The position:
The Schuyler County Legislature is the county’s policy-making and appropriating body. It consists of eight part-time legislators elected from eight districts, each serving four-year staggered terms with term limits. Legislators represent county residents by establishing local laws, setting policy, and approving the county budget.
District area: Schuyler County Legislature District 6 cover parts of the towns of Dix and Reading and parts of the village of Watkins Glen.
Term & salary: Four-year staggered terms with term limits
Each candidate was asked to limit answers to 100 to 150 words. WSKG cut answers at the 150 mark. If you would like more details about a candidate’s answer to a question, their contact information is provided in this Voter Guide.
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Candidate: Craig Bond
What is the most pressing issue facing Schuyler County and Legislative District 6?
“Being able to afford a good life is the most pressing issue across Schuyler County right now in all of our districts.”
Party affiliation: Democratic, Common Sense Schuyler
Campaign contact information: craigbond.sclegis6@gmail.com
District Resident: “Yes”
WSKG Q&A:
How important is the working relationship between the county legislature and the county administrator? What will you do to address conflict between the two offices and keep the county residents informed of progress or challenges in the county and Legislative District 6?
It is vital that the legislature work hand in hand with the county administrator. The county administrator manages the daily operations and implements the policies that the legislature makes. The Legislature must ensure that the laws and policies they enact benefit the constituents of the county. They must work closely with the county administrator to make sure the budget is workable and addresses the needs of the people.
I find that the conflict comes from three main issues that the two offices face, they are time, staffing and not having enough money to address the problem.
You need the right number of staff to complete the tasks, with enough pay for the employees. It is important to address challenges without increasing taxes on an already high tax zone. Time needs to be dedicated toward budget oversight and day-to-day operations, while still having your eye looking forward to the long game…[WSKG Note: Candidate answer exceeded the 150 word limit]
What actions should the county take to mitigate the cost of state mandated programs that are not reimbursable and passed on to the taxpayers?
With cuts from the state for programs, counties usually have to find creative ways to address shortfalls in programs. Often times, counties have no choice but to fund these operations through locally raised revenue, which is usually an increase in property taxes (which is NOT the answer). I would suggest looking at grant funding, increased revenues from tourism receipts, and any reserve funds that the county is holding. The key is to NOT pass this burden on to property owners in the form of increased taxes. Right now, residents of Schuyler are feeling the ripple effect of inflation and the impact of the Iran war. The last thing we want to do is to cut county staffing or cut needed infrastructure goals (like road and bridge repair work). I look forward to reviewing the budget in a thoughtful and deliberate way, along with the county administrator and key county staff,…[WSKG Note: Candidate answer exceeded the 150 word limit]
What role, if any, should the county play in appointments to the Schuyler County Industrial Development Agency (SCIDA) board and public information regarding business opportunities and contracts in the county through the SCIDA? How will you maintain transparency at the SCIDA? What are projects spearheaded by the SCIDA that should be kept from the public?
Currently there is a county legislature that is a voting member of the SCIDA, and according to their website the legislature appoints all of the 7-member board. I believe that the county legislature should be a member of the SCIDA, but perhaps as an Ex-Officio role. This would allow for participation and review, without a conflict of interest in the day-to-day role of this organization. Allowing budget supervision, project acknowledgement and transparency. With any board position, a member must have duty of care, duty of loyalty, and duty of obedience. As long as the legislature keeps these basic governance rules in mind, I feel that SCIDA will be successful and will continue to help guide county goals.
How will you build and maintain businesses in the county and Legislative District 6?
The Watkins Glen Area Chamber of Commerce and Finger Lakes Gateway (previously SCOPED) are two well-oiled organizations that promote both tourism and new business growth. The chamber has been highly effective in building tourism within the region and continues to strive to bring in new businesses to the area. Finger Lakes Gateway has a great focus on economic and business development. Their work that was completed through Downtown Revitalization Initiatives funds has been a real game changer for the area. As part of county oversight, both groups bring about projects and recommendations to the full Legislature for consideration. I look forward to aiding these two entities with bringing a critical eye toward effective and efficient programming.
What role do Flock-type cameras, AI-powered license plate readers and automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) play in public safety in Schuyler County and what is the overlap, if any, with citizen privacy rights? Do you support the county implementing the use of Flock-type cameras, AI-powered license plate readers and ALPRs and any expansion of such devices in the future? How many does Schuyler County currently have?
