Although he has lived in the town of Brookfield for about 20 years, Brookfield Supervisor John Salka said he could be considered a “newcomer,” since so many of his neighbors have lived there for generations. Nevertheless, Salka said he was honored when he was made Brookfield Central School District’s school board president for four of his seven years of service, and most recently he was elected to the position of town supervisor.
Now, Salka, the director of cardiac and pulmonary services at Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton, is in the final stretch of his first term as supervisor and running for re-election. Salka has filed with the Madison County Board of Elections as an endorsed Conservative, Independent and Republican candidate for the Nov. 3 election. Proud to be the first non-Brookfield native to assume both positions, Salka said he is hoping to be re-elected to continue some projects that he and the board have already commenced.
Much like his campaign motto for his current term, Salka said he sees more change for Brookfield on the horizon. In his opinion, Salka said a good example of the “changing times” in the town is the fact that he was elected to represent the town as supervisor, even as a “newcomer.”
“There are two ways to look at change,” Salka said. “Accept it and use it or it will happen anyway.”
Salka said he wants to lead the town into the next year with positive change. Currently, Salka and the Brookfield Town Board have been exploring land purchase plans for a 19-parcel subdivision of farms that were run by second or third generation family members.
Although some Brookfield residents have voiced opposition to selling the farmland to “out-of-towners” or in some cases, out-of-state buyers, Salka said that the families selling the land “weren’t making ends meet and found this as a good opportunity.”
“I don’t think there is much of an option to keep these offers out,” Salka said. In most cases, Salka said the buyers might purchase the land to build cabins or single residences, or the purchases are made as an investment and possibly leave the land untouched.
One of the larger buyers, according to Salka, is a contractor’s company out of Green, N.Y. that specializes in residential projects.
Other than real estate advances for Brookfield residents that can no longer maintain the upkeep for a farm or a large amount of acres, Salka said the “tax revenue and the high demand for good inexpensive land” affects the town as a whole.
While new faces could appear in the town with land sales, Salka said he sees “Brookfield going through change as new homes have been built around residents,” who are unaccustomed to having neighbors in clear sight from their home.
“The land is inexpensive and the quality of life is good, it’s very good,” Salka said.
Working to bring the southern tier of Madison County into the mix, Salka said he feels his position on the Madison County Industrial Developmental Agency Board of Directors has helped him to do just that. Salka is a board member and serves on the board’s audit committee. Salka also serves on several sub-committees for social services and mental health, to name a few, as part of his position on the Madison County Board of Supervisors.
Even though Salka has lived in places as big as Boston and worked in Washington D.C. in the past, he said there is nothing like the farmland and the people.
Hoping to bring about more community appeal, Salka, the board and a Brookfield resident have launched a town Web site to invite community feedback and an increase of involvement from all ends of the town. The Web site brookfieldny.com contains information on upcoming events, local information and resources, as well as Salka’s reports to his fellow neighbors.
Because Brookfield is a large town, the largest in Madison County, Salka said he has alternated the location of the town board meetings so that more people can attend. Only when winter conditions increase, the meetings do not change locations, Salka said. For now, the board meets the second Monday of each month in Brookfield, North Brookfield and Leonardsville.
“I feel we’ve had record numbers of attendance to our meetings,” Salka said of the varying location. “We want to hear from you, we’ll come to you.”
For further communication, Salka utilizes a message board that is posted in front of Brookfield Town Hall that residents are welcomed to ask questions or post event information. Salka also said he keeps his door open for residents to voice comments or concerns. He currently holds office hours at town hall on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and every Saturday morning.
Salka also said that records on file at town hall are open to the public. “I have nothing to hide, the town has nothing to hide,” Salka said. “Residents can come to the office; have a cup of coffee and talk.” Salka said it’s important for Brookfield residents to feel comfortable reviewing a town record because it’s their taxpayer dollars and it’s their town’s government.
As the deadline for 2010 budgets nears, Salka said he is projecting a zero percent tax increase. “It’s not politics, it’s practical,” Salka said. “This is the worst economy, what good would a tax increase do?”
If elected, Salka said he would like to implement a four-point plan including the start of a capital reserve plan for the town, completing a baseball park in Leonardsville, start an aggressive plan to acquire grant funding for the town and lastly, Salka sees potential in the futures of the highway system in Brookfield.
“Overall, I just want to continue the enthusiasm that the town and the board have had,” Salka said. “I would like to see a downtown revitalization also.”
Salka said if he is elected, he wants to explore more options for town revenue rather than having to resort to a tax increase for the future of Brookfield. The community morale of the town has been great, according to Salka, there is a welcoming feeling in such a largely spread out town.
“This community is the ‘salt of the earth,’ as good, honest, hard-working people,” Salka said. “The future of Brookfield is on its way.”
