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February 20, 2009
To the Editor --
As we all know, this is no ordinary year. The economy is more threatened than it has been in most of our lifetimes. While businesses are folding and state and federal aid is being slashed, the revenue problem is compounded by depressed housing values and rising foreclosures, which undermine the tax base. All these things have created enormous budgetary pressures on governments at all levels, certainly including our Village and Town. Nobody is happy with budget cuts or staff reductions but neither does anybody want to increase the sky-high taxes we now pay, already among the highest in the entire nation.
Meanwhile, as they struggle with the financial crisis, the Village Mayor and Trustees have the draft Master Plan before them, with all the long-term vision-defining that implies.
All of this places the Village at a crossroads. In order to cope rationally with our immediate problems, we need a vision of where we are headed. Will we remain the "post-business" residential enclave we've become in recent times and constantly struggle with the tension between raising taxes and cutting services? Will we encourage some new form(s) of commerce in order to expand our tax base? If so, what and how? Is "consolidation" an all-or-nothing proposition, or can expenses for services be shared in a sensible way with the Town?
As if this year's budgetary woes and the Master Plan weren't enough, there is a wide range of other debates this year, from deer infestation to view preservation, to siren volume, to name a few.
On Wednesday, March 18, we will choose a Mayor and two Village Trustees. Those elected will play a pivotal role in deciding the above issues and in setting the course for the future of our Village. There are two candidates' forums already scheduled at Munger Cottage, the first for the two mayoral candidates on Friday, March 6 at 7 PM, hosted by the Local, then for the five Trustee candidates on Saturday, March 7 at 10 AM, hosted by this site.
While all the neighborly testimonial letters for the various candidates are nice, this year they will have the rare opportunity to really show us where "the beef" is by answering the big questions. We all should do what we can to place these issues in front of the candidates, so they can let us know what their positions are and provide us with a better basis for casting our votes next month.
The interactive nature of this site makes it ideal for developing those questions. In so doing, we can help both moderators and candidates prepare for more meaningful forums next month. There will be time for debating the opposing views after the forums take place; my hope in submitting this is to see a range of questions assembled and perhaps refined beforehand.
So let's tee the questions up right here so we can vote for candidates based on their positions as well as their resumes and recommendations.
Jonathan Chase
Cornwall-on-Hudson
(Click here to submit a question to the trustee candidates.)
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