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Week of July 30, 2025 Home of The Shott Fmaily
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WWII veteran honored New village clerk hired
Mary Ellen Sims retiring after 28 years here; Desiree Salvagni will replace her By Russ Tarby Contributing writer
Submitted photos
Recently Tom and Pat Richards of Fayetteville met with WWII veteran and POW, John Shott, at his 103rd birthday celebration. The party was held at the Pitcher Hill Community Church in North Syracuse and was attended by approximately 50 of Shott’s family and friends. New York State Sen. Christopher Ryan was in attendance and read a proclamation commemorating the occasion of Shott’s 103rd birthday, and recounting Shott’s WWII experiences as a radioman and gunner aboard U.S. Army Air Corps aircraft engaged in combat against the Japanese forces in the western Pacific region, and subsequently as a prisoner of war. When asked what is his secret to living to the age of 103 years, Shott, without hesitation, answered, “Good genes!” Some of his family members added that it was also likely due to his being able to eat as much as he wants, of anything he wants. Pictured is John Shott with Pat and Tom Richards.
At the monthly meeting of the Liverpool Village Board of Trustees on Monday, July 21, a new village clerk was appointed to replace longtime clerk Mary Ellen Sims, who is retiring after 28 years. The new part-time clerk and treasurer will be Desiree Salvagni, who has been employed as business development director and professional standards coordinator for the Greater Syracuse Association of REALTORS. Salvagni also worked briefly for the Oneida Nation Enterprises as a convention coordinator at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona and as an event planner for the Oncenter in downtown Syracuse. Salvagni is the second woman hired for the position. In late April the trustees announced the hiring of Linda Whitcomb who worked 17 years for Time-Warner Cable and Spectrum. Whitcomb had been slated to start work on June 1, but after being hired she informed the trustees that she would decline the job. A subsequent search led to Salvagni, who attended the July 21 village board meeting. “We’re so happy to have you,” Mayor Stacy Finney told her. Salvagni will earn $30 an hour and serve a six-month probationary period. For the past 13 years, Sims has been working part-time. She will act as a consultant to the new clerk for as long as necessary. Sims characterized her work here as “rewarding.” “My time serving the village residents, mayors and trustees has been enjoyable, challeng-
Submitted photo
New part-time Liverpool village Clerk & Treasurer Desiree Salvagni.
ing and very rewarding,” she said. “The village of Liverpool has been my ‘home’ and will always be in my heart.”
Six DWIs in June
Police Chief Jerry Unger reported via memo that his officers made 387 traffic stops and issued 371 citations for violations of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws in the month of June. Six arrests were made for driving while intoxicated last month. Officers stopped 15 tractor trailers in the village in June, and they wrote 15 local law traffic tickets for being overweight. Seven accidents were investigated here last month and five parking tickets were issued. Officers made 47 residential checks and 269 business checks last month, while responding to a total of 916 incidents and calls for service, an average of 30.5 calls per day. The LPD arrested 103 individuals in June on 145 misdemeanor or felony criminal charges.
Prominent manufacturer-developer Jay Bernhardt dead at 82 By Russ Tarby Contributing writer
Longtime town of Salina manufacturer and real estate developer Jay Bernhardt died on Sunday, July 20 in Syracuse. He was 82 years old. Born in Cooperstown, Bernhardt founded JGB Enterprises – a manufacturer of hoses and hose assemblies – in 1977 in DeWitt. In 1984 he moved the operation to the town of Salina, specifically at 115 Metropolitan Drive and another building at 7110 Henry Clay Blvd. JGB also established branch offices at five
other locations across the country – Buffalo, Charlotte, N.C., St. Louis, Mo., North Dakota and Texas. Over the years, Bernhardt hired more than 300 employees. Seven years ago, Bernhardt sold the business to HCI Equity Partners, a Washington, D.C.-based investment firm. A man with many varied interests, Bernhardt branched out into publishing, historic preservation and real estate. His JGB Properties firm owned buildings such as Baldwinsville’s Red Mill Inn and Liverpool’s restored brick
Manly Building at the corner of First and Tulip streets, both of which now have new owners. The firm also owned several Main Street properties in Richfield Springs, and an undeveloped three acres on Liverpool’s historic Basin Block. JGB Properties had planned a multi-use development there of three three-story buildings, two along lower First Street and one on South Willow. The buildings would’ve housed 47 residential units, six office spaces and two retail spaces but Bernhardt was
unable to secure the financing for the development. While JGB Properties had its ups and downs, it emerged as one of America’s top defense contractors. JGB supplied every style of industrial, hydraulic and stainless steel-braided metal hose and fittings to the commercial business sector as well as to United States Armed Forces, NATO and various foreign military services. In 2016, JGB was ranked number four on Modern Distribution Management’s list of top hose companies.
In 2017, JGB became the nation’s 24th largest defense contractor within the list of the 100 Largest Defense Contractors based on contracts performed. In October of that same year, JGB agreed to a $150,460 settlement after being accused by the U.S. Army of improperly billing for repair kits for a tank-recovery vehicle, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Bernhardt is survived by his wife, Kathleen Bernhardt (Polge); his children, Erica Pigula (Daniel) and Jason Bernhardt (Ana); his fatherin-law Albert Polge; and
Jay Bernhardt five grandchildren. A celebration of Bernhardt’s life was planned for Tuesday, July 29, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Church followed by an entombment at St. Mary’s Cemetery in DeWitt.
Volume 132, Number 31 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 108, Syracuse, NY 13206.
community: Legislature remembers Tassone.
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crime: Local chiropractor accused of sending indecent material.
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