My name is Michael Nolan and I am Proud to be serving as Town Supervisor in our great town. I reside on Schultz Rd. with my wife Karla and children Jenna, Hanna, and Michael Jr. I have been a lifelong resident of Elma and I am fortunate to raise my family here. My family has resided in Elma since the early 1940’s. My Grandfather operated a dairy farm in town for many years, farming over 100 acres. I chose to stay in Elma because there is no better place to live and raise a family.

            I have been very involved in our community in many different ways. I have served as a volunteer firefighter in Elma for over 24 years, which includes serving as Fire Chief, President, and Chairman of the Board of Directors. I have been involved with EMW sports as a player when I was younger and coaching baseball and soccer for my children.

            I found an interest in Town Government 4 years ago when the largest housing development in our history was approved. The town in which I was raised was changing dramatically and felt it was to time to get involved and have a say to where we were headed as a community. I have had that opportunity with the trust of our voters and feel I have made a difference. We embarked on a smart growth plan, which would require many different tools. First we formed a conservation board, which would help bring expertise and initiatives to preserve our green space. They have worked diligently and are committed to help achieve this task. We have been awarded the first farmland protection grant in our history for the purchase of development rights to a farm on Jamison Rd. We have rewritten Town Codes on 280-A development to create larger lots. Taking away Spring Brook Shores, which the previous Town Board approved, we are at the lowest period in many years for new home construction. This has been achieved because of hard work and dedication towards our goal of limiting sprawl.

 In respect to “Big Box Development”, we have had none. We have some of the toughest codes in the state applied towards Big Box Development. Currently we have a moratorium in place and commercial codes will be reviewed and updated for the first time in many years. Our main shopping center is the Elma Plaza and should remain that way. With new development of retail taking place in Lancaster and East Aurora this should more than satisfy our residents needs for goods. I look forward to keeping our commercial development limited and responsible.

During the last four years we have upgraded the Elma Senior Citizen Center with an expansion that was funded with mainly grant money from State and Federal funding sources. This has created better use for our senior center.

We have made our baseball fields safer by installing safety fences in front of benches ensuring better safety for our children. We helped EMW soccer with a land purchase to create better playing fields near Sahlen’s sport park, which helped to decongest Creek Rd. Park.

We have made Elma a safer town by securing a contract with the New York State Police to have a satellite office at Elma Town hall. This has created a larger police presence at no additional cost to our taxpayers.

We have tripled our per ton revenue for paper and cardboard recyclables in the last four years. We will keep Elma a leading community in recycling, which will help our tax rates as well as our environment.

With the Erie County fiscal crisis Elma has been a leading community towards government reform. We have reduced the work force, controlled pay raises, consolidated Elected offices, consolidated to one health care provider and joined consortiums for utilities.  On November 12, 2007 the New Town Hall will be paid off ahead of schedule and our fund balance has increased during that time. I have been a Business owner for many years, which included four subway restaurants and apply these business principles and experience towards managing the town’s fiscal affairs. I am very confident Elma will remain stable and continue to be one of the lowest taxed communities in WNY.

I am currently serving as President of the Erie County Governments to which I have been elected by my fellow Town Supervisors and also serve on the resolutions committee for the New York State Association of Towns. With my diversified involvement and collaboration throughout government, I feel this helps give me the experience needed to offer Elma residents the responsible leadership it deserves.

In closing, I look forward to the opportunity of being reelected as Elma Town Supervisor and continuing to represent our residents with responsible leadership and officials that listen to our residents. I will work hard “TO KEEP ELMA AS WE KNOW IT”.