Tomorrow, you, the Ossining community, will exercise your right to vote. I am grateful to have served these last four years, and I am asking for your support again tomorrow.

My opponent agrees with me on many positions, but we differ on some very basic points. 

• I advocate for smart growth guided by a vision shaped by the community. My opponent calls for a moratorium.
• I have maintained a 0% tax rate increase for the past two years, and I am now entering my sixth budget season. My opponent has never voted on a budget.
• I support the recommendations of the Housing Needs Assessment—a multi-pronged approach including an economic development strategy, comprehensive plan update, and progressive affordable housing legislation. My opponent disregarded the recommendations of the Housing Needs Assessment in favor of ETPA, a 40+ year old NYS rent stabilization program that will shift the tax burden, making Ossining less affordable for most residents.
• I believe in civility and professionalism in government. My opponent uses public meetings for grandstanding and attempts at bullying.
• I have championed initiatives to promote Ossining as an inclusive and safe village for the LGBTQ community, including the first gender neutral bathroom signage policy for a municipality in NYS, and advocating for the establishment of the Ossining LGBTQ Alliance. My opponent has said he supports the LGBTQ community.
• I have established a more open and transparent government than ever before existed in our village with Open Office Hours, the Monday Mayor’s Message, Weekly Walks, keeping cameras rolling for public comments, and launching a new website. My opponent talks a lot about transparency and open government. Meanwhile, he violates NYS Open Meetings laws by gaining consensus among Trustees through phone calls rather than during a public meeting, and has failed to file his last two mandatory disclosure reports with the NYS Department of Campaign Finance.
• I have been endorsed by leaders in village, town, county and state government. My opponent failed to get the endorsement of the Ossining Democratic Committee, despite being a member years longer than I have. He then lost the Democratic primary and is running in the General Election on another party’s line.
• I entered politics through a pathway of environmentalism. I served on the Village Environmental Advisory Council, the Executive Board of the Northern Westchester Energy Action Consortium, and the steering committee that established Sustainable Westchester. The first legislation I spearheaded was to allow beekeeping in the Village, and our legislation is now the most progressive in the county. I introduced and advocated for the Village to adopt a Complete Streets Policy. I initiated and championed transitioning to LED streetlights—saving taxpayers over $100K dollars annually and reducing our carbon footprint. When asked, my opponent cites his participation in Stash the Trash, and being supportive of environmental initiatives introduced and championed by me.

In a moment when our nation is divided like never before, our community has identified shared priorities. Experience matters. Elections matter. I hope you will get out and vote tomorrow, and encourage friends to as well. And I hope I have earned your support for another term.

Thank you to all of the engaged community members who attended last night’s Candidates Forum. Thank you also to the League of Women Voters for moderating, and to the Ossining Chamber of Commerce for hosting the event.

The best part of campaigning is connecting with residents who care deeply about our community. Last night’s forum was an opportunity to speak directly to you, our neighbors. Our responses highlighted some of the differences in experience and priorities between my opponent and me. There were important topics that were not addressed by the questions selected, notably how we will balance crowded schools with economic development and updating the Comprehensive Plan. To learn more about my positions on local issues, I encourage you to visit my website. I have called for us to open the Comprehensive Plan, and for the whole community to work together to shape who Ossining wants to be in 5, 10 and 20 years.

Thank you to the Ossining Public Library for welcoming us into your wonderful space. Those who did not attend can was the broadcast on the government access channel or you can click here to view it on YouTube.

This is an historic election between two candidates, and while my opponent and I agree on many issues, we differ on some as well. I take a positive and informed approach to government and respect differing views. Civility matters, whether it’s at a board meeting or running into people in our everyday lives.

I am asking for your vote on November 6. I am also asking for your voice as envision what is next for Ossining. The only way to do that well is for us to do it together.

Congratulations to our friends in New Rochelle for being awarded the $10M Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Grant. This is the first time a Westchester community has won.

Ossining was a finalist again this year for the DRI. We have applied all three of the years it has been available, and we have been finalists twice. The DRI candidates in the Mid Hudson Region of the Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC) face stiff competition. Ossining’s submission this year was excellent, thanks to the hard work and expertise of a team of people in Village government and the community. New Rochelle didn’t beat us because our submission wasn’t good enough. They beat us because they have demonstrated a commitment and a capacity for economic development.

