middle of that change and development is that we steer the town in the right direction,” Wulf said. “That we have development that is suitable for the town, that addresses needs and concerns of the community, and I think it’s important to be responsible and transparent around that.”

Wulf has a campaign website and social media page. He said his “virtual doors” are always open and that he welcomes input from residents and anyone interested in helping his campaign.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, with early voting underway through Sunday, November 1. Polling locations in the Town of Rochester are listed on the Ulster County Board of Elections website as follows: District 1 & 5 - Accord Fire Hall at 22 Main St, Accord; District 2 - First Municipal Bldg at 140 Samsonville Rd, Kerhonkson; District 3 - Rochester 2 Firehouse at 922 Samsonville Rd, Kerhonkson; and District 4 - Rondout Central School Admin Bldg at 122 Kyserike Rd, Accord. For more election information, visit https://elections.ulstercountyny.gov/.