Ben Troche
LAKEWOOD — He loves talking with people.
And Ben Troche will be the first to admit it.
Troche is beginning his second year of his four-year term on the Lakewood Village Board of Trustees. Mayor Randy Holcomb has appointed him to be deputy mayor as well.
He replaces Ellen Barnes, who still serves as a village trustee.
Troche graduated from Southwestern High School in 2019. He was involved in many volunteer organizations and was the Co-President of the Student Council and Ex-Officio member of the Board of Education.
“I am currently a senior at the University of Rochester studying political science with a focus on Elections and Government. I joined the Lakewood Fire Department in 2018 and currently am an (emergency medical technician) EMT-B. I have worked for Alstar EMS part-time since Jan. 2021 as an EMT-B.
I interned with County Executive PJ Wendel in 2021 and was hired interim in the summer of 2022 on his staff,” Troche said.
Deputy Mayor Troche follows a tradition of public service as his father, Joe Troche, also served as a Village of Lakewood Trustee, and served as deputy mayor, Holcomb said.
And Troche really likes being a village trustee, and being able to talk with village residents about any issues — positive or negative — that may arise. He does answer a lot e-mails an“Lakewood now welcomes Benjamin Trochee as the new deputy mayor of the Village. We look forward to his input and service and I am thankful to him for agreeing to serve as Lakewood’s deputy mayor,” Holcomb added.
He fields several phone calls as no week is the same for Troche.
“I love having conversations with people and meeting people and being a trustee has definitely made me able to meet a lot more people in the village. So, I would definitely say that’s the biggest benefit of being a board member,” Troche said.
Holcomb added he has witnessed many changes on several municipal boards.
“As a Lakewood Trustee for four years and now mayor for three years, and the prior 38 years working as (an) assessors for seven towns and the city (of Jamestown), I watched countless changes on the various elected municipal boards. I’ve taken much of what I learned in watching these boards act and react. One very important aspect of what I learned during those years was that the job of deputy mayor or deputy supervisor was always changing so that all elected board members interested in the position may have a turn at the seat of the deputy mayor,” Holcomb said.
Holcomb also thanked Ellen Barnes for her three-year service on the board as deputy mayor.
Troche said he is excited to get to work as the deputy mayor and is aware of the increased responsibilities.
“The job’s pretty much still the same as a trustee and my priorities showing up every day ready to work. With deputy mayor, it does come with increased responsibility. I’m excited,” Troche noted.
Troche enjoys spending time on Chautauqua Lake, and spending time with his large family — especially with his nephew Louis, he noted.
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