Village of Walden Deputy Mayor John Ramos has announced that he is running for mayor of the Village of Walden.

He is running for mayor, as he believes that there is a lot of unfinished business to attend to in Walden. He would succeed Susan Taylor who, last month, announced that she would not seek another term as mayor.

“I see our village growing the right way, getting new families into our community,” Ramos said. “Our parks and rec. [programs] are growing to a point where people are gonna want to look at coming and moving to the Village of Walden. I want to foster that.”

If elected mayor, he would have the community center completed. He would also like to enhance property values within the village. There are currently 13 vacant storefronts in Walden and Ramos wants to fill them. As a father, he wants to create a safe environment for children in the village. Ramos plans to accomplish this by improving Walden Elementary School. He hopes to sit down with members of the school’s administration to develop ways to enhance it.

Ramos has been a Village of Walden trustee since October 2015. During his tenure, the village has strengthened its recreation and parks department as well as their programs for children. Many children’s programs were held online this year and Ramos noted that the turnout was massive. He also helped to annex the Biagini property, a 36-37 acre vacant land on Route 52. Ramos believes this property will create homes for many families, which in turn will enhance property values throughout the entire village.
“I know it’s in years to come but I’d like to solidify this while I’m mayor,” Ramos said regarding the development of the Biagini property. “Start that ball rolling, so that we get quality homes and services that we can provide as a village to the homeowners. Property values would rise and make the Village of Walden a great place.”

The Village of Walden election will take place on Tuesday, March 16. Ramos noted to his knowledge he is the only candidate running for mayor. His position would be for two years, starting at noon on April 5, 2021 and concluding at noon on April 3, 2023. At this time, three current village trustees are running for three open trustee positions. Brian Sebring, Lynn Thompson and John Elliott are running for two-year terms, which would take place during the same timeframe as the mayor. Incumbent Raynard A. Ozman will run for village justice. His term would commence at noon on April 5, 2021 and conclude at noon on April 7, 2025.