Lysander, NY — The race for Lysander supervisor is normally a pretty quiet affair.
Barry Bullis, who has held the job for 16 years, has never faced a primary. In fact, there hasn’t been a Republican primary since the 1980s.
This year, there’s a primary and the race is anything but quiet.
Fred Burtch Jr., who has never run for office, forced a primary by collecting more than 500 signatures.
Since then, more than 100 lawn signs have been stolen. A private investigator was hired to find dirt on one of the candidates. There’s been an onslaught of personal attacks, including talk of arrest records and judgements. A truck plastered with accusations about one of the candidates has rolled through the normally quiet town of about 22,000 residents.
http://liarcatchers.com/civil_investigations.html
“Things have really got out of hand,” said Mike Bishoff, the chairman of the Lysander Republican Committee, which has endorsed Bullis. The primary vote is Tuesday.
Bullis and Burtch agree, saying there’s never been an uglier race for the four-year job that pays $55,455 a year.
Bullis said the race has become a distraction from town business.
“It has been intimidating to say the least,” said Bullis, 64, of Grey Birch Drive.
Burtch, 44, of Plainville Road, said the election has taken a toll on him financially and emotionally, but he is coping and continues the fight.
“This town needs change,” Burtch said.
Bullis and Burtch have both lost political lawn signs. Burtch said he has lost more than 60 signs; Bullis lost about 45 signs. Both say they have not taken the others’ signs.
Michelle Gabel / The Post-StandardLysander Town Supervisor Barry Bullis is shown in Town Hall. He is vying for his fifth term and is being challenged by newcomer Fred Burtch.
“I’m absolutely devastated,” Burtch said. “I’ve lost 15 signs yesterday alone. I’ve spent all my own money on my campaign.”
Burtch has taken to social media and local media to spread his campaign message. For a few months he was often seen driving around a truck with signs that read, “Barry must go.” Burtch recently accused Bullis of not being financially responsible.
“Bullis has a history of financial mismanagement so flagrant that the town’s taxpayers deserve to know the facts,” Burtch said.
Burtch charged that Bullis’ former company, Bullis Construction Company, Inc., has several outstanding unsatisfied judgements against it. The judgements from the 1980s and 1990s, total $8,300, including one for more than $6,000 by the Internal Revenue Service.
Bullis said the judgements were satisfied and paid before he took office as Lysander town supervisor in 1995.
According to records at the Onondaga County Clerk’s Office, the judgements have not been paid. Bullis says the records are not accurate and that all judgements against him have been satisfied.
Burtch himself has a judgement against him, which was filed in January 2004 for $15,194 by state Department of Labor. Burtch said he collected pay for plowing driveways while collecting unemployment between November and March for five years. The state wants its money back.
Fred Burtch Jr.
•Age: 44
•Residence: 8865 Plainville Road
•Political background: None
•Career: Owner of Baldwinsville Lawn & Snow and Alternative Energy Solutions
•Family: Single
Burtch said the judgement is currently in litigation.
Bullis has attacked Burtch as a “thief” for a petit larceny charge from 2005. That charge was made in a mailing this week by the Lysander Republican Committee for Bullis.
Burtch was charged with petit larceny on Oct. 27, 2005 when he took a metal lawn ornament from a home in the Candlewick neighborhood. Burtch said the metal ornament was lying by the trash can. He said he collected metal for a BOCES welding class he was taking.
The charge was eventually dismissed.
The fight between Bullis and Burtch has been brewing for years.
In 2008, Burtch was accused by the town of desecrating gravestones at the 185-year-old “Old Presbyterian Cemetery” next door to his home. Burtch denied vandalizing the cemetery and said he moved headstones to the cemetery that were found on his property, buried in his driveway. He was never charged.
Bullis and Burtch faced off again in 2010 when the town approved a fence between the cemetery and Burtch’s property. Burtch said he would have to spend $20,000 to move lines to his septic system if the town put in the fence.
The town dropped its plans for the fence after Burtch collected more than 600 signatures on a petition to force the town to hold a referendum on the project.
Burtch said after the fight over the fence he started to attend every town board meeting.
“After people saw what was happening in the town they told me they wanted change, but no one stepped up, Burtch said. “So I stepped up.”
Like the election, the town board meetings have been heating up. People are speaking out of turn and often going on and on during the public comment period. They are also talking about issues not related to town business. Others at the meeting are snapping photos and taping the proceedings.
“It is a distraction to the business of the town,” Bullis said.
Barry W. Bullis
•Age: 64
•Residence: 3429 Grey Birch Drive
•Political experience: Town supervisor since 1995; member of the Lysander Republican Committee since 1974, served 13 years as chairman.
•Career: Town supervisor, Lysander; former president and chief operating officer for Bullis Construction Co. Inc
•Family: Wife, Alyce; three adult children; six grandchildren
Bullis eliminated the five-minute-each public comment period. Residents wishing to address the town board now have to register before board meetings and submit their name and topic to Bullis or the town clerk.
“I’m always willing to take questions if the questions are based on legitimate business and my board would agreed,” Bullis said. “The way things have turned recently, the questions are being couched and slanted to suit someone’s political agenda.”
Burtch said he believes town meetings should be a time for the public to interact with their town leaders. He said the videos allow everyone to see what is going on at the meetings.
“Nothing has changed on our end,” Burtch said. “We still ask the same questions about corruption, cronyism and incompetence and (Bullis) still refuses to answer.”
Bullis said he wished the race had stuck to the issues.
“We have yet to discuss one real issue facing the town,” he said. “That’s what I’m concerned about.”
It will be up to the voters on Tuesday to decide who will be on the Republican ticket in November. The winner will face John Salisbury, a Democrat.
But the Bullis-Burtch race might not end Tuesday.
Bullis, even if he loses the GOP slot, will be on the November ballot on the Independent Party line. And Burtch says he may run a write-in campaign if he doesn’t earn the Republican spot.
