Photo By: Patrick Brennan
Support Joe Alati for Mendon Town Supervisor
Let's work together to make Mendon a lasting and thriving community. We can do this by encouraging smart growth, supporting local businesses, keeping taxes fair, and making sure everyone here — from kids to seniors — finds happiness and a high quality of life in Mendon.
Read below for more details on my plan to do this!
Joe’s Focus For Our Community
Preserve Mendon's Character
I believe most of us living in Mendon share a love for the natural surroundings and rural character. We cherish our town and village. Preserving the unique characteristics of the community we call home is my top priority.
Invest In & Grow Small Businesses to Drive Prosperity
Our community deeply values and supports our high-quality local restaurants, stores, and myriad other businesses. Fostering responsible growth is vital to helping these businesses thrive, keeping our commercial districts vibrant, and avoiding empty storefronts.
Unfortunately, we are losing our local blood lab due to a lack of customers. This loss impacts everyone, but especially our seniors — for whom this is not just about convenience, but about access to essential healthcare services.
That’s why smart economic growth is so important. It not only supports local businesses and critical services, but it also expands our tax base, helping to ease the property tax burden on residents.
Bring Albany's Resources Home to Mendon
Mendon residents pay their fair share of state taxes, but we deserve a better return on that investment. Securing vital state resources requires strong, active relationships with our state Assemblyperson and Senator. When town leadership neglects this crucial engagement, our community loses out. I have years of experience working effectively with state legislators from both parties, and I will prioritize building the connections needed to ensure Mendon receives the support and funding it deserves. I am committed to bringing more of our tax dollars back home.
Accountability & Transparency in Leadership
I regularly attend monthly Town meetings to stay informed about Town business. I've observed that Town agendas and minutes are often vague, making it difficult to determine how our tax dollars are spent and accounted for. Also, printed budget categories are consolidated and lack detail, hiding spending specifics. Residents wishing to be informed find it difficult to do so from the information posted. Meeting information and the outcomes of Town decisions need to be more clear, more accessible, and more informative.
Furthermore, we have seen an exodus of Town employees and committed board members over the past few years, indicating internal problems. Working for the Town should be a welcoming and pleasant experience—not characterized by closed-door meetings or conflict. We need a work environment where all employees feel safe and are empowered to do their best work. I will build a culture where everyone who works for or volunteers with the Town of Mendon feels included and heard.
Helping Our Local Heroes
Mendon’s volunteer first responders are the quiet guardians of our community—showing up at all hours, without expectation of reward. If elected, I’ll make it a priority to support them in every way we legally can. That means exploring incentives, recognition programs, state resources and policies that help recruit and retain these essential volunteers.
Their service saves lives—and saves taxpayers millions. If we lose them, we face a stark choice: diminished emergency coverage, or a costly transition to a professional department. Let’s make sure they feel valued now, before we’re forced to find out what it costs to replace them.*
The Future of our Children and Seniors that Love our Town
Mendon today faces a shortage of homes—both for longtime residents looking to downsize as they age, as well as for young families seeking their first home. Why can’t we afford to stay in the town where we raised our children, built friendships, and invested in our community? Why are there no starter homes for the next generation—for families who cherish the very school district they attended and want that same opportunity for their own children?
I will make sure our board reviews our Comprehensive Plan on a more timely basis. I am committed to exploring every possible option to expand our housing choices, keep our neighbors here, and welcome our children’s new families’ back into the wonderful town we all love. I will also seek input from and work with our State Senator Pam Helming, who recognizes the problem and has introduced several bills that can aid us in this endeavor.