Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Tannenbaum For Town Council Ward 2

CLARKSTOWN, NY — Rockland County has several contested races in this fall's election, including for Clarkstown Town Council. New City Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Rick Tannenbaum, 57, is running for Town Council in Ward 2, on the Green party line. His opponents are Daniel Garcia on the Democratic line on the ballot, and Mike Graziano (R, C, WF, I, SAM).

Tannenbaum, a real estate professional, has taken leadership positions on several town issues in the past decade, including protecting Bear Swamp.

Are you running for office in Clarkstown? Contact Lanning Taliaferro at lanning.taliaferro@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to New City Patch.

Previously on Patch:

• Rockland Candidate Profile: Vivian Street For County Legislature
• Rockland Candidate Profile: Diederich For District Attorney

The single most pressing issue facing our community, and what I intend to do about it:

Risk of inappropriate development. Through zoning and other code changes and rewriting our comprehensive plan, we can build protections into our Town that have so far eluded us. We can secure the lands around our reservoir and keep our drinking water safe. We can impose a moratorium on subdivisions and clearcutting our forests. We can shift subdivision decision-making from the (unaccountable) planning board to the (accountable to voters) town council. We can require members of the planning and zoning boards to have certain skillsets and reserve seats for environmental scientists, land-use specialists, lawyers, engineers, architects, and stop making political appointments. We can reduce the size of buildings on our R-160 conservation land making them unattractive to developers of all kinds. We can impose strict LEED standards on all new projects. And, we can rethink our economic development strategy away from outdated concepts of big box retail and rezone retail sites for other uses, especially those that provide jobs and housing to both younger residents and senior citizens who no longer want or need single-family housing.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have been actively involved in protecting our natural and built environment from overdevelopment for many years. My opponents are well-meaning newcomers to the issues. My legal skills and training give me an advantage in the development of new zoning laws, and enable me to make informed decisions to unwind the Town from the bevy of lawsuits now pending against it, and to take affirmative steps to limit our legal exposure going forward.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

I am running for an open seat, but the Republican Council (3 out of 4) have effectively been rubber stamps for the current Republican Supervisor. They do not provide the checks and balances that the council is supposed to provide. As a truly independent candidate, I offer freedom from contrived party dogma and loyalty. The Town Supervisor has handled the Town finances recklessly, and the Town Council has rubber-stamped his actions.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

Environmentalism. Fiscal restraint. Sound economic development. Support for criminal justice reform.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In the context of Clarkstown, I've worked to protect Mountainview Avenue and Christian Herald from inappropriate development, from protecting Bear Swamp from being filled with a parking lot and large structure, to bringing the community together to limit development at the ICR on Mountainview Avenue, to organizing against the conversion of Camp Ramah to a full-time, year round rental facility, to leading the opposition to the installation of a large utility field and gasoline storage tanks on the banks of Lake Deforest as part of Suez's expansion into the former Tilcon site. These are just some of the projects I've been involved in since moving to Rockland County 15 years ago. I am a known, proven entity.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Take a deep breath before responding.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am not soliciting or accepting donations from anyone so that I can remain independent from outside influences. Too many town policies have the stain of conflicts of interest, and the only way to be free from outside interference is to be free of conflicts based on financial donations.