NORFOLK — Norfolk Town Supervisor Charlie Pernice has been in his current role for 14 years but he says it’s not just his experience in public office that make him a strong candidate.

“At 19, I was working as an Electrician on a Navy ship that literally went all over the world with a crew of every ethnicity and every culture on board. The military teaches leadership and responsibility like no other job I could have had as a young adult,” Pernice said.

Following his service, Pernice served as a paid firefighter and driver for the Village of Massena Fire Department for 21 years, from 1985 until his retirement in 2006.

Pernice said working in high stress situations to assist the community day and night was an invaluable experience.

During his time as a firefighter, Pernice said he worked within local government, negotiating salary and benefits and working with the public on a daily basis. Those skills have translated to working as town supervisor in Norfolk.

Service to the community is a core tenet for Pernice, ranging from his multiple roles with Local 2220 Massena Permanent Firefighters union, to managing the U-19 American Legion baseball team for 7 years and coaching youth soccer and baseball. Pernice said he also coached 11 years with the Norfolk-Norwood Minor Hockey program, serving on the board of directors in that time and as president for three years.

Pernice said he continues to volunteer time to the hockey program, helping lay down ice and lines this fall in preparation for the season ahead.

Community events have also been a focus for Pernice, having served on the Bicentennial Committee as well as assisting with Norfolk’s Fall Festival.

It’s the combination of these experiences, along with his 14 years as town supervisor, that are valuable in navigating the significant challenges posed by inflation, Pernice said.

“Everything is costing more and, in some cases, much more. Fuel costs, parts costs, new equipment costs, utilities and health insurance costs have significantly increased and even more so since COVID,” Pernice said.

Pernice noted that a full-equipped plow truck that was delivered in 2022 cost $251,000, while another scheduled for delivery in 2024 is slated to cost $331,000.

Another has been sitting in Watertown since July, waiting on a single part to be manufactured specifically for that engine.

Road salt and sand expenses have continued to rise as well, he said.

Those sorts of expenses typically drive up tax rates and levies, hurting the bottom line for residents.

“These challenges are the same thing every homeowner in Norfolk is dealing with in this economy and I very much understand the importance of not raising taxes any more than absolutely necessary to get the job done,” Pernice said.

Pernice credited Budget Officer Bill Dashnaw for his work over the years, financially positioning the town to cover expenses as they arise. “Healthy fund balances” have aided the town in recent years, “specifically for these financial times or events outside of our control, so to date, we haven’t had to raise taxes significantly and our 2024 budget will be under the State-mandated tax cap.”

Pernice noted that since the first budget he oversaw in 2011, the town-wide tax rate has dropped from $5.1470 per thousand of assessed valuation to $5.1091 per thousand of assessed valuation in the 2024 budget.

“I have fought hard to do the best job I could keeping taxes stable and not taking any more money from the taxpayers than I had to all while offering the same services we always have,” Pernice said.

Pernice said keeping the tax rate increases stable over 14 years is his biggest achievement to date, something he is proud to have accomplished “all while updating the Highway Department’s equipment inventory to meet the ever- changing needs of the town.”

My attitude has always been, I would rather have the employees out in the field working to improve the town rather than being in the garage fixing old equipment,” he said.

Over his seven terms in office, Pernice said he has built and maintained a solid team to serve taxpayers.

“I have worked hard in Norfolk to build and maintain a good team, to make the right decisions for the right reasons and I hope to expand on that by updating our local code and taking a fresh look at our Land Use Ordinances. The times are changing with renewable power and battery storage systems, for one, and our codes need to be changed to reflect that technology,” he said.

Pernice also spoke to the “outdated” town hall and his plans to build a new, ground level office building “next door” to the current town hall.

If implemented, the existing town hall would be used to accommodate the court system’s needs, he said. Handicap access is also a big concern, with only one lift available and “daunting” front steps for aging residents.

“I really would like to start planning a new ground level town office building next door to the current Town Hall which would open up the rest of the current hall for the court system to utilize for the court’s needs. This would put the bulk of the offices our older folks need all in a ground level building with better handicapped parking close to the entry door. All of the current town offices are small and extremely cramped for needed storage space,” he said.

As for the town’s infrastructure, Pernice said it’s imperative to plan for a water line that crosses the Racquette River near the now closed Raymondville Bridge.

“We have a single water line that crosses the river which serves a large number of homes on the other side of the river and by best guess that line is 60 plus years old. If that line fails, there is no way to provide water to all those homes and no easy way to repair it. It only makes sense to begin planning either how to replace that line or alternatively how to provide water from the other side of the river over land,” he said.