×

McCague Announces He Is Running For Village Mayor

LAKEWOOD — Village trustee and deputy mayor, Edward J. “Ted” McCague, announced he is running for mayor in the upcoming Nov. 5 election.

McCague, a registered Republican, is currently serving as “acting” mayor, and by the end of this year, he will have served over 14 months in that capacity.

“At this point I know the job and would appreciate the opportunity to continue with all the progress made to date,” McCague said.

Since becoming involved in Lakewood, McCague has served in numerous positions including: Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, Chair; Comprehensive Plan Implementation Committee, Chair; Village Planning Board, Chair; Village Trustee and Deputy Mayor; Village mayoral committees: Planning, Zoning, Finance, Grants, Public Safety, Parks & Recreation, Streets & Sidewalks, and Tree Committee liaison.

His additional activities and awards include: vice president of the Lakewood Community Development Corporation, and vice chairman of the Chautauqua Lake & Watershed Management Alliance.

He was named village of Lakewood Volunteer of the Year 2016, and received the American Planning Association’s prestigious award for Lakewood’s Comprehensive Plan in 2018.

“This village is a gem. Its assets should be developed and its challenges reduced. No big changes, just a steady effort at improvements to ensure a strong future for our community,” he said.

McCague’s numerous accomplishments for Lakewood include delivering a new Comprehensive Plan to replace a 45-year-old plan; delivering a first ever Main Street Analysis and Master Plan; drafting Main Street Design Standards and Zoning code; drafting numerous zoning code revisions including property maintenance, accessory structures and noise code; serving on the committee that created the Lakewood-Busti Stormwater Engineering and Management plan. As budget officer for the 2019-20 budget, McCague delivered a tentative budget that lowered the village property tax burden on our residents while properly funding all other departments including our essential services.

During his time on the Village Board, a total of $1,411,443 dollars of grant money has been awarded to the village including the New York Main Street — Technical Assistance Grant ($20,000); New York Main Street — Target Area Grant ($340,492); NYS EGP grant to fund the Lakewood-Busti Stormwater Management & Engineering Study ($100,000); Chautauqua Avenue Green Infrastructure GP grant ($695,000); and the Lowe Park stormwater improvement grant ($255,951).

“Lakewood now excels in its community planning initiatives,” he said, “But there’s more to do including: research on our infrastructure to ensure that aging systems and components are updated, and that our utility systems extend to developable parcels of land, which will allow for future development; and pursuit of historic preservation to protect property values, preserve the quaint quality of the village, and increase the desirability of Lakewood as a great place to live.”

McCague earned his Bachelor of Arts at Washington and Jefferson College, his master’s degree in Liberal Studies from Duquesne University, and a second master’s in the Study of Law from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He retired in 2012 from a 30-year career as a commercial airline pilot, flying heavy jets all over the world.

He can be reached at mccagueformayor@gmail.com.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today