BY JOSH ALCORN
With a population of roughly 2,800 people and situated around a beautiful waterfall, Honeoye Falls, NY has all the charm of small-town USA; coupled with a top ranked school district and numerous small businesses. The day to day operations at the governing level are wide ranging and sometimes very difficult.
These various responsibilities fall upon the village government to handle, specifically the mayor.
Richard Milne has served the community as a village trustee and currently as mayor.
“I work with Village staff, board members and business owners and residents to try to make positive improvements in the community. Some people say we do very well with that, others don’t agree, but that’s part of being a municipal official,” said Milne.
In addition, the village has projects underway to help better the community, including gaining valuable grant money to study “walkability, bike-ability, traffic, parking and the flow of our down-town business district in conjunction with the West Main Street and North Main Street business districts”.
Furthermore, initiatives to make use of the village hall memorial, improving downtown sidewalks, and revitalizing the viewing bridge of the falls are in motion.
When asked about important mandates for people to be aware of, Milne stated that the 2% tax cap is the most discussed. However, he went on to state that “when I speak with Mayors, Supervisors and Legislators from around the state, most will say the biggest issue is the lack of consistent state support…There are certainly funds being dispersed but not nearly enough. Many large projects are being funded, but in my opinion, our local towns and villages need more.”
Milne is very grateful to be the mayor of the village where he grew up.
“I feel blessed each and every day to have been part of this Village Municipality,” he said. “I have become very active in state organizations and was elected President of NYCOM in 2015, the first Village Mayor in Monroe County to attain this position. I’m very proud of that. I will have served as Mayor for 16 years at the end of this term, plus five years on the Village Board as a trustee. I believe that staying open to many different ideas is key to success and also understanding that there are many others involved in the process. This is a wonderful community, I can only hope that other people will step up to take active roles and that when they do so, it will be for the right reason…for the love of their community and to keep the path forward, strong.”
