GUILDERLAND — Patricia Slavick, who works for the state, in finances, is running for her fourth four-year term on the town board.
She hopes to serve at least one more term in order to complete some of the projects the town has been working on for the past several years, including sidewalk installation on Route 146, drainage in McKownville, and zoning law reformation.

“One of the biggest concerns of our residents is taxes, and the board has done a good job of keeping taxes down,” she said.

As a private citizen, said Slavick, she might speak out about separate taxing jurisdictions, but as an elected official, she wouldn’t.

“Our role is to address town taxes — those include highway, water, and sewer — and I don’t think it would be appropriate to share opinions on taxes we are not responsible for,” she said.

The town court, she said, has many safety precautions already in place. There is a metal detector, the back doors to the town hall are locked, there are court attendants, and there is an officer in the court, she said.

“We’ve never had an incident that I’m aware of,” she said. “It seems to me we do have adequate protection there.”

Slavick said the Tractor Supply Company store going up on Western Avenue, near Route 146, should attract new businesses into the area.

“Depending on the business, I think some empty locations could be used, but it would depend on the type of business and the traffic volume it would generate,” she said.

Slavick said she thinks things are turning around for the economy, and businesses are being encouraged, but it is about finding the right business for the right location.

“I encourage economic development, it is good for the tax base, and it is good for the town as a whole,” she said.

Slavick said that Guilderland’s drinking water is tested daily, and the residents deserve quality water.

“It would take millions of dollars to do a total cleanup,” she said. “It would be up to Watervliet to initiate that, and we’d need to have a firm plan in place to utilize any grant money.”

“I think our town is doing more with less the best that it can, while providing the quality services that it does,” said Slavick.