Overdevelopment Is Biggest Issue In Clarkstown Elections

CLARKSTOWN, NY — With early voting already underway in New York, and Election Day looming Nov. 5, candidates for elected positions in Clarkstown talked with Patch about the important issues facing the communities that make up the town. There was near unanimous agreement: over-development is the biggest.

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"The single most pressing issue facing our town is inappropriate and exclusionary development," Schenley Vital, who is running for Clarkstown Town Council in Ward 3 (Central Nyack, West Nyack, Nanuet), told Patch.

Rick Tannenbaum, who is a real estate professional, offered suggestions for minimizing the 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," he said. "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."

Larraine Feiden, who is challenging sitting judges for one of two seats on the town court, talked about the issue from a courthouse point of view in her profile on Patch.

"In connection with various innovations that I am responsible for as an Assistant Rockland County Attorney, I plan to implement a building code-violation-only calendar in Clarkstown Justice Court," she said.

Only challenger Scott Milich disagreed, citing taxes as the top issue. "I will make use of efficiencies in the town along with economic development order to help keep taxes low while maintaining the services we expect," he said.

Several incumbents also cited over-development as the town's top issue.

"In the last two years we have utilized legal experts to shore up weaknesses in our Zoning Code to ensure that any development is directed to appropriate areas of Town," said Patrick Carroll. "I would continue to fully staff the code enforcement unit of the Building Department and push for full prosecution of any code violations."

Arguing that the town should use the rules it has in place, Frank Borelli said, "Continue to enforce Town Codes and discourage the over use of vacant properties by developers. Make sure that anyone that comes to Clarkstown pays their taxes and obeys all of our laws."

Still, Donald Franchino considers taxes and economic development of equal importance. "My position on the Economic and Business Committee is to help attract and facilitate business in Clarkstown," he said.

Town justices Howard Gerber and David Ascher listed properly implementing the major changes recently enacted by the State Legislature as their top priorities.

See on Patch:

• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Feiden For Town Justice
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Ascher For Town Justice
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Gerber For Town Justice
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Carroll For Town Council Ward 4
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Milich For Town Council Ward 4
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Tannenbaum For Town Council Ward 2
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Martens For Highway Superintendent
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Franchino For Town Council Ward 3
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Vital For Town Council Ward 3
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Borelli For Town Council Ward 1