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Stop Wasting our Taxes: Vote for Heffernan
Dear Editor:
In good government nothing may be more important than the judgment of those elected to executive office. On March 20, Cold Spring voters will decide who will be the mayor of our village for the next two years. The incumbent of 14 years, Anthony Phillips, ran an ad in the February 28 PCNR touting his "hands on" experience. Wisely, he makes no claims about his judgment. We villagers pay a high price - in tax dollars and aggravation - for Phillips's persistent lapses of judgment.
In 2004, Cold Spring resident Donald Lusk put a plywood sign on his porch opposing a controversial development near his property. Phillips directed Cold Spring police officers to remove the sign and fine Lusk. Asserting that his First Amendment rights to free speech had been violated, Lusk sued the Village and won. Since then, the Village has spent our tax dollars to appeal (and lose) again and again.
Also in 2004, Cold Spring resident Scott Webster, who had a small home-based business, was cited by the Building Inspector for having two employees and taken to court. The Village hired a costly special attorney to contest the case through a full year of hearings, and lost. The Village is now at risk of having to defend itself against a counter-suit from Webster. More of our tax dollars hard at work!
In May 0f 2004, Phillips and the former Board of Trustees, with the assent of the Planning Board, changed the zoning of several parcels west of the railroad tracks, including the Lumberyard property, from I-1 to B-1. A group of Villagers initiated an Article 78 action opposing the re-zoning. They pointed out that the re-zoning was contrary to the Village Master Plan, which prohibits high density housing on the waterfront, and, because only selected properties were rezoned, constituted "spot zoning," which is prohibited.
The action by Phillips and the Trustees set a precedent that was then exploited by Nozzleman 60 LLC, the company that owns the Marathon Battery property, also zoned I- 1. They saw it as a way to do an end-run around existing I-1 zoning. When Phillips stonewalled Nozzleman, they sued the village. We lost in Putnam County Supreme Court, but won on appeal in the State Court of Appeals in Brooklyn. The action has cost the Village about $100,000 in legal fees so far. This enormous expense, representing 9% of the village's total annual budget, is being paid out of our taxes.
Village Trustee Phil Heffernan is challenging Phillips this year. In addition to his experience on the Board of Trustees, Heffernan has demonstrated the ability to work respectfully with others. He has shown good judgment. He has proved his commitment to open government. Now it's up to us - to each and every taxpayer and voter in Cold Spring. We live in an age of close elections. Voting Matters. Get yourself, your neighbors and your friends, to the polls at the Cold Spring Fire House on Main Street between noon and 9pm on March 20 and vote for Phil Heffernan for Mayor.
Michael J. Armstrong
Cold Spring
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