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Village of Caledonia New trustees
unopposed Voters in the Village of Caledonia election on March 18 won’t be faced with much of a decision as both candidates for trustee, Republicans Scott DiLiberto and Jerry O’Donoghue, are running unopposed for the two seats being vacated by Republicans Steve Boscoe and Diane Fowler. Incumbent Village Justice Mark Riggi, also running unopposed, is a familiar name on the ballot, however this time, his name appears on the Republican party line, rather than the Democratic, where he’s been for the past 16 years. He says his change in political party affiliation will not change the way he handles court cases. "It’s the alignment of my beliefs. The Republican Party fits me better," the 49 year old Riggi explained, adding that most people know he is a conservative at the bench. "If someone does something wrong, they need to pay the price. I believe that you must do the right thing. That’s conservative in my eyes," Riggi said. He takes pride in being able to positively affect some of the people he sees in his court, especially young adults. Riggi says there is a lot of fulfillment to his job when he can offer help to someone. "You hope they’ll take advantage of it and get back on track." In his 16 years on the bench, the village justice says he’s seen a rise in violent crimes. A decade ago, the majority of village court cases were vehicle and traffic in nature. He says local justices need to become stronger to handle the increase in criminal cases being seen in village courts throughout the county. Riggi owns RMR Sales, a company that sells commercial, industrial and residential heating, cooling and ventilation equipment. He’s also president of the Livingston County Girls Basketball Officials and holds positions on the NYS Women’s Basketball Officials and the NCAA Softball/Baseball Officials. He is a past president and vice-president of the New York State Magistrates Association. He was reelected in November 2007 to a fourth term as the Town of Caledonia Justice. He and his wife Cecelia have three daughters, Alicia, Kristina, both adults and Vanessa, an 8th grader at Cal-Mum CS. Scott DiLiberto and Jerry O’Donoghue, both 35 years old, are the two newcomers in this election. They are young married family men concerned about the future of their hometown. O’Donoghue says he wants to do what he can to lead Caledonia into a future where the village thrives and services can be maintained which leads to a desirable quality of life for residents. DiLiberto agrees and says he’ll look for ways to expand the tax base in the village so that residents can continue to enjoy a good quality of life here. He says well planned growth is necessary if the village is to continue to thrive. "We can still be a small, quaint village, but let’s be one that thrives," DiLiberto commented. O’Donoghue says in order to achieve a managed growth and subsequent thriving community; a trustee must make decisions for the collective good of the village. He says public input must always be welcome by village board members. "The people are providing the money, they should always be heard," O’Donoghue said. Both candidates say that residents wishing to have their ideas heard should request to be added to the agenda so that constructive two-way conversation can take place. DiLiberto and his wife Danielle have two sons, Zachary and Evan. O’Donoghue and his wife Tammy also have two sons, Matthew and Adam.
Republican Scott DiLiberto
Republican Jerry O’Donoghue
Incumbent Village Justice Mark
Riggi
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