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        Mike Welch is running for Village of Elba Mayor

Hello. My name is Michael Welch. I am running for the office of Mayor this coming Tuesday March 19^th, and I would like to ask for your vote!

My wife and I have lived in Elba for over 5 years. While we’re relative newcomers to Elba, we love our life here. I grew up as a big city kid in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My wife grew up in Buffalo.  Now that we’re a little older and our kids are grown, we have come to love the small village life of Elba with its rural community and “small town” atmosphere. We love the Onion Festival, the parades, the free concerts in the park, and the yard sale days.                                                                                                                                                                

Why do I want to be Mayor?

I would like the opportunity to serve the community I love. It’s as simple as that. I am an enthusiastic resident of Elba, excited about the possibility of serving the people of our village as mayor. I am committed to keeping the special character of our village alive, and making it shine even brighter!

My qualifications?

I have worked for years as a supervisor in the pharmaceutical and retail industries. I was an EMT and volunteer firefighter for many years. I am currently the chairman of the Town of Elba Zoning Board of Appeals. I am a Committeeman for the Conservative Party of Genesee County here in Elba (dist. #1).

The focus of my campaign:

1. Honest and open leadership.
2. Bring more communication of Elba government & local events to the residents of Elba. I want everyone to know what’s going on in our community--from new laws being considered, to community yard sale days.
3. Bring government, law enforcement, fire/rescue, high school, and residents together to work on emergency preparedness for our community. This would include offering CERT classes, and even possibly, run mass casualty exercises here in the community—in order to make our community safe.
4. Bring small businesses back to Main Street.
5. Bring the Onion Festival back to the park.

Please contact me with support, questions or concerns. (585) 813-8606, mwelch13@rochester.rr.com

Please Vote Tuesday, March 19^th 

On Tuesday March 19,2013 elect Scott Schuler for Mayor of Elba NY. Scott current acting Mayor is a life long Elba resident and Elba Businessman. Scott has served many years as a Trustee for the Village of Elba. Scott has many plans for improvements to the Village including street improvements, looking into county wide water, working closely with the Town of Elba and the Elba Volunteer Fire Department. On Tuesday 03/19/13 vote for Scott Schuler.

Bart Dentino, founder of We R 3C Inc. — “Creating Caring Communities” — will be the featured speaker at the Pasta for Peace free spaghetti dinner at 6:30 p.m. March 19 at First Presbyterian Church, 300 East Main St., Batavia.

One aim of the Creating Caring Communities program is motivating people of all ages to “develop intrinsic motivation to treat others with kindness, compassion, and generosity,” said Dentino, who lives in Elba.

The We R 3C program is helpful for older people as well as school-age children. “As a matter of fact some of my favorite uses of the curriculum is with multi-generational groups,” he added. “Watching and listening to them share with each other and learn about each other is a joy.”

The We R 3C curriculum teaches skills associated with “pro-social” behaviors and their relationship to kindness, compassion, forgiveness and bullying, and sets people in motion to create caring communities, Dentino said. Established in 2011, the focus is now to begin making people aware of its existence, garner support in the educational community and get the program into the hands of as many people as possible.

Bob Purifico, the organization’s chief executive officer, helped to create and led, as CEO and director, two international, creative problem-solving programs for 30 years. “The two organizations were Odyssey of the Mind, which many schools in this area have participated in, and Destination Imagination,” Dentino said. “Each of these organizations reached into all 50 states and 40-plus countries world wide.”

The We R 3C program has been piloted for the past two years in a variety of schools and organizations.

“It is changing the relationships of the people who have participated in it for the positive and causing them to take what they’ve learned and apply it to the communities that they take part in on a daily basis,” Dentino said.

 “The three areas that we’ve determined are the initial groups that we’d like to reach out to are schools, faith-based groups and youth organizations,” Dentino said. “We have had interest from the business, home-school and special needs organizations and will expand into those areas in the future.”

We R 3C has also met with several people from the state Department of Corrections who expressed an interest in using the curriculum to help incarcerated offenders make a successful transition to living productively in the community at large, he said.

“We’ve had teachers say, upon completing sessions for their classrooms, that the methods and skills that it teaches have improved their relationships with their parents, spouses and children at home,” Dentino said. “It’s been called a ‘revolutionary’ approach to relationship and community building and it’s unique and effective approach to bullying behavior.”

Dentino said We R 3C is available for programs in Genesee County.

The Pasta for Peace program seeks to reduce violence and promote respect by increasing awareness throughout the community. While the March 19 dinner is free, a free-will offering is appreciated.

Pasta for Peace is sponsored by Pax Christi Genesee County (Paxchristiwny.com). Pax Christi is rooted in the Catholic Peace Movement, but operates locally on an interfaith basis. Questions regarding the Pax Christi or the Pasta for Peace Program may be directed to wprivett.paxchristi@gmail.com.