To the Editor:
My name is Brian Sheridan; I’m writing to introduce myself as a candidate for Guilderland Town Board.

I am a pediatrician in Guilderland, and a partner at Schoolhouse Pediatrics. My daily experiences consistently provide opportunities for me to problem-solve, whether it is evaluating and treating my patients’ current needs or making sure our future generations have preventative care. This aspect of my life makes me uniquely qualified to represent you on the town board.

I decided to run for town board because I believe our town needs a change and new ideas to bring us together, as a community. Politics has become polarizing, and we currently seem to find ourselves “shouting at” one another, as opposed to listening to each other’s perspectives.  In order to find a solution to a problem or to create an initiative that could benefit our town, we need to listen and to collaborate.

In recent years, our town board has been operating in a “silo.” Guilderland residents are often not informed of the decisions that impact local neighborhoods until after the fact. The effective approach, for all involved, is to include the public and to educate them on the impacts of policy or projects prior to actions occurring. When elected, my focus will be public engagement, as that is the foundation for our democracy.

Local developments, such as Costco or the growth of apartment complexes, have created a division in our town. These projects impact certain neighborhoods more than others, but we are one community. The town government needs to protect the integrity of established neighborhoods.

The failure comes from the town of Guilderland master plan established two decades ago. A 20-year-old plan, with no updates, cannot be considered a plan for our future. We need a live document, created with the community members that is ever-changing to meet the current needs of the residents.

My running mate, Amanda Knasel, and I have a plan to move our town forward, with current residents and future generations in mind. Our plan will strengthen senior and youth programs, focusing on transportation and recreation.

It includes investing in our infrastructure — repairing roads, bridges, and making sure that all residents have clean drinking water. We must repurpose the dilapidated buildings along Western Avenue before we consider new projects.

Finally, we have a great need to upgrade town technology, thus increasing transparency so that we can focus on including the residents on the action of our town government.

I humbly ask that, in the upcoming election, you vote for change that will move our town forward. We have a great community, but we must always strive to be even better. It will take courage and leadership, and I am up for the challenge.

Brian Sheridan, M.D.

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Related story and candidates’ forum