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Teagle Supports Heffernan in Bid for Mayor
To the Editor:
We enter this Village of Cold Spring election season with no candidates running unopposed - a cause for celebration! This is how democracy is intended to work and I'm proud to be a candidate for Trustee. Many elections in past years were poorly attended because there was no choice on the ballot; less than 10% of the registered voters would take the time to go to the polls. In essence, the people were disenfranchised; they felt their vote didn't count because in reality it didn't. All an unopposed incumbent had to do was go to the polls at some point during the day, turn the only lever available and appoint themselves. That the polls stayed open the fully scheduled hours was proper, but served no real purpose.
In 2005 Phil Heffernan and I challenged the two longest standing Trustees because we felt they and the mayor ignored three major factors; (1) public sentiment, (2) the Village's formally adopted 1987 Master Plan and (3) NY State Law, in illegally rezoning the waterfront to accommodate a wellconnected Westchester developer. In the process they ignored hundreds of signatures on a petition we circulated against the rezoning. The public responded by coming to the polls in almost record numbers and waiting over an hour in the cold, with Phil winning a seat as a write-in. I beat the longest standing Trustee and tied the other, but lost to a questionable game of chance in Carmel that settled the "contest". This travesty led to NY State Law being changed last year so that tied village elections are settled by a public revote.
In 2006 the public responded again by voting out the other two Trustees who had voted for the illegal rezoning of the waterfront. Phil was joined on the Board by Seth Gallagher and Karn Dunn and, as a majority vote, they have brought a fresh outlook to the village. These are optimistic times, with their insistence on creating a new Village Comprehensive Plan leading to the current outreach to the people, seeking the input of the community as a whole to lead it in the 21st Century. The first Village newsletter was recently released and a new Board-approved website is about to go on line. These are examples of the desire to bring the government to the people and I support them wholeheartedly.
I also support Mr. Heffernan's decision to run for Mayor, instead of the safe path of re-election as Trustee. Many residents felt he would be the best choice of candidate for the position, based on his actions as Trustee. His ability to work cordially with the old Board his first year and as part of the new majority for the last incredibly fruitful year shows his personality is well suited for the job. He is a strong believer in democratic principles and deserves your vote in this important election.
John Teagle Cold Spring
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