On January 22, 2025, the Lima Democrats held a caucus to select candidates for two available trustee seats on the Lima Village Board.
Jonathan Stills and John Wadach were unanimously chosen as our candidates.
Their platform is to make the Lima Ambulance sustainable.
Save Our Ambulance
Elect
Jonathan Stills
John Wadach
Village of Lima Trustees
Tuesday, March 18, Noon-9pm
| Introducing the Candidates |
Jonathan Stills
- Lima Resident for 35 years
- HFL Graduate
- AAS Degree from MCC:
Major: Criminal Justice - Lima Ambulance Veteran: Driver and EMT-Defibrillator
- Founder and Director:
Love Leads Us, Providing support services for those in need - Owner of Premier Party Rentals
- Married to Bethany Stills
- Three children (1yr – 12yrs)
- Singer in several local bands
John Wadach
- Lima Resident for 38 years
- MCC Professor, Retired: Engineering & Physics
- Lima Trustee for 11 years:
Helped win grants for water, sidewalks, fiber optic internet, and clean energy projects - Kistner Concrete Products: Part-time Loader Operator & Customer Service Specialist
- Married to Bonnie Wadach
- Two adult children
- Two grandsons (1yr & 3yrs)
Dear Village of Lima Voters:
Is saving the Lima Ambulance worth $9.501 per month to you? Without this infusion of funding our local ambulance service may close and be replaced with Livingston EMS. Livingston EMS stages ambulances in Dansville, Mt. Morris, and Avon. Maintaining our local ambulance service allows for faster response times which can be a critical factor in determining medical outcomes.
For $9.50 a month we will not only maintain our exceptional volunteer staff, but also add paid staff that will be at the Lima Ambulance Base ready to immediately respond between 6am – 6pm Monday thru Friday. Our dedicated volunteers will continue to cover night and weekend shifts so that Lima residents can count on rapid response times 24 hours per day and 7 days per week.
Lima presently has one of the finest all-volunteer ambulance services anywhere! If you agree with us that we must support our dedicated volunteers by adding paid staff, please cast your vote for us on Tuesday, March 18th.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Stills and John Wadach
1. The total annual cost of paid staff is $141,000. Assuming the Town of Lima shares this expense equally, an additional Village tax levy of $70,500 divided by the total Village assessed valuation of $123,775,949 translates into an additional tax rate of $0.57 per thousand. Multiplying $200,000 by $0.57 per thousand yields an annual cost of approximately $114 or $9.50 per month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is the Lima Ambulance at risk of closing down?
A lack of volunteers, due in part to intensive NYS training requirements, has forced our most active members to be at the base or on-call for over 30 hours per week. This level of personal sacrifice is clearly not sustainable seeing that most volunteers have full-time jobs.
Q: What is needed to keep the Lima Ambulance operating?
The Lima Ambulance Chief recommends that one paid driver and one paid EMT be stationed at the ambulance base from 6am to 6pm Monday through Friday.
Q. How much will the addition of paid ambulance staff cost a typical Village of Lima property taxpayer?
The approximate tax increase will be $9.50 per month.
Q. Aren’t we already paying property tax for the ambulance?
A typical taxpayer pays $32 annually which is used only to pay the loan on the ambulance building which will be paid off in 5 years. All other costs are paid with insurance reimbursements and donations.
Q. Where will Village residents get ambulance service if the Lima Ambulance closes?
Livingston EMS will provide ambulance service to Lima. Livingston EMS stages ambulances in Dansville, Mt. Morris, and Avon. Emergency response times will increase if the Lima Ambulance closes.
JOHN WADACH’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON THE VILLAGE BOARD
John Wadach is running for a seat on the Lima Village board. He has served on the board in the past and some of you have asked what he’s done for Lima. I’d like to share that with you now.
1980’s
– helped build the park pavilion
- Main driver for installation of new water line on Main St. – replaced old pipes containing lead.
