MASSENA- Village board members Francis J. Carvel and Albert C. “Herb” Deshaies are seeking additional four-year terms.

The Massena Democrats unanimously approved both trustees to represent the party on the November ballot at their caucus Monday night. Mr. Carvel, 60, is seeking his second four-year term. Mr. Deshaies, 80, first began serving on the village board in 1995.

Both men said they have enjoyed their time on the board and would hope the public would consider them for another term. Approximately one dozen attended the caucus at the Massena Community Center; former Mayor Charles R. Boots nominated Mr. Carvel for approval, while Mr. Deshaies’ daughter-in-law, Cortney, nominated him.

“There have been some heated times but overall it’s been an enjoyable experience,” Mr. Carvel said. “I try to do a lot of homework on everything that’s out there.”

Mr. Deshaies said his retired years have enabled him to seek and maintain public office.

“I enjoy doing it,” he said. “I have a lot of free time.”

Mr. Carvel was initially on the fence about a second term, but decided in favor of running after receiving words of encouragement from fellow community members.

“It’s nice to see the support,” he said.

Mr. Carvel said some of his ideas, like cutting the administrator position, weren’t initially popular but appear to have benefitted the village in the long run. The village has saved approximately $100,000 and continued to function without an administrator, he said.

“You never hear those two words mentioned,” he said of the village administrator. “We never got the return for our buck.”

He expected the next four years would be more difficult for the village than the last four. But he looked forward to tackling the village’s problems like he once did as a foreman for the Department of Public Works, from where he retired in 2007.

“I always work at solving problems and getting the job done,” he said.

Mr. Deshaies said he would focus on repairing or demolishing dilapidated village buildings and fixing the breached Grasse River weir if voters decided to give him another four-year term.

“We’ve had one person drown there,” he said. “We’ve got to do something about that.”

Mr. Boots praised Mr. Carvel’s knack for researching and educating himself on village issues.

“I can honestly say he’s on top of things all the time,” Mr. Boots said. “He was a wealth of knowledge the village can use from his work experience at the DPW.”

Ms. Deshaies praised her father-in-law’s ability to listen to and represent the village.

“You can always count on him to help you out if you need something,” she said.

The Massena Republican Party will have a chance to nominate potential challengers at its caucus at 7 p.m. tonight in Massena Town Hall. Mr. Carvel and Mr. Deshaies said they ran unopposed in 2008.

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