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After 14 years without a Democratic primary, Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle says that board member Nate Salzman’s decision to run against him came as a surprise.
But Moehle is prepared to run a campaign based on his record and experience.
“This is part of the political process,” Moehle says. “I already campaign every year like I have an opponent, because when I’m out campaigning, when I’m going door to door, I learn things when I talk to people. And that helps me do my job.
“I love the town of Brighton and I’m very, very proud of the work we’ve done during my time as town supervisor,” he adds. “And we’ve got some important projects that are underway or are in the planning stages. I bring the experience, I bring the continuity that will help move those projects forward in a good way for the community.”
Besides his experience, Moehle says the strong connections he has formed with local leaders over the years are key to keeping projects running smoothly. A change could upset those developments.
Unsurprisingly, Salzman disagrees.
After being elected to the board a little more than two years ago, Salzman was disturbed by what he saw as breakdowns in communication, transparency, and efficiency. His own vision for Brighton, emboldened and informed by conversations with constituents, did not have a chance to take shape the way the town was currently being run, which he says spurred his decision to challenge Moehle.
“I think the supervisor is a good man and I respect him,” Salzman says. “But we need to change. Because we’re just going to keep making the same mistakes over and over again unless someone pushes for change.”
At least some members of Brighton’s Democratic Party leadership seem to agree. The Brighton Democratic Committee—whose website lists Moehle’s wife, Barbara, as its leader—recently chose Salzman over Moehle as its designated candidate.
“This designation represents a clear mandate for change,” said fellow Brighton board member and BDC member Clara Sanguinetti at the announcement. “Nate Salzman has earned the trust of Brighton Democrats by leading with respect, welcoming diverse voices, and building a movement focused on action and results.”
Whether the Democratic Committee’s designation gives Salzman the edge in this year’s primary, scheduled for June 23, remains to be seen. However, this much seems certain: In deep blue Brighton, either Moehle or Salzman will occupy the town supervisor’s office come next January.
If Moehle wins, he will add to the history of long careers in Brighton town government—his predecessor, Sandra Frankel, served for 19 years. If Salzman wins, he will be the first town supervisor in Monroe County who is from the millennial generation.
Diverse values
Brighton is bounded to the north by the city of Rochester, to the east and south by the towns of Penfield, Pittsford, and Henrietta, and to the west by the Genesee River. Its 15 square miles contain the retail hub of Twelve Corners, Monroe Community College, Buckland Park, Corbett’s Glen Nature Park, and the Country Club of Rochester.
The latest census data estimates the population at 36,618, with most being white (75 percent), holding a bachelor’s degree or higher (68 percent), and aged 35 or older (56 percent). The median household income level was $85,467, with a poverty rate of 8.9 percent, both better than the countywide levels of $76,520 and 14 percent.
While the census does not record religious affiliation, worship is relatively diverse compared to the rest of the county. Four of the most prominent area synagogues are in Brighton, along with the Louis S. Wolk JCC of Greater Rochester. The Islamic Center of Rochester and two private Catholic high schools are also located in the town.
“We are a diverse community, which makes us better and stronger, and a destination for people,” Moehle says. “Brighton is a place where a student can wear a hijab in school, a student can have two mommies; that’s just part of who we are.”
It is an area both candidates are intimately familiar with: Moehle has been a town resident for more than 30 years, and Salzman grew up in Brighton and returned in recent years to raise his own family.
“There are so many people that I grew up with, other Brighton High School grads, who want to move back to Brighton, but they can’t afford it,” says Salzman. “There are so many great things about this town, so I want to make it a place where, if they want to, they can move back.”
A blue majority
About two-thirds of Brighton residents (24,695) are active voters with the majority (53 percent) enrolled as Democrats. That makes it the bluest suburb in Monroe County by far and the largest Democratic stronghold outside the city of Rochester.
Moehle, who mentions taking part in several recent democracy rallies at Twelve Corners, says he is proud of Brighton’s reputation as a blue bulwark.
“You know, someone just described me today as maybe the most progressive town supervisor in Upstate New York, and I think that’s probably true,” says Moehle, pointing to the creation of a chief diversity officer, a volunteer idea board, and a sustainability program.
This skewed party enrollment means the Democratic primary usually serves as the true political test in Brighton, as Democratic candidates typically cruise to victory in the general election. It is a test Moehle has not faced since he first won the Democratic primary for town supervisor in 2011.
It was a close race that year, with Brighton Town Clerk Susan Kramarsky receiving 957 votes (47 percent) to Moehle’s 1,097 (53 percent).
