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Bova Reflects On 25 Years In Government

Marty Bova

MAYVILLE — Marty Bova has been the mayor of Mayville for the past 13 years. As his final term comes to an end, Bova calls his time serving the village “extremely rewarding” as residents at a recent town hall attributed the success of many projects in part to his leadership.

“It makes me feel I must have been doing something right all these years,” Bova said.

Bova spent the past 13 years as village mayor after a 12-year stint as a village board trustee. In his tenure as mayor, the village office was remodeled, tennis courts were constructed at Lakeside Park, the electric substation was upgraded, the Chautauqua Rails to Trails project began, and the Carlson Community Center was erected at Lakeside Park.

Those are just the visual changes in the time Bova’s been involved in village government.

The biggest thing Bova said he is proud of was the ability of village government over the years to keep the tax rate at a consistent amount between $7 and $7.25 per $1,000. Bova said keeping the tax rate low is possible by always looking at expenses and following through on them only if there seem to be long-term benefits.

“There’s got to be some good for the community,” Bova said. “It wouldn’t be possible without the good group of people I work with.”

Fellow village trustees and employees will soon work with a new mayor starting in 2019. Bova attended the meet-the-candidate forum for mayoral candidates Rick Syper and Ken Shearer and trustee candidates Bill Ward, Tim Jacobson, Eagle Harrington, Marty Murphy and Diane Seaton, that was hosted Oct. 4.

At the event, many candidates applauded Bova’s work as long-time mayor and expressed their intentions to further Bova’s vision for the village as one that fosters local small business and provides a place of beauty and relaxation for tourists as well. Some audience questions at the forum were directed to candidates by asking how they will continue to grow and care for Mayville.

“I’ve felt that I’ve always wanted to be involved in the community,” Bova said.

The Mayville mayor began that involvement before he entertained the idea of holding public office. Bova spent a 36-year-long full-time career in law enforcement, first working as a police officer for the Chautauqua Institution in 1977; then moving to the village of Westfield, where he grew up, in 1978 and beginning to work at the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in 1981.

After a decade of patrolling, Bova was assigned to the navigation unit in charge of policing boats in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. He met his wife while on the job in 1986 and continued his 38-year residence in Mayville. He was eventually promoted to sergeant and then lieutenant and led the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Academy, teaching aspiring police officers in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties starting in 2005. Bova currently serves as a part-time investigator for United Refining Company.

Throughout his work in law enforcement, Bova said he’s learned that if you treat people fairly, “down the road, that’ll come back to you tenfold.”

He’s always thought that collective society has a right to expect higher morals from that of police officers because he said that every time an officer puts on the uniform, he or she announces himself as someone dedicated to the duty to protect and serve.

“You’ve got to pass the standard,” said Bova, who noted how important public image can be.

Similarly, he hopes that whoever gets elected to lead the next era of Mayville village government also holds themselves accountable to the public and continues moving the area in the right direction without putting much more financial burden on residents.

As far as developments he had wanted to accomplish during his tenure as mayor and still wants to see get done, Bova thinks there’s opportunities for shoulder seasons to develop, meaning businesses can grow and draw tourists to the village during the fall and spring months, which adjoin the typically busier summer and winter seasons in which tourists typically enjoy the Chautauqua Lake waters and countryside.

“You need to have a reason for people to want to come here,” Bova said.

In terms of emergency response structure, Bova would like to see the merger of the Mayville, Hartfield and Dewittville volunteer fire departments, so resources can be easily shared and an increased sense of collaboration can help volunteers act as more efficient first responders. Bova said if each department cuts down on equipment and shares their different resources, a potentially restructured department could answer the same calls.

“It would still work,” Bova said.

Now that his work in village government is nearly finished, Bova plans on enjoying his partial retirement with his wife and remaining a member of the lakeside community that has shaped both his careers in law enforcement and politics.

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