By Anthea Passmore
Amherst, NY – Amherst Town Supervisor Susan Grelick made a public appearance Tuesday following last week's huge election defeat against political newcomer Satish Mohan. Gerlick appeared at the grand opening of the new greater Buffalo Savings Bank Branch on Transit Road. Gerlick has offered very few media interviews since losing last Tuesday's election. But Tuesday, she spoke with reporters.
"We're very proud of all we accomplished in the town, and I certainly have worked diligently and tirelessly," said Grelick.
Although Grelick knows that come January she will not be returning as Amherst Town Supervisor, she says she will be leaving Amherst a little better than when she found it. "We have the highest bond rating in Western New York," Grelick said. "We're one of the most desirable places to live. We're one of the safest communities in the entire country. We've kept taxes under control. We recently lowered the tax rate by 7.6 percent."
Grelick said that being town supervisor and running for the position at the same time did not give her enough time to do more door-to-door canvassing. The result of which Grelick said was that low voter turnout played a role in her defeat.
"People that were angry about certain issues came out to vote," Grelick said. "People who were happy were complacent and obviously didn't come out."
The remaining month and a half of Grelick's term has its challenges. There is the transition to her successor. Grelick said that they have made a room available at the Town Hall with a phone and a conference room. Grelick said this is so that Satish Mohan can meet with the department heads and learn more about town government. Grelick said for Mohan to be successful, he will need to work closely with board members.
"He is only one vote on the board," Grelick said. "There are seven board members. You really can't get anything accomplished unless you work with the other board members. A lot of government is about compromise."
Grelick says that she would like to continue in public service. She is also an attorney and she says she would like to practice law in the public sector. In addition to her future legal ventures, Grelick wishes to join a number of boards in the community.