Pictured, from left, are candidates running with the Moving Owego Forward Party; they are Charles Plater, Fran VanHousen, Mike Baratta, Theresa Gosart and Rodney Marchewka. (Provided Photo)
With elections in the Village of Owego taking place on March 20, candidates are beginning to emerge. Last Friday, the Moving Owego Forward Party announced their candidates.
According to their platform, the candidates are striving for transparency and an interactive government.
Running for mayor with the Moving Owego Forward Party is Owego resident Mike Baratta.
And Baratta is no stranger to village politics. A resident of Owego since 2008, and a graduate of OFA, Baratta ran in the last election for trustee in the second ward. He was running under the Oak Tree Party.
And although he was narrowly defeated, Baratta’s love for the community keeps him involved in local politics.
“After we experienced a house fire in 2010,” said Baratta, “we decided to rebuild because we love our community.”
Running for trustee under the Moving Owego Forward Party is Charles Plater, who will be vying for the seat currently occupied by Earl Hartman in the 2nd Ward; Teresa Gosart is challenging Ed Morton for a trustee seat in the 1st Ward; Fran VanHousen will run against Mike Phelps for a trustee seat in the 3rd Ward; and incumbent Rodney Marchewka is running to maintain his seat as Clerk Treasurer.
The candidates for trustee are running for the first time except for Gosart, who ran with the Rebuild Owego Party in 2016.
As far as their interest in local politics, Gosart, who has been a resident of Owego for seven years, stated that they are against consolidation as there are only 12-chartered villages in New York, and Owego is one of them. She also feels that there are more grants out there that are available, and she would like to see the village become more aggressive in applying for some of them.
Plater, who is a 17 year resident of Owego and a member of the Owego Fire Department, stated that he would like to see the board meetings become more community friendly.
As part of this effort, the candidates, if elected, will be streaming the meetings live. Gosart also stated that they would hold work sessions one hour before the board meetings to allow active involvement.
Fran VanHousen is new to village politics, having lived in Owego and growing up in the Flats for much of her life. For VanHousen, she wants to see more energy brought back into the village.
“Our energy is that we love the village,” said VanHousen; this sentiment was echoed, as well, among all candidates.
The candidates will soon be hitting the streets with petitions for a run in the March election, and are encouraging community residents and businesses to get involved.
“We want to give active business owners a voice as well,” said Gosart.
As far as the village budget, Gosart stated that would be the first thing the mayor and trustees would look at if elected, and that they would try to find more revenue streams.
To learn more about the Moving Owego Forward Party, you can visit them on the web at movingowegoforward.com, or you can call Mike Baratta at (607) 744-2210 or Theresa Gosart at (607) 595-8072. You can also find them on Facebook.
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