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It's a busy week!
If you are looking for one more public gathering to attend...tomorrow is a unique (and long) County Board of Supervisors meeting with a public comment period at the end. The meeting was not advertised as a regular one, rather as an “Annual Session.” Since most folks cannot attend, consider sending a public comment to: [email protected]. AND/OR Email Kyle Reger: [email protected] Here is what I (Laura Reeder) am sending to Kyle (and the Public Comment portal): Dear Kyle, I urge you to represent our community’s concerns at tomorrow’s Madison County Board of Supervisors meeting, where agenda items #40 and #42 concern the SEQR determination and conveyance of property in the Village of Cazenovia. Many of us cannot attend as the meeting was not posted as a typical BOS event. So we expect that you, as our representative, will ensure our concerns are on public record. We remain opposed to the County’s purchase of the former Cazenovia College properties for Sheriff and Emergency Services relocation, and we ask you to speak on record requesting that the County withdraw from the purchase. This process has not been transparent. It’s deeply frustrating that residents must scour County agendas and legal postings to learn about decisions that directly impact our village. Please convey the following comments to the Board of Supervisors: Dear Members of the Madison County Board of Supervisors, I am writing to urge the Board to withdraw from the purchase of the former Cazenovia College properties (Reisman and Sigety Halls) for use by the Madison County Sheriff and Emergency Services. This decision is not a good fit for Cazenovia or Madison County’s long-term interests.
I respectfully ask the Board to reject this purchase and work with Cazenovia leaders to identify alternatives that strengthen both our County and our community without sacrificing local character, trust, or shared values. Laura Reeder Cazenovia Voices Coalition 140 members 530 (and growing) petitioners  Hello, Cazenovia Voices Coalition, Thank you for showing up and speaking out at the Village Board meeting last night! And an extra round of gratitude to Village Trustee Jen Lutter, who showed true leadership and integrity. Jen made two important motions that both passed unanimously:
These actions may sound procedural, but they’re critical. They make it clear that even if the County or Town act as larger municipalities, our Village government and community are watching closely...and we will continue to speak up for local needs, transparency, and fair planning. Jen’s motions are a reminder: our voices matter. A Clear Mandate from Cazenovia Voters Yesterday, Cazenovia voters made their views on Sheriff leadership unmistakable. Thanks to Nancy Ries running to demonstrate his opposition. Nearly half of Cazenovia voters opposed Sheriff Hood’s reelection, sending a strong message to local leaders: there is deep concern about the Sheriff’s power, his ICE 287(g) partnership, and what that represents in our community. This is a serious mandate. Town & Village Boards must consider who they represent when welcoming ANY Sheriff operations here. Here’s how the votes broke down across Cazenovia Town/Village Wards 1–6: Ward 1 Sheriff Hood 94 Nancy Ries 42 % Ries Support 31% Ward 2 Sheriff Hood 98 Nancy Ries 78 % Ries Support 44% Ward 3 Sheriff Hood 96 Nancy Ries 71 % Ries Support 43% Ward 4 Sheriff Hood 139 Nancy Ries 119 % Ries Support 46% Ward 5 Sheriff Hood 84 Nancy Ries 82 % Ries Support 49% Ward 6 Sheriff Hood 79 Nancy Ries 55 % Ries Support 41% TOTAL Sheriff Hood 590 Nancy Ries 447 % Ries Support 43% overall ******************** Next Step: Speak Up Through the Madison County Tourism Survey Madison County wants your input on tourism priorities...ironically, the survey features Cazenovia’s Albany Street for “vibrant tourism.”  At the end of the survey, there’s an open comment box. Use it to explain how the Reisman / Sigety purchase would harm Cazenovia’s tourism, economy, and community.
Here are a few ideas you can adapt:
Our coalition is growing every day—now more than 140 members and 530 signatures strong—and the message is clear:
Thanks for filling the Town Board meeting last night! Today is another important day...
Village Board meeting 7 p.m. at the Village Municipal Offices.
Tell your neighbors, and come one and all to protect our community! Vote and write-in Nancy Ries for County Sheriff.
************ REMEMBER this is what unchecked County power looks like:
SAY IT LOUD,
SAY IT CLEAR, WE DON’T WANT THE SHERIFF HERE! ****************** Not at the proposed location. The purchase of Reisman-Sigety Halls by the Sheriff is scheduled to close in the next 14 days. Monday night’s Town Meeting is critical. 7:30 p.m. at the Gothic Cottage. Come with your voice!
