Download the November 2009 issue (PDF) - Inside Chappaqua

Vote SmartBY JEAN SHEFFNo matter who you voted for, or how you feel about the results,most people admit that the presidential election of November2008 was an exciting, remarkable time. While not every presidential electioncan claim to make such groundbreaking history, statistics reveal that citizensturn out to vote in presidential election years in far greater numbersthan they do in other November elections. According to the U.S. Census, 63.6percent of those eligible to vote in the 2008 presidential election did so.Compare this to the 47.9 percent that voted in the off year of 2006.Yet, if New Castle residents are smart, they’ll want to turn out and vote thisNovember because newly elected officials are going to be struggling withimportant, burning issues. Our country is coping with massive economicaland social challenges, and in the true spirit of the “trickle-down” effect, ourlocal communities are also facing increased pressures and dilemmas.Here, several area reps share insights on the challenges facing local governmentsand what, if any, new initiatives are in store for our area.Experienced PerspectiveRunning for hisseventh termon theWestchesterCounty Boardof Legislators isMichael B.Kaplowitz (D).Kaplowitz representsDistrict4, whichincludes New Castle and portions ofthe Towns of Somers and Yorktown.He is challenged this year byGregory P. Kane (R). Despiteattempts to do so, Mr. Kane, a residentof Somers, could not bereached as of press time, but informationon his view points can befound on his website—www.electgregkane.com. Kane lists18 top items for change. The topthree are: government living withinits means, smaller government andsmarter spending.)Calling himself a “fiscally conservative”member of the legislature,Kaplowitz says he is especiallypleased that the current budgetsuccessfully kept WestchesterCounty property taxes as low aspossible. “We were able to reducethe property tax levy by 40 percentof the original proposal, which inthe end, incurred only a 1.77 percenttax levy for residents.”Balancing the budget required cutsin county spending. “We were actuallyable to cut county spending,which is unprecedented,” he says.Moving forward, Kaplowitz says thatif the economy continues to slow,county revenue from line-items likesales tax, which represents 30 percentof the county budget, will suffer.“The problem is, in a slowereconomy, people need governmentassistance more. There’s a greaterneed for services, food and transportation,”he says.Besides addressing the budget,Kaplowitz says initiatives regardingenvironmental and quality of lifeissues are very important this year.Environmental issues include currentseptic and sewage problems.“We are looking to create the infrastructurefor additional sewer servicein New Castle,” says Kaplowitz.In particular, he mentioned the situationat Random Farms, an areathat currently has their own system,but could benefit from connectingto the County sewer system.A quality of life issue that is of concernis the availability of recreationalplaying fields. “There’s a cryingneed for ball fields,” says Kaplowitz,who is working with New Castle toadd a ball field or an all-purposefield in the town.Changing GearsAdam Bradley (D), the currentAssemblyman from the 89thDistrict, (which includes most ofWhite Plains,New Castle,North Castle,Mount Kisco,Lewisboro, PoundRidge andHarrison) is runningfor mayor ofWhite Plains thisNovember.Bradley says alllocal governments are feeling theeconomic pinch. “Revenues areshrinking and costs are escalating.It’s a perfect storm for many localgovernments,” he says. In particular,Bradley notes revenue loss fromitems such as mortgage tax andsales tax and cost increases involvingpension programs. “And whoknows what additional hits willcome,” he adds.Although it is an incredibly difficulttime for many local governments,Bradley says he hopes residentsunderstand that budget cuts arenecessary. “Everyone wants to retainservices, but no one wants to payfor them,” he says. According toBradley, New Castle has been runextremely well. “New Castle is in abetter situation than other localgovernments,” he says, a success hecredits to good planning and foresight.“But no matter how well anyonehas planned, there are stillgoing to be difficult dilemmas.”The current economic climatemakes this a perfect time for citizensand government to cometogether and have a dialogue, insuringthat the right decisions aremade, says Bradley. The big questionis what services are absolutely necessaryand which are redundant orunnecessary. Bradley says if he hasthe honor of serving as mayor ofWhite Plains, he’ll be facing a 10 to20 million-dollar budget gap in2010, a situation that will requireWhite Plains to seriously prioritizeline items and make the necessarybudget cuts.Also running for mayor of WhitePlains is Glen Hockley, a two-termcity councilman. Hockley, who16 Inside Chappaqua November 2009