Kramarsky ran in the general election on the Independence Party line, earning 16 percent of the vote. Republican Brian Callahan received 25 percent. Moehle won more than his two opponents combined: 55 percent.
After that, Moehle faced no other Democratic challengers and handily defeated Republican Beth Anne Napier in the 2019 general election, winning 69 percent of the vote.
Moehle says much has been accomplished under his leadership, specifically noting the way Brighton’s sustainability efforts have been strengthened. He views that as a proud achievement.
Moehle also notes that a long career has made him familiar and friendly with other prominent local politicians, which has led to improvements in the town. He cites as examples grants secured by Assemblymember Sarah Clark to help preserve the Brighton pool and a sidewalk fund initiative with County Executive Adam Bello.
Salzman has his own history in Democratic politics. Since 2015, he has worked on campaigns in Virginia, Colorado, Long Island, and in the Rochester region. Much of the work in Monroe County comes after he co-founded Tuesday Digital, a marketing company, with Stephen DeVay, who is now chairman of the Monroe County Democratic Committee. Most recently, Salzman was a campaign manager for Assemblymember Jen Lunsford and chief of staff for Demond Meeks.
The Brighton High School graduate is a relative newcomer to town governance, however. He was first elected to a seat on the Brighton town board in 2023, winning 34 percent of the vote in both the primary and general elections. He was publicly supported by Moehle in that race.
Also of note, Salzman and fellow designated Democrat Christopher Werner were the unsolicited beneficiaries of a $100,000 ad campaign from a New York City-based super PAC. Many of the ads supported those two candidates while attacking their competitor, Rachel Rosner, seemingly due to her pro-Palestinian views.
Salzman and Werner denounced the unauthorized ads in a joint letter, calling them “divisive” and “disturbing.”
In his first term on the town board, Salzman chaired the Public Safety Committee and was a member of the Community Services Committee.
Clearer communication
Salzman says one of his biggest learning experiences during his first term came with a change to recycling pickup.
Based on a presentation by Waste Management to the town board, Brighton recently shifted from weekly to biweekly pickup of recycling as a cost-saving measure. However, Salzman observes, this was not effectively communicated to residents, some of whom said they were blindsided by the change.
“Every person that called me and said, ‘I’m mad at you,’ I took the meeting. I visited people’s homes, I have pictures of people making statues out of their leftover recycling,” he says. “I learned a lot from those conversations and tried to find a way to repair that trust.”
Salzman wanted to redo the contract process after presenting the public with more information, but lost the vote, which ultimately renewed the contract as is.
He diagnoses this issue as stemming from the way decisions are made and the way information is distributed by the town government. The recycling issue was just one more added to a lengthy chain, in his view.
For instance, the uproar over the closure of the Brighton town pool and confusion surrounding the planned Brighton Community and Recreation Center are examples where greater communication and transparency would have aided the projects.
“I’d say the bulk of the communication actually comes from the supervisor’s office himself. I mean, believe it or not, we don’t have an electronic email newsletter,” Salzman says. “My colleagues have said they support this, but we can’t get the damn thing off the ground. I started a Substack because I could not convince the current administration to start an email newsletter. I was to the point of getting very frustrated with the situation. So that gave me another reason to run.”
Interest in a new community center has been an ongoing issue. The former Brookside school, which the town leases to hold events, lacks amenities such as an up-to-code commercial kitchen. A feasibility study into options for a center was commissioned by the town in 2020, with an update in 2022.
Then, last summer, the full report was released and quickly followed by an announcement that the town would build a new $26 million facility at Buckland Park.
Salzman says that, even in his position as a town board member, information about the project was hard to come by, and he was surprised by the announcement. He was also baffled by the delay in releasing the report, adding that the project hinged on a state Building Recreational Infrastructure for Communities, Kids and Seniors grant for which the town had an unsuccessful application.
“The community center is a huge topic for this town. People are anxious to know what we’re talking about. We paid for the (feasibility) report, the taxpayers paid for the report, why can’t they see it right away?” says Salzman. “We commissioned a report and sat on the data for five, six years. And my question is, is the data still good?
“I’m also concerned because we predicated a lot of the payment for the community center on the BRICKS grant. I learned a week ago we were denied. I haven’t seen the application, I haven’t seen the denial letter,” he continues. “Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a strong desire for a community center, but it cannot be a thing where we all sit in a boardroom together, just the five of us, we mock up the plans, and we tell the community what they’re going to get.”
Salzman says he would focus on communication if elected. Outlining a plan coauthored by Sanguinetti, he says there would be a “Plain-Language Transparency Program” with easily accessible breakdowns of meetings and budgetary items, a schedule of upcoming votes, “Ask me anything” type office hours, a one-stop resident request portal, a department dedicated to constituent services, and a newsletter or app to keep residents in the loop.