If you haven’t attended a Town meeting before, this one really matters. Tuesday is a big day too!
Urge Mayor Wheeler and the Board to appeal to the County to pause and rescind their offer. Encourage them to prepare for a planning and zoning process that involves public engagement. Tell your neighbors, and come one and all to protect our community! ****************** REMEMBER this is what unchecked County power looks like:
Hello Cazenovia Voices Coalition,
The County’s purchase of Reisman Hall is not finalized. There are still conversations underway, and there are still local investors and community leaders interested in keeping Reisman and Sigety in public or local hands. If the County chooses to withdraw their bid, then “Plan B” options exist that would not jeopardize the larger campus redevelopment. This is the moment to speak up and remind our leaders that Cazenovia deserves a thoughtful, community-centered solution, not a rushed government takeover. Let's invite the County to step away...it will not harm the whole project and there are much better sites and solutions to consider. What You Can Do Now 1. Show up and speak up. Join your neighbors at the next meetings:
Ask our local leaders to urge the County to pause and consider better options for our community. 2. Keep the conversations going. Talk with your neighbors and local businesses. Many folks STILL don’t know that this proposal places County law enforcement and emergency operations in the center of the village with no local input about activities in our school zone. Encourage them to learn, question, and sign this petition, which is still growing and providing essential education to community and leaders. 3. Hold leadership accountable. Ask your elected trustees why they have remained silent on the professional planning proposal that residents have been calling for since September. Transparency and participation are not optional. 4. Recognize the pattern. This is not just a local zoning issue, it’s an example of large-scale government overreach playing out in our own hometown. When decision-making happens behind closed doors, democracy weakens. 5. Stay hopeful and organized. We are building strength through structure: teams for legal review, media strategy, and public events are still active. There are still options for local input about use of the property. Reply to this email if you want to participate. As Erica Chenoweth reminds us, nonviolent pressure must be organized and sustained. Every conversation, every signature, every presence at a meeting makes a difference. Cazenovia’s story is still being written...by YOU, by ALL of Us! Let’s make sure it remains one of local voice, shared stewardship, and public trust. Hello Cazenovia Voices Coalition,
Yesterday's Cazenovia Republican article confirmed important issues that are still central to our project:
The article offers a revealing look at the Oct. 14 Village Board meeting, where residents once again pressed for transparency and accountability regarding the Madison County purchase of Reisman and Sigety Halls. Key points:
Why this matters to Cazenovia Our campaign around the Madison County purchase already embodies key principles from Chenoweth’s work:
What’s Next:
Closing Thought As Deb Alden said at the meeting, “If you lose a treasure, you don’t get it back.” Reisman Hall is more than a building, it’s a test of how we govern, trust, and imagine our shared future. Let’s meet that test together...with knowledge, creativity, and peaceful determination. Good Morning Cazenovia Voices Coalition,
Wow what a turnout! Over 40 people showed up at Monday night’s Village meeting. Your presence, your questions, and your persistence are making a difference, and leaders know we are paying attention. Here’s what we learned, and what’s next: Reisman Offer – There is a “Plan B” The Mayor confirmed that there was a “Plan B,” a viable alternative to the County’s purchase deal, and that he chose not to pursue it. The Reisman foundation, the organization that paid for the construction of Reisman Hall as an art/community center, offered to buy (again) the building and offer it to the Village as an endowed contribution. When pressed, the Mayor confirmed: he made no consultation with the Village board, no comparison of costs, no opportunity for community input. Just…said no thanks, and set the offer aside because a deal had already been made with the County. That revelation matters. It proves what we’ve been saying all along: there are options. This isn’t a “done deal.” The County’s purchase is just one piece of a larger transaction, and the Village, 9 Fresh, and Town still have choices if we keep encouraging them. Why Your Voices Matter This decision to drop this “Plan B” without transparency highlights why our coalition exists. We deserve to see alternatives laid out clearly, not behind closed doors, or buried in administrative talk. Every email, every question, every signature on THIS PETITION builds pressure for real answers. Cazenovia deserves a local government that truly represents its people. No single elected official holds all the decisions, that’s not how democracy works. When we participate, ask hard questions, and expect transparency, we strengthen our Village, Town, and County. Public process can be messy, slow, and uncomfortable, and it's what makes our community resilient, fair, and forward-thinking. Continued engagement is not opposition, it’s participation. What You Can Do Right Now
Cazenovia deserves leadership that works with its residents, not around them. Monday night proved we’re wide awake, we’re organized, and we’re not backing down. Thank you for showing up, speaking out, and standing together. Let’s keep cultivating the kind of community we want to live in, one that listens, learns, and leads with integrity. In solidarity, Laura Hello, Cazenovia Voices Coalition,
Your voices are being heard.
