By Mike Gagliardi NNY360 STOCKHOLM — Tim A. Vollmer has always been an active member of his community. That’s why he’s running for the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators to represent District 11 on the Democratic ticket.
The seat is up for grabs since Legislator Suzanne M. Fiacco, D-Norwood, is not seeking reelection.
“I had been thinking recently about what I could do to give back to the community,” Mr. Vollmer said. “My parents were very active with the church where I grew up, and I was an Eagle Scout, so I had always wanted to make a difference in my community.”
Mr. Vollmer, who resides in Stockholm, grew up on a family farm outside Syracuse. He came to St. Lawrence County to attend SUNY Canton and then Clarkson University. For the past 10 years, he’s worked in software development at Frazer Motors in Canton.
“This opportunity arose when I learned Suzanne Fiacco wouldn’t run again, and I was approached by the Democratic Committee asking if I wanted to run, and I decided I would,” Mr. Vollmer said.
At first, he said he felt intimidated by his lack of political office-holding experience, but was encouraged “knowing I had the backing and support of people who would help me understand all the rules and procedures.”
If elected, Mr. Vollmer hopes to tackle some of the “serious issues” surrounding the county Department of Social Services.
“I think getting the staffing needs met there is really important,” he said.
He also is interested in making the county run more efficiently.
“For me personally, I’m interested in efficiency. I mean that both from the standpoint of energy efficiency but also doing work efficiently,” he said.
For instance, he said if a department has a few open positions, he would research whether a piece of technology could be used to do the same amount of work with fewer people.
“Basically,” he said, “I want to figure out ways we can take the limited budget we have and stretch what we’re able to do with it.”
His background in software development would help him do that, he said.
“My job is to analyze a system and figure out ways of doing things faster and easier,” he said. “But I’m also a very design-oriented person. I think a lot about economics and incentive structures and design, and I think public policy is a nexus where those things meet.”
Mr. Vollmer will face Republican challenger and Norwood businessman Glenn J. Webster in the general election, Nov. 8.