1990’s
-began Lima’s monthly recycling drop off
2000-2023
-planted flowers in the park and spent 100s of dollars of his own money each year
-constructed new garden with decorative block border at the sidewalk entrance to the pavilion at his own expense
-painted trim, bathrooms, gates and playground equipment at his own expense
-cleaned park bathrooms weekly 2000-2022
-cleaned ambulance base for over a year (4-5 hours on a Sunday)
Over 2 million dollars in grants that did the following:
-back up water line to Avon
-new water line on Rochester, Maplewood, Seneca, College and Lake
-fiber optic internet ($50 per/month)
-new sidewalks on Michigan, Dalton, College and Elm
-3 electric mowers and 1 electric utility vehicle
-45 trees planted on West Main St.
-EV charging station (village made money on this project)
Other projects:
-LED streetlights
-solar array construction to save money and supply village facilities with clean energy
-surveyed streetlights and identified non-existent lights village was paying for
-recognized village electric and natural gas contracts were more expensive than default sources from National Grid and National Fuels
-helped to establish Lima Community Garden with the Samarra family
A MESSAGE FROM JONATHAN STILLS
My name is Jonathan Stills. I was born and raised in Lima, and I have been a resident of Lima Village for the past 36 years. After graduating from Honeoye Falls-Lima School district in 2003, I earned my Associates degree with a major in criminal justice. Over the past 5 and a half years my wife and I have had the privilege of raising our beautiful family in the very same village I was raised in. I am running for Lima Village Trustee, alongside John Wadach. If elected, one of the many issues I would like to remedy is ensuring that we keep our Volunteer Ambulance Corp viable by providing paid staff. Paid staff will offer significant relief to our limited number of active volunteers, who are currently stretched thin. It is clear that this issue has already been given a lot of attention.
My Vision
It’s a well-established fact that division leads to chaos. Disagreements and mistakes are inevitable, but when we unite to work towards the greater good—improving our already wonderful community—amazing things can happen. If elected, my top priority will be to uphold integrity, honesty, and foster unity. With this in mind, here are some opportunities I would like to focus on if elected:
Strive to create meaningful job opportunities for individuals with special needs.
Focus on repurposing vacant buildings in the Village to serve the community by: providing resources for youth, offering a convenient location for grocery shopping, and establishing a local spot for banking.
Partner with Foodlink to offer a year-round mobile grocery store.
.
My community work
Love Leads Us
In March of 2021, I started a non-profit organization named “Love Leads Us” in an effort to combat the evils of racism with love-based initiatives. We have started work right here in our Lima community. In the past four years, we have organized peace walks and gatherings, launched a 24-hour “take what you need, leave what you can” food cabinet, provided Thanksgiving meals to families facing food insecurity, raised funds, and offered support to fire victims (some of whom were displaced for nearly a year), as well as those affected by violence and individuals facing food and financial hardships.
Lima Volunteer Ambulance Corp.
From 2006 to 2009, I was an active EMT with the Lima Volunteer Ambulance Corps. In 2009, I transitioned to becoming an ambulance driver and continued in that role until 2023, when our wonderful daughter was born. About 30 years ago, I knew I wanted to volunteer for the Lima Ambulance Corps because of my father. I’ll never forget hearing his pager go off, followed by the blaring fire siren, and watching him rush out of the house and down the street to meet the ambulance at a home engulfed in flames just a block away. I walked as far as I could and witnessed my dad in action, working side by side with the firefighters.
Honeoye Falls Fire Department
In 2007, I applied to the Honeoye Falls Fire Department because the need there was greater than in Lima at the time, and I was quickly accepted as a trainee. I completed the training and earned my Firefighter 1 certification, remaining active for 3+ years.
Additional Volunteer Work
My passion for community work began at the age of 5 when I joined my mom and dad to serve meals at the Open Door Mission for the first time. Over the years, I have volunteered at Foodlink’s warehouse on multiple occasions and have also served meals at various nursing homes.
While the role of Village Trustee may be new to me, the work itself is not. I’ve been passionate about serving my community since I was a child. No matter the outcome of this election, I’m excited to continue giving back! Here’s my promise: if elected, I will uphold my integrity, remain respectful and honest, and work in partnership with both the village and town to continue improving our amazing community!
Lastly, I want to thank my wise and loving wife who challenges me to lead and respond with love each and every day. Bethany, you champion my vision and have been my number one supporter as I navigate my first campaign. I love you!