For years I’ve attended conferences and heard about the New Rochelle Approach. New Rochelle’s approach begins with involving the whole community to establish clear priorities, and then determine parameters and incentives to achieve them. They institutionalized a process that operates smoothly regardless of any momentary political strife. A developer looking to consider New Rochelle knows exactly what they need to provide to the city, and the approval process for their application takes 60-90 days.  This streamlined process means that instead of a developer spending years and lots of money in the approval process, they can invest more into the project—investing more into achieving the goals of our community.

The REDC will only entrust $10M to a community with leadership that is committed to smart economic development. New Rochelle sent a clear message to the DRI decision makers that they are committed to smart economic development that reflects their community’s priorities.

Unfortunately, the current political climate in Ossining sent a very different message. When my opponent began publicly calling for a moratorium as a top priority in his vision for the future, the Village lost any chance of being awarded the DRI for 2018.

One clear challenge for Ossining to consider is how do we balance our desire for high quality housing at all income levels, with a crowded school system. The good news is, we are now refocusing our efforts on comprehensive planning. While the $10M DRI grant would expand our capabilities and resources for economic development planning, we have a strong foundation to build on—so long as we have leadership that is committed to smart growth driven by community priorities. We are fortunate to have Village Planner Tracey Corbitt on board to help guide the process.

It is time to work with all our community partners to establish a vision for who Ossining will be in the next 5, 10 and 20 years. Ossining working together is how we are all successful. In just a few weeks, we will know the outcome of the election. The voters will determine our path forward.

Engaging with all community partners is essential in planning Ossining’s future. Small businesses are thriving for local entrepreneurs. That’s great for all of Ossining. Now it’s time to make big decisions about what kind of development we will welcome in the coming years so that we have intelligent growth that benefits our whole community. That process demands candid in-depth engagement with residents and public institutions, especially the School District.

New housing moratoriums haven’t always worked around the county, state and nation, and no matter how loud proponents are, we need to research and decide what model of growth works best here. Investment in Ossining is something we have embraced, and, with proper parameters we want to continue to attract new people and businesses to settle in our beautiful and historic village.

Concerned parents leading the group Ossining for Fair Funding, delved into data provided by the school demographer, the Town Tax Assessor, as well as information about residential housing available through the freedom of information act. Their findings demonstrate that the increasing school population reflects several factors—and we all have a role to play in the solution. I applaud this community group, and would welcome a public conversation of their findings.

We all need to do our part to ensure that students who live in our community are able to access a terrific education—now and for years to come.

To address our crowded schools, the Village has a role to play with proactive code enforcement and smart planning. The School District and neighboring local governments have critical roles to play in addressing this challenge as well. We all must work together for the greater good.

We need to find the right balance. Together we will continue to support our thriving community, maintain a sustainable population in our dense village, encourage development that includes mixed use as well as mixed income levels, and reflect the unique character of Ossining.

This budget season, the Village will determine how we can dedicate more resources to code enforcement.

This week we had our first public meeting with the new Village Planner Tracey Corbitt. It was a productive start to a process we anticipated embarking on ten months ago. Last year we put a quarter million dollars in the budget to help us update the Comprehensive Plan. Many of us are frustrated that priorities shifted in the new year, and derailed any comprehensive planning efforts. Now is the time to refocus on comprehensive planning. That starts with a community conversation to clarify our vision. Who does Ossining want to be in the next 5, 10 or 20 years?

I am actively involved in the Greenlight NY initiative advocating for all NY drivers to become eligible to be licensed and insured—regardless of documentation status. Leaders in law enforcement agree, ensuring that all drivers know the rules of the road and have insurance, is better for everyone’s safety.

Last week I spoke about this effort in a televised roundtable. In this segment I express why it is important for local governments to send a powerful message to Albany that the people of our communities would benefit from this legislation.

During this next segment I point out that New York would not be blazing any trails by passing this legislation. There are already a dozen states that provide drivers licenses regardless of documentation status.

The day after recording this show, I had an opportunity to speak with Governor Cuomo and I asked him whether he would sign the legislation if it is passed by the Assembly and the Senate. He said he would, though it must be a law, not an executive order. In this segment we discuss a bit of the political landscape and how this proposed legislation is being used as a divisive issue in some NY Senate races. Our conversation goes on to remind folks of the importance of voting.

