|
Let the Fresh, Active Voices Continue as Trustees
Dear Editor:
With the Village of Cold Spring election less than a month away, I'd like to tip my hat to incumbent Trustees Karn Dunn and Seth Gallagher. Two years ago the pair were elected as fresh, active voices.
One year ago, I was elected to join the Board and have worked closely with them on important issues facing the Village, such as moving forward on the Comprehensive Plan by enabling the Special Board to remain independent, instituting a greatly expanded recycling program, replacing the long-time Village Attorney and the very expensive special counsel with a full service firm specializing in all phases of municipal law at a standard fee, returning the responsibility of hiring and firing Police Officers to the full Board of Trustees as mandated by NYS law, paying the Officers their contracted longevity pay which had been placed in limbo, insisting on a standardized protocol and forms for our Building Inspector, as well as Planning, Historic and Zoning Boards, scrutinizing past budgets, etc.
I am personally proud to have seen the entire Board stay functioning through all this. While it is not unusual for local governments to spiral downward to the point of non-function because of egos and agendas, this board has maintained a civility in the most contentious times. The loss of Officer Burris brought the Police Department and the Board together, with the Mayor and Officers working closely to keep coverage of all shifts. A little patience and a willingness to compromise has been apparent in all.
While I am not a fan of uncontested elections and will welcome whoever is elected, I can't help but feel the need for continuity with the multitude of issues this Board is working on. Marathon and public parking; Loretto Rest/the Grove; Butterfield Hospital and a new firehouse; guaranteed access to the reservoir; the cleanup of the abandoned manufactured gas plant at the waterfront; grants for Main Street, weekend garbage pickup and the Master Plan; planning funds for future sewer improvements and repairs; balancing the budget; going online with our website; these are some of the more important works in progress.
One particular point I'd like to make is Trustee Mancari and Mayor Philips have worked with us and in return we have shown respect for their experience. Karn, Seth and I have never formed a voting bloc where if two of the three wanted something passed the other would go along. It was frustrating to Seth and me that replacing the attorney, which we started on at the first meeting, took four months because Karn insisted on creating a job description and considering a large number of firms. When Seth did not support working towards a building moratorium, Karn and I had to let that idea rest. We have held long workshops just about every week this year, as well as much work outside the office and I certainly hope we can continue our forward thinking approach to local government another year. I hope you'll re-elect Trustees Dunn and Gallagher.
John Teagle
Cold Spring
| Click ads below
for larger version
System and Method for Display
Ads have a Patent Pending.
Click Here for More Information
|
