Oswego Village Board race now taking shape

An incumbent Oswego Village Board member, Ryan Kauffman, has announced his plan to seek re-election to the board next spring, while three other village residents, Kit Kuhrt, Shawn Beaudette and Amir Ghaemi, have issued statements announcing their candidacies.

The board election will be held April 2. Village residents will elect three candidates to four-year terms on the board. Currently, the seats up for election are held by Kauffman, Joe West and Karin McCarthy-Lange.

Kauffman was first elected to the board in 2015. Prior to that, he served as a village police commissioner.

In a statement, Kauffman said, “The village board has accomplished so much in the last four years. We have a balanced budget at Village Hall, we recently completed work on Oswego’s new police department, which we paid for without using property tax dollars, and which I campaigned on during the last election. We are also in the late stages of revitalizing the downtown. Residents can expect to see shovels in the ground in the next few months, where the Alexander Lumber site was, as we break ground on The Reserve at Hudson Crossing. This exciting project will include 10,000 square feet of new restaurants and shops along Washington St.”

Kauffman said he sees an incredible future for Oswego, beginning with the downtown.

“Our downtown has so much potential, I want to do whatever I can to make it a thriving commercial center for work and play. I envision a walkable downtown with plenty of choices for consumers to shop at.”

Kauffman works as a senior consultant for a bank. He and his wife, Kristin, plan to raise their two children here.

In a statement, Kit Kuhrt officially announced his candidacy for a board seat. A portion of the statement reads: “Kuhrt’s vision for Oswego is to see it grow without unnecessary tax increases on local residents. The candidate does not want the local community to be burdened with high taxes and will do whatever he can to prevent it from occurring.”

“I’m excited to throw my hat into the race for village trustee,” Kuhrt said. “I believe my views represent a large portion of Oswego, and I want to fight for those ideas as best I can.”

Kuhrt said he does not want to put a tax burden on Oswego just to see it grow in the short-term. He hopes to find new, creative ways to spend the local budget to achieve long-term growth and continue to build Oswego into a desirable town for people to live in.

He expressed a desire to see local independent businesses succeed. By preventing excessive tax incentives to outside interests that would damage the local community over time, Kuhrt hopes independent businesses can gain a foothold in Oswego and build themselves into employers synonymous with the village.

In a statement, Beaudette said he wants to see the village “grow and develop the village further, yet prevent any new tax burdens on fellow Oswego residents.”

He indicated he believes there are “untapped ways to use the local budget to promote healthy growth. However, to achieve community growth goals, everyone must work together to achieve the community’s goals.”

The current general merchandise sales tax rate for the village of Oswego is 8.50 percent. Beaudette does not want to see the figure increase.

“I know there are smarter ways to use the local budget,” Beaudette said. “By finding more creative ways to use the village’s budget, we will see growth without taxing those who are working hard to put food on the table and roof over their heads.”

In a statement, Ghaemi said he has “identified the reduction of unnecessary and frivolous spending” as one of his main issues. Ghaemi believes this “will enable Oswego to redirect local finances towards further development in the village.”

“Our downtown village has great potential to become a bigger contributor to Oswego’s economy,” Ghaemi said. “But it needs protection from outside corporate interests.”

Ghaemi said that “more small businesses can improve the area” and that by “adding smart, well established local brands, Oswego can thrive without major corporations and other companies entering the area.”

Ghaemi said he has worked for DeVry University the past four years “helping active duty service members, their spouses, and veterans further their education.”