I have mixed feelings about flock-type cameras, as I have heard directly from law enforcement that having the ability to track license plates has helped to solve crimes more quickly. The other argument is that the use of these nationally may lead to infringement on personal liberties. I do feel that any use of this type of technology should be regulated so that they are only used to solve crimes after they occur. They should NOT be used for proactive surveillance and tracking. I would want to hear directly from our County Sherrif’s office about the effectiveness of the ten (10) cameras that are currently being used to gain more understanding of both arguments around this issue.
What is your tax policy for the county and how will you implement the policy while maintaining services to residents in your district?
As a potential county legislator, an effective tax policy means maximizing the county revenues from tourism while [stiving] to not increase property tax for county residents. My strategy is to leverage tourism revenues from places like the Watkins Glen State Park, the Finger Lakes Wine Trail, and Watkins Glen International; whereby visitors fund county infrastructure through dollars spent within the Region. This should help to keep tax increases for homeowners to a minimum (as they already seem high).
What is the most pressing public health issue facing Schuyler County residents today?
The current outbreak of measles within the area has many people concerned about public health and safety. My husband works in healthcare with a focus on infection prevention, so many of our conversations of late have been around the recent outbreak of measles for unvaccinated residents within our area. Gone are the days of herd immunity to this disease, which we would achieve when we reach a 95% or better vaccination rate. Currently our immunity rate falls between the 53% to 58% range. Education around this issue is paramount, as we once thought we had this disease eradicated.
Neighboring Steuben County placed a six-month moratorium on new permits for sewage sludge spreading on farms, crops, and land. It has been shown to contain pollutants like PFAS forever chemicals that are toxic to people and wildlife. How does Schuyler review its biosolids use policy/s and place regulations on public/private permits for the use of municipal sludge within the county or whether it is sold to be used outside of the county? Should there be more regulation or deregulation on this topic for the county?
In 2025 the DEC made the banning of sludge and sewage based spreading pollutants a priority. This has brought attention to this issue and much more public awareness around contamination of water, soil and air quality within our county. More testing needs to occur and a review of what implementing a ban does to our agricultural residents and businesses. Clearly, with the War in Iran affecting gas prices (particularly diesel fueled equipment at local farms) this has to carefully be weighed. AI Data Centers are also a key issue within the area as I want to protect our clean water and the natural surroundings of Seneca Lake from pollution. I want to maintain existing farmland from being purchased for other initiatives and can see the correlation between these issues and the higher prices at grocery stores. These issues are interwoven and I want to hear more directly from our farmers…[WSKG Note: Candidate answer exceeded the 150 word limit]
Rural hospitals are at risk of discontinuing services and/or closing. Cayuga Health and Centralus Health are among those with longstanding operations and facilities in the county. These health care providers operate the only hospital in the county and are amongst some of the largest employers. How will you ensure the county maintains access to health care, senior care and nursing facilities as counties face staggering funding losses due to the OBBBA?
One way of protecting hospitals from closing is to give them a critical access status. Currently State and Federal review of our hospitals has designated that Schuyler Hospital has achieved this designation. With that said, many changes have happened with changes at the State and Federal level, and we have to continue to monitor upcoming legislation that may affect us locally. What I believe is happening, is that several hospitals are merging and restructuring currently, including Arnot Health, Cayuga Health, the former Schuyler Hospital under an umbrella of Centralus Health. Hospital leadership’s intention is to right-size the organization and to still serve the community within the region. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed in law on July 4, 2025, does hurt Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. A review on how we can support those that have had reductions in coverage, those that may be losing health care altogether,…[WSKG Note: Candidate answer exceeded the 150 word limit]
How would you address housing demand vs. supply in Schuyler County and Legislative District 6? What are ways the state and county can serve vulnerable populations affected by homelessness and unscrupulous landlords?
Research online shows that both Catholic Charities of Chemung and Schuyler Counties are showing that the length of stay in temporary shelters has nearly tripled since the Global Pandemic. Many people are struggling with finding permanent and affordable housing. I have also heard from landlords that have had their properties defiled by less that attentive renters. My approach would be to look at supporting both sides of the issue.
I would like to try to incentivize property upkeep and affordable rental rates before friction begins between the two opposing groups that end up within the courts. Rental rates are outrageous for many residents, and many landlords are also needing protection from destroying property. I know that organizations like Schuyler County Habitat for Humanity are truly trying to help address affordable housing, especially within our neighboring District 5 with the advancement of a twenty-two (22) home sub-division near the Odessa High…[WSKG Note: Candidate answer exceeded the 150 word limit]
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Candidate: Louis Perazzini
Party affiliation: Republican
Campaign contact information: zini1957@gmail.com
WSKG Q&A:
Louis Perazzini did not respond to the WSKG Voter Guide questionnaire.