BROCKPORT, N.Y. -- The police chief and other Village of Brockport leaders are sounding the alarm regarding next Tuesday's pending vote on whether to eliminate village government.
Chief Dan Varrenti was joined Thursday by Mayor Margay Blackmon, and others who say the push for dissolution is spearheaded by a group of what they call "wealthy landlords."
Those who are pro-dissolution believe doing away with the village will lower taxes with no loss of services. Those against say they'll lose the police department and other services provided by the department of public works.
"What makes the Village of Brockport different is a college square in the middle of it," Varrenti said. "We have 16,000 people in a 2.2 square mile area. That coupled with, and this is a significant factor, that coupled with the amount of rental property in a 2.2 square mile definitely impacts public safety if you don't have a police department there."
"We get nothing for our services except the police department," said Tim Barry, Brockport resident. "They claim about patroling out streets. I don't see them coming down my streets. The only time they seem to come down is when my neighbor's on vacation. They come down, they check the house."
The Village of Brockport has existed for 187 years.
A vote to dissolve six years ago was overwhelmingly defeated.