The opposition to consolidation was right to say that about $500,000 of the $1.6 million savings presented by the Finance Consolidation Committee were not realized by consolidation. I agree. However, approximately $1 million can be realized. Those numbers were agreed to by finance managers in both the village and town. Then add the $1 million from the New York State Citizen Empowerment, and taxpayers from both the town and village will see tax decreases, with money left over for pending infrastructure improvements.
While the state incentivizes consolidation, the law forces creation of another taxing jurisdiction through the creation of a Fire District. It is crazy, but that is the law. However, people should no longer be scared of Fire Districts. They are now subject to a tax cap. The Fire Department has to prioritize their needs, and they should be the ones doing it.
The community deserves the right to vote.
Creating a plan for a new Town Hall and Justice Court is of course our top priority. We would love to work with the village, college, school district, emergency services, county and state government to find an affordable, environmentally sensitive solution the taxpayers can afford. But that is living in a fantasy world, unfortunately.
So the town will have to find a solution against the backdrop of a major school bond that is going to expand the debt and tax liability for our taxpayers even further. I have heard people say they will not support any new building debt for the school or the town until they see a collaborative effort to solve our building problems together. I wish the Town Board had willing partners, but we can’t force the other jurisdictions to the table.
Of course, water and sewer will continue to be an issue until we find a solution. In order to alleviate the burden of the taxes in New Paltz, we need to grow our tax base. That will only happen if we get water and sewer to the areas designated for growth in the town.
Options are presenting themselves that provide possibilities, but there is still work to be done. The goal is to build the infrastructure without further burdening the taxpayers, and this is a real possibility due to the many worthy projects in front of the Town Planning Board now. Real partnerships on infrastructure and tax ratables are within our grasp.
Looking back at 2014, what do you see as your major accomplishments?
Holding down taxes, getting our fiscal house in order and getting out of a sick building in two-and-a-half months. All of these took an extraordinary amount of work and cooperation.
What is very upsetting is that everyone in Town Hall was very sick for a long time; however, the issue was never addressed. The health of all the employees, including mine, was compromised by the very building we were all working in day after day.
You really can’t understand the pain of childbirth if you did not personally experience it. The move for the employees of Town Hall is comparable, in that I believe no one really understands the enormity of the move we just went through, except the employees who lived it.
The employees of Town Hall are heroes in my book, and the Buildings and Grounds/Highway guys come in at a close second. The endurance it took to work in a sick building on a limited schedule, keep up with the work, then move into a building without any heat, electricity, phones and computers during the coldest days of the year far exceeded what our employees should have endured.
Looking back at 2014, if there anything you would have done differently?
Not really. I am delighted with Jeff Logan’s performance as deputy supervisor. He is really engaged, and his concern for the community’s welfare is deep. Every decision Jeff makes always puts the community first.
In what ways do you want to grow in your leadership?
To answer that question, I need to go back to my opening comments about the vitriolic nature of the discourse by a small, loud, vocal group. I have found my patience has worn thin. While the constant, unrelenting personal attacks do impact me, it is the effect on the ability of the community to have a conversation and reach consensus on solving our longstanding problems that I really get upset about.
How I handle this going forward will be a challenge. Also, due to other demands on my time that are upcoming, my time will need to be very focused, thereby limiting time spent on the sideshows and distractions.
What challenges would you like to take on in 2015?
Being supervisor of New Paltz in itself is a challenge. Every day people say they don’t understand how I can manage it. But you can do good things for the community you live in by serving in public office and prevail, so we prevail as a community.
With that aside, the majority of the board would like to see how we can get the state to pay a PILOT for emergency services to offset the $18 million tax loss from tax-exempt properties in our community. That loss puts enormous pressure on the delivery of those services and extraordinary pressure on our Town Board to deliver these services.
Also, we have the lawsuit with Park Point and the Ulster County IDA that needs attention. How those play out will have a major impact on the community.
What are you personally looking forward to?
On a personal level, great things have presented themselves in 2014. First, I am incredibly excited about a major book deal I was offered by one of the top publishers in the country. This is a dream realized, and that does not happen often.
The other thing I am looking forward to is the work I will be doing to impact state/federal policy on eradicating hunger. I cannot think of anything more important than making sure people, especially children, are not going hungry. Having enough food to sustain ourselves and our children is a human right, and I will be giving time to that issue.
Do you plan to run for office again in 2015?
That decision has never been made until the middle of the year, when the caucus is coming up. Life is unpredictable, so making plans on your future seems a waste of time. However, the outcome of the village election will have a major impact on the future of New Paltz. The next mayor will determine whether New Paltz stays stuck waking up every day to relive the same things over and over again, or if there will be a new day, new hope and a shared vision and commitment to the community.