Momentum is on our side. The County, Town, and Village know we’re organized, informed, and not backing down. Let’s keep showing up, respectfully and powerfully. Pause. Plan. Protect. See you Tuesday — bring a neighbor! Cazenovia Voices Coalition We are now on FaceBook Information can be found at arc-c.org/cazenovia-voices-coalition.html Cazenovia Voices Coalition – County Meeting, Freedom of Information Filing, & Another Alert!10/7/2025
Hello, Cazenovia Voices Coalition,
1. Madison County Board of Supervisors Meeting - Strong Voices! Five of our members spoke today at the Board of Supervisors meeting, and many more filed letters online, THANK YOU! The County Supervisors were unmoved, but Town Supervisor Kyle Reger did acknowledge the Cazenovia resident voices. 2. Urgent Action – Flood the County with MORE letters [email protected] & cc: [email protected]! New information: The Attorney General review is being moved to a regional jurisdiction to be completed October 17, NEXT FRIDAY.
3. Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Filings – Demonstrate our Seriousness Today, we — Cazenovia Voices Coalition — filed FOIL requests with the County, Town, and Village to obtain records related to the sale and proposed uses of the properties between November 1, 2024 and October 1, 2025. These filings seek to determine whether officials intentionally withheld or delayed public information about negotiations that led to Madison County's plan to relocate their operations offices to Cazenovia. 4. Stay Engaged, Stay Hopeful SO many of you are sending positive responses to this email. THANK YOU.
Share this update with one new person — in Madison or Onondaga County — and invite them to follow our page and join the movement. Together, we are shaping what kind of county we want to live in. Not just for Cazenovia — but for all of Central New York. Hello Cazenovia Voices Coalition,
We had a robust and inspiring organizing meeting last night! Thank you to everyone who’s leaning in, sharing ideas, and showing such commitment to transparency and community-led planning. 1. Tomorrow: October 7, 11 a.m. Cazenovia Voices Coalition will attend and speak at the Madison County Supervisors meeting. This is our moment to stand together, to be visible, and to call for a pause in the County’s purchase of Reisman and Sigety Halls until there is true public input and transparent planning. Our message is clear and united:
Reply to this email to let us know if you can join us or need to carpool. It continues to be powerful when so many people show up! AND, if you have something to say, please email the Board of Supervisors at [email protected]. If you need an example, I cannot attend the meeting, so this is what I will send. 2. Between Now and Friday Task teams will meet, plan, and report back with strategies this week. Please reply to this email and let us know if you want to be part of a team. We will connect you to the folks who are organizing.
3. Key Takeaways from Our Meeting Our discussion focused on the County’s pending purchase of Reisman and Sigety Halls from 9Fresh, which remains under review by the NY Attorney General. Members raised serious concerns about the lack of transparency among County, Town, and Village leadership. Evidence suggests local officials may have been aware of the sale months before it was announced—and that it may have influenced the recent mayoral election. We agreed to begin FOIL investigations into communications dating back to January 2025, pursue legal and public channels to pause the sale, and continue public outreach through petitions, community partnerships, and press. The group reaffirmed our shared commitment to act under the banner: Cazenovia Voices Coalition: Pause. Plan. Protect. ************************************** Team Overviews PR / Regional Engagement Raise awareness, share stories, and connect across counties. Write op-eds, create media content, organize outreach to neighboring towns, and coordinate interviews. Legal / FOIL / Transparency Uncover documents and communications, monitor compliance, file FOIL/OPRA requests, and explore potential legal remedies or stays. Alternate Finance / Plan B Develop community-based alternatives—grants, partnerships, public/private models, or cooperative ownership structures for the Reisman and Sigety properties. Communications & Messaging Keep us connected and informed—maintain the website, email updates, messaging templates, and social posts for consistency across all teams. ************************************** Together, we’re building the kind of civic process our community deserves. Pause. Plan. Protect. With appreciation and determination, Laura (on behalf of the Cazenovia Voices Coalition) |
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