AMSTERDAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Voters in more the two dozen Capital Region cities and towns are deciding who will run their municipalities. Mayor races are on the ballot in four local cities.

One of them is Amsterdam. Republican Michael Arbige is trying to unseat the current mayor Michael Cinquanti. If elected, Arbige wants to focus on government transparency and the city’s finances.

The local pastor acknowledges the city does have a surplus. But he adds, it’s not because of the mayor.

“That’s mostly because of the sales tax revenue we get from the county and from the ambulance revenue we get, so it’s nothing that the mayor’s policies really have had any impact on,” said Arbige. He adds, “if anything, we should have a greater surplus but we’ve been spending money at such an alarming rate in the last two years.

Arbige sat down with NEWS10 to discuss the issues facing Amsterdam.