Moehle sees many of the events Salzman referenced differently. He says that the town’s decision to maintain the outdoor pool was effective governance since resident concerns were heard “loud and clear.” (While the original plan was to replace the pool with a splash pad, the area will now have both a pool and splash pad.)
He admits that the community center project has hit some bumps in the road but has confidence that it will be successfully funded. He also says that the town hall renovation, which will install a geothermal system and other sustainability measures, is still ongoing.
“Gov. Hochul has put another $75 million in her budget for essentially BRICKS 2 and I anticipate we will apply again for support,” Moehle says. “It’s an important project, but it’s also important that we finish the town hall project. We want to get it finished first before we focus in on the community center. We only have so much bandwidth, you know.”
Moehle disagrees with Salzman’s claim that Brighton has a communication problem. The budget process, for example, he calls “second to none” in terms of transparency. For example, while state law requires only one public meeting, Brighton has two.
“You’ll never set foot on the floor of Congress, but you can come to any board meeting and have your voice and input heard, which we take seriously,” Moehle says. “We have various publications, a webpage, social media, and all that, but we also know communications are evolving and evolving quickly.”
To aid with this evolution, he has asked town board member Christine Corrado to chair an adhoc communication task force with the goal of making recommendations over the next six months to improve the process.
Affordability and development
Both candidates want to tackle two major issues that go hand in hand: affordability and development.
From 2010 to 2024, the total number of housing units in Brighton has changed little, hovering around the 17,000 mark. In that same time frame, rates of homeownership have decreased slightly, from 59 percent to 56 percent, while the average home value has increased by 64 percent, from $167,143 to $273,556.
Moehle acknowledges that costs are a concern for many people but notes that building housing in the area is a difficulty. While Moehle would like to see more building projects, proposals at the site of the Terrence Tower and the Brighton Henrietta Townline road (between Winton and Clinton Ave) remain in limbo.
“What I will say is last year there were almost double the building permits for new residential units issued. About 25, which is not a lot,” he says. “But Brighton is a very developed community already. We don’t have a lot of area for new residential builds.”
An upcoming project from the state Department of Transportation gives Moehle hope, however. He says the $13 million project has the potential to reshape a main corridor in Brighton: the stretch of Monroe Avenue from the Rochester city line to the I-590 bridge. Besides resurfacing the road, the project will alter its lane structure, install more crosswalks, and improve bus stops.
“I think it will not only transform the 40 feet of pavement, but also the neighborhoods and the neighborhood businesses around it,” Moehle says. “The state’s plan is a good start. But we still want to see changes with (lowering) the speed limit and widening the bike lanes.”
It is still in its initial stages, but the town supervisor argues that the complex project is best suited for an experienced hand like his own, who can guide it to completion. He also wants to update the “2028 Envision Brighton” comprehensive plan to encourage greater development in the Twelve Corners area, which he views as particularly fertile ground.
This stretch of road is also key to Salzman, who envisions a multiuse commercial and residential corridor along Monroe Avenue. To accomplish this, he believes the entire zoning code needs to be altered.
“There’s a bottleneck at the town government level, unnecessary delays and red tape that favors larger developers,” says Salzman. “We have the ‘Envision Brighton 2028’ plan that lays out what we want. We want more small business. We want higher density for those businesses. We want more walkability. We want more housing. But then we have a strict code, so when a developer comes in to do a deal, you know what ends up happening? It’s the developer and their attorneys in the room with the supervisor and the town attorney, and then God knows what the deal is.
“If you’re Whole Foods, you can afford to walk in with your team of attorneys and make a deal,” he adds. “It’s a huge barrier for a small business.”
Parking minimum requirements, which mandate a specific amount of off-street parking based on building size, and a lack of multiuse development, where space can be used for both residential and commercial purposes, are other parts of zoning that Salzman wants to change.
“Right now, our rules really prevent developers, business owners from getting creative,” he says. “We have these big, empty parking lots. I would look into multipurpose, you know, allowing owners to get creative with maybe putting a couple of apartments on top of a small business. Which would also help ease our housing issues.
“I have a joke on the campaign trail,” he adds. “Everyone in Brighton is in the wrong-sized house.”
Salzman references his own life experiences, noting that he recently realized his current home feels small because his two sons have entered the toddler stage. However, there is a lack of middle-stage housing with only “the million-dollar homes” left on the market. On the opposite end of this scenario, his parents are looking to downsize their home, but cannot find anything in the area that fits their needs.