I am proud to stand with Croton, Greenburgh, Irvington, Mamaroneck Village and Town, Ossining Town, Peekskill, Port Chester, and Yonkers in having taken this first step in sending a clear message to Albany that, for the sake of our communities, they must pass this legislation. I will continue to reach out to fellow chief elected officials across Westchester so that we can grow this list.

We often feel removed from decisions about immigration policies coming from the White House. Fighting for residents to have access to drivers license, regardless of documentation status, is something a tangible that can make a difference in the lives of Ossining residents.

Thank you to the Firefighters who bring us together every year for this ceremony. Ossining is a community that deeply appreciates the service of our first responders. We rest easier safe in the knowledge that you all stand ready to protect us.

By bringing us together for this remembrance each year, you not only keep alive the memories of that tragic day 17 years ago, you nourish this community by reminding us of the universal story we all share.

We are like communities all across America today who gather to share and listen. Most of us today were alive in 2001, and we recall our own stories. When we come together we listen to each other, and with each story we hear, we deepen our connections to each other.

While each personal story of that day is unique, it most always is also a story with the same theme about the unifying spirit that shined so brilliantly in the wake of the towers falling.

This weekend I had the opportunity to visit three houses of worship—Episcopalian, Baptist, and Quaker. While these all share a common scripture, they have their own vocabulary for expressing the foundation of every religion and every culture. Whether you are Christian or Muslim, Jewish or Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist or Agnostic—you have a way of expressing the same universal thing that we all share.

Whether you call it the light within, the Holy Spirit, God, Christ, Allah, inner wisdom, life-force, the word, or simply humanity, you know that it shines most brightly when we face the greatest evil. And thank God it does. Because, we need those personal stories to be about more than the agonizing loss, the violence, the fury.

There’s a song that’s been stuck in my head since I attended the musical program at Trinity Church on Saturday afternoon. So I will close with a verse from the wise spiritual leader, Bette Midler:

From a distance we are instruments
Marching in a common band
Playing songs of hope
Playing songs of peace
They are the songs of every man

On Wednesday I voted against ETPA. The intentions of this program are good for Ossining—keeping the village affordable and protecting tenants. Unfortunately, in practice, ETPA has too many unintended consequences that will be detrimental for the majority of Ossining residents—homeowners, small businesses and tenants alike. It also undermines the progress we’ve been making on upgrading substandard housing—which is one of our greatest housing challenges. Unfortunately, three trustees on the Board saw things differently.

The best thing I can say about the ETPA vote is that at least now we can direct Village time and resources to important initiatives like reopening the Comprehensive Plan to envision the community we hope to be for the next decade and beyond. ETPA has demanded a lot of bandwidth this year, and I’m eager to focus our efforts on initiatives that are forward-thinking, and driven by and for Ossining.

ETPA is only one policy. If we have learned anything with our recent focus on housing, we know there are a lot of strategies for improving our local economy, keeping taxes low, and providing safe affordable housing. With the right leadership, Ossining has a brilliant future.

Our village is in a better position than we have been for many years. Under my leadership, we are experiencing thriving new businesses and progressive policies, while holding the line on taxes. The next step for Ossining is smart mixed-income development that feeds our local economy and balances the needs of our crowded schools.

Like any important decision, I thoroughly researched the pros and cons of ETPA, and the impact it would have on our whole community. It is unfortunate that ETPA supporters often resorted to simplified rhetoric suggesting that if you support ETPA you care about tenants, and if you don’t support this policy, you don’t care about tenants. Understanding the comprehensive implications of tax assessment and heavily bureaucracy-laden state programs demands more than politically charged sound bites. I fought hard for the position I believed in. The votes were cast. We’ll see if there are legal challenges or implementation hiccups, but that’s unlikely. Now it’s time to look ahead.

The debate about ETPA has energized our community. I encourage voters to direct that energy to the voting booth on September 13 for the Democratic Primary Election. Primary elections in an off-year have notoriously low turnout. Off-year General Elections fair only marginally better. Perhaps this year can be different. Elections have consequences. I ask Ossining residents to get out and vote, and I hope you vote for me.