Archive: News

Lansing voters came out in surprising numbers for two off-season votes this week.  More than 470 voters approved two Lansing School District capital projects on Monday, and 115 voted for fire commissioners the next day.  Robert Wagner was elected for a third fire commissioner five-year term.  Michael Day won the remaining three years in the fire commissioner seat vacated by Kimberly Spencer, who served about a year and two thirds of her five year term before resigning earlier this year.  George Gesslein won a second term as Fire District Treasurer.

While neither turnout was even close to the 5021 that came out for the November 4th election, the numbers were considered good for December votes.  Considering that typical Lansing Fire District elections only attract 30 or so voters, the turnout at Central Station Tuesday was remarkable.  The fire district opted to use paper ballots.  Voters were given a ballot after signing in, and recorded their votes behind a privacy screen before putting them into a metal ballot box.  School District voters used the old county lever voting machines at the Lansing/Groton Teacher Center in the elementary school.


Tuesday was a good night for incumbents.  Fire Commissioner Chairman Robert Wagner ran unopposed for a new five year term, handily winning the seat with 86 votes.  Four others received write-in votes.  Kristie Oplinger got 6, Michael Day 2, and Scott Walters and George Gesslein each got 1 vote.  Oplinger challenged Day for the three-year fire commissioner partial term, but Day won the seat 64 to 37, with Darin Buck getting 1 write-in vote.  Gesslein was challenged for Treasurer by Debra Milliman.  He won a second term 66 to 40.


School district voters were asked to approve two propositions, each with $0 additional tax impact.  The first authorized the Board of Education to spend a $410,509 New York State EXCEL grant on a $1,569,000 roof replacement for the Raymond C. Buckley Elementary School.  The rest of the project is to be paid for using state aid and $180,000 from the district's capital reserve fund.  Voters OKed the project 426 to 48.

The second proposition asked voters to OK an energy performance contract.  The contract, already signed by the School Board President Anne Drake authorises the  district to spend $6.4 million to replace infrastructure and equipment such as boilers with more energy efficient versions.  Adding $3,260,000 of state aid to the mix would mean almost $9 million in energy savings, bringing the district a positive savings of $2.5 million.

While there is no requirement for the school board to bring the contract to a vote, winning a 'yes' vote entitles the district to more than a half million dollars more in state aid, raising the positive savings to the district to more than $3 million.  Voters liked that idea, passing the proposition 417 to 53.

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