He believes that increasing the housing stock will help address this issue. But, even after signing on to Hochul’s housing compact, which aims to build 800,000 new homes in New York over the next decade, Brighton still has not taken any substantive action to do so.
“The town of Brighton permits less housing than any other comparable town in Monroe County,” Salzman says. “And I think that’s a shame.”
Jacob Schermerhorn is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and data journalist.
The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. See “Leave a Reply” below to discuss on this post. Comments of a general nature may be submitted to the Letters page by emailing [email protected].
EASY DOES IT! (Get EASY buttons from Staples to encourage easy changes)
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Seriously, I suggest both candidates for Brighton town supervisor, lighten up, to focus more on simple “common sense” efforts. Lighten up more. Democrats love to “complexity” things…
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Also, I suggest that Brighton put simple, EASY ideas on its web page,
“Common sense is not so common” (Voltaire)
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Change is good. That’s why we need term limits at every level: local, state and federal. If voters don’t initiation term limits, shame on them. A long time in office turns any elected representative rancid, whether that’s shown in stagnation or unhealthy tied with people or groups wanting to pull strings.
Ever elected office already has term limits. They’re called “elections”. If a majority of voters want to return an incumbent to office, why shouldn’t they? By the way, we’ve had presidential term limits since 1951 after the Republicans had a hissy fit because of FDR. Care to claim that those limits have improved the quality of our presidents?
Interesting. So in your world view, successful politicians (those able to repeatedly rally the support of the voters) should be thrown over the side because of their tenure inevitably leads to an “unhealthy tie with people or groups wanting to pull strings”. Do you really intend to go on record as stating that you believe that those string pullers will not back replacement candidates for the same reason?
As a true-blue ‘Brighton Baron’ ( now Bruins), Nate Salzman is the right choice to lead our Brighton Community and be voted in as Supervisor in November. Unfortunately, Bill Moehle had a chance to gracefully hand over the opportunity for Nate Salzman to become Supervisor and be a mensch. But Bill has made a decision to force a primary in June.
Listen, I am not a fan of Bill’s leadership style – his way or too bad – but Bill, you should realize – it’s over for you in Brighton Politics. And, It’s not too late to do the smart thing.
Bill to be a mensch and say – Nate I welcome you to run in November on the Democratic ticket and I support you.
The article should be titled: Status Quo versus Informed Action.
This isn’t about experience versus change. I don’t like how it’s framed that way because the big C word can scare some people into thinking that all that they’ve loved about Brighton will be lost. That’s not what Nate is presenting. This is about taking all that is so cherished about Brighton and making it better, safer, more attractive for business and families. This is about listening to the people of Brighton, valuing their claim in their town government, and working to put their desires to action with transparency, teamwork, and humility.
Nate is the candidate that will do that.
Two other things- why is Mr. Moehle putting someone on a “task force” to investigate communication concerns when two of his town board members have already done so and drafted a communication plan that addresses the issues raised by his constituents? It seems like Mr. Moehle doesn’t want to use these recommended plans because they come from Ms. Sanguinetti and Mr. Salzman- who are not in his camp. That’s not leadership, that’s pettiness and it’s hurting Brighton.
Second- why is Mr. Moehle hanging his hat so much on a geothermal project for Town Hall? Are we as citizens supposed to applaud his updated HVAC for the handful of people who work in the town hall as some kind of huge win for our community? Where are the public discussions about decisions like the town pool, community center, and library? When is the last time the Public Works committee met? I know our parks could use some work….
Brighton could easily be the subject of a documentary about small-town politics replicating national politics. As a member of the Brighton Democratic Committee, I am witness.
A politician of real worth should lead with values first and electability second. Bill Moehle, unfortunately, is not that person. Time will tell when it comes to Nate Salzman, because I believe it’s his turn to take that center seat in town board meetings. Bill’s record of 19 years in office makes his shortcomings impossible to miss. One of his biggest is his habit of taking credit for work done by others. The recent town pool controversy is one example, as is his history of taking credit for the work of the IDEA committee which was created by Robin Wilt. Ironically it was also Robin Wilt who reached out to Sarah Clark’s office to solve the pool issue. Bill seems to have forgotten that, as he now claims it was him.
Unfortunately, his claim to fostering diversity in Brighton’s government was not evident when our Democratic Committee held elections in 2024 for 14 district seats. Bill publically endorsed 33 candidates out of 88, naming them part of his “Democrats for Brighton” team. Ironically, while there were a significant number of candidates of color running for seats, every single candidate Bill endorsed was white. Apparently, diversity is more of a concept than a practice.
