Candidates for vacant Ward 2 slot make their pitch for City Council seat

From left, Ward 2 candidates Leslie Horne, Mark Dionne and Lee Turner (City of Rochester screenshots)

ROCHESTER - Earlier this week three candidates seeking to fill the Ward 2 City Council seat that recently opened up took questions from current councilors.
Leslie Horne, Lee Turner and Mark Dionne, all with strong ties to the Lilac City, are seeking to fill the seat formerly held by Rachel Lawrence, who resigned her position earlier this month.
Horne, a former Rochester police officer and code enforcement officer, said it was most important that the City Council work as a team. He also said one of the biggest challenges is employment issues and that having more recreational opportunities would bring more people to the city.
Dionne, who has served on the city's Conservation Commission and is employed with State Fish and Game, said he was passionate about the revitalization of the downtown and the protection of the city's water supply.
He said development of The Ridge has led to a terrible traffic problem on the Route 11 corridor and said deveiopment wasn't thought through well enough prior to moving forward with all of the construction.
Turner, who has served on the school board and as a moderator for Ward 2, said he was passionate about helping people "who are living on the edge," who have addiction problems and are homeless.
"The biggest challenge is bringing more jobs back into town," he said.