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Heffernan/Teagle Platform has Troubling Aspects
Dear Editor:
I am writing to express my opinions on the upcoming Village elections. Specifically, I would like to address a few paramount issues that have come to the forefront. These include Trustee Heffernan's desire to hire a "village manager," "free and open village government," and the qualifications and differing philosophies of the candidates.
I find one of the most troubling issues in my mind to be a statement made by Trustee Heffernan that if he were elected Mayor of Cold Spring that he would hire an "office manager" to oversee the day-to-day operations of Cold Spring. This is worrisome from both an accountability and financial aspect. Throughout our history the Village has been managed by the mayor. This includes oversight of normal daily business as well as management of the various departments. I don't see the need to introduce more bureaucracy to our government, nor do I see the hiring of another salaried position to be in the best financial interest of the community. If Trustee Heffernan feels that he can't or won't perform these duties I fail to see his reason for seeking to be our mayor. By definition a mayor is a chief executive of a village, not a figure head who runs meetings on occasion.
Another troubling aspect of the current campaign is that both Mr. Teagle and Trustee Heffernan are running on a platform of "free and open" government. On numerous occasions I have heard accusations towards our current mayor of "back-door" dealings and "secret meetings." Yet, a few weeks ago it was Trustee Heffernan that felt compelled to organize an "informal meeting" at which three village trustees were present, to discuss the Village master plan and a possible building moratorium. This unannounced quorum, which failed to include the mayor or even the Comprehensive Plan chair, is not "free and open" government. It is in fact illegal by New York State law.
Lastly, and perhaps the most troubling of all the issues are the differing qualifications and philosophies of the candidates. I have by no means agreed with everything that Mayor Phillips has done in the past; however I do respect his frankness and the fact that you always know where the Mayor is coming from. He is an ex-Marine and thus he "tells it like it is." He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, to get involved with the day to day minutia of running a village or to look for alternatives for the betterment of the community. This is a quality which Trustee Heffernan is lacking, as evidenced by his desire to hire a village manager.
Furthermore, Mayor Phillips has always looked to the community as a resource, utilizing volunteer services that over the years have saved taxpayers thousands of dollars. A good example would be the current debate over a Village website, which Mayor Phillips could have accomplished free of charge by volunteers, yet Trustee Heffernan instead spent $5000 to accomplish. It is that type of commitment to our village, shared by Ed Mancari and Cary Downey, which I have grown to respect. That is why they have earned my vote on March 20th.
Michael Bowman
Cold Spring
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