In your article, Bill mentions how his close friendships with “prominent local politicians” benefited the town, but his shmoozing also helped ensure his position remained comfortably unchallenged. This year we are seeing that two can play that game. Nate, through his work supporting many politicians via Tuesday Digital, knows that terrain extremely well. So well, in fact, that Bill’s once-reliable supporters are suggesting he step down.
Finally, Bill has benefitted from the less than coincidental fact that his wife, Barbara serves as the administrative leader of the Brighton Democratic Committee, a committee Bill also belongs to. As a member of that cohort, I can personally attest to the questionable tactics that have kept decision-making neatly concentrated under their collective thumbs.
But here’s the good news. If Bill chooses to run in the primary against Nate, their cozy arrangement may soon resolve itself. Committee rules require that the leader support the designated Democratic candidate—which would be Nate. At next month’s meeting, Barbara will be required to either state that she will vacate her husband’s campaign or vacate her role as Committee Leader. And when that happens, like in the Wizard of Oz, many of us munchkins will dance and sing.
Sounds really wonderful to me!He has my vote!
I have no dog in the Brighton fight, so my random thoughts are addressed solely to the generic “Change versus Experience” debate. Or more correctly, perhaps I should say the, “Change versus Experience” clichés?
Because it’s been my experience (if I may use that word in this context), that the definition of what constitutes the meaning and value of either “change” or “experience” is so dependent on each person’s biases as to make either word virtually meaningless in a political framework.
Take “experience”. The traditional meaning makes it a positive attribute, implying that someone has achieved a level of proficiency in a job that sets them above a novice. For example we would all likely choose an experienced doctor, accountant or house painter before we went with that novice. On the other hand, we’re likely to avoid someone who we deem to have too much “experience” (i.e. is too old) to handle the job we want done.
But unlike many disciplines, politics is such a collaborative process that an individual’s “experience” has little room for free rein. Thus, as in sausage-making, the final product of politics is a mishmash of conflicting and contradictory parts from numerous sources, and “experience” could be as much a liability as an asset. Indeed, as we’ve seen over the years, culminating in the 2016 election of a president with zero political experience, a large segment of the electorate sees “experience” as a dirty word like “insider” and sees inexperience as an asset. “Experience” becomes a badge of shame rather than a sign of accomplishment.
Flip the page to “change”, another word which each of us defines to fit our preconceived notions. Some call for “change” in the belief that it will be a sovereign remedy for fixing all society’s problems. Or rather will bring matters more in line with our conception of what society should look like and how it should operate. Other fear “change”, seeing it as a threat to the status quo which they are comfortable with.
However proponents of “change” tend to run aground when asked for details of the exact “change(s)” they are advocating and the specifics of how they plan to bring them about. And from my viewpoint, anyone calling for “change” who can’t adequately address both those issues is simply indulging in bumper sticker politics. Cute, but ultimately meaningless.
Likewise those opposing “change” (once that change is defined as outlined above) should give us their reasons for so doing.
We can even carry this definitional process to the level of asking at what point someone once elected to office on a platform of “change” begins to acquire enough “experience” to themselves become a target of the “change” advocates?
Wow what an informative article. I recently started getting involved with local politics in Brighton over this recycling issue. I’ve spent hours and hours on the phone with WM with no solutions. I’m giving my recycling to friends and family all across Rochester because they won’t come pick it up. I’ve called the town over this after finding out it was a town board decision. I would love to see more transparency about town decisions. A newsletter addressing town decisions with clear goals outlined would be something to focus on. Even the town website being regularly updated would be a starting point. I think with the current political climate of our country folks are going to be, hopefully, trying to get more involved in their local government. Making it an easy and informative method for people to submerge themselves is the right path forward. I think Nate would be a great candidate to bring in some refreshing thoughts and ideas.
I’m concerned about a relationship between Moehle and the Danielle enterprise. The car wash at the corner of Monroe and Clover causes serious damage to the pavement at the exit. Caused by dripping water from cars exiting the facility onto freezing pavement. This results in potholes. The town should not be responsible for paying for this damage. Also, the noise from the car wash is deafening when driving by on Clover Street. Although no residences are impacted, these noise levels should not be permitted. If a law is necessary, one should be implemented. Then I’m concerned about the whole process by which the Whole Foods Plaza was implemented. I see no justification for the waivers that were granted.
Doesn’t your complaint about that car wash apply equally to every car wash in cold weather America? In addition, one of the biggest culprits in damaging roadways are the heavy vehicles utilized by shipping companies, construction firms and manufacturing facilities. Should they and the car washes be fined for roadway damages? As to noise levels, the Town of Brighton code has an ordinance covering that subject. You should direct you complain to them to see if the car wash is in fact violating the code.