Endorsement for Gearity: The Best of Both Worlds

It is no secret that I identify as a fiscal conservative, an advocate for small business, and a tax hawk. That being said, I am not a partisan hack, and have always supported candidates who exhibit fiscal discipline, whether Republican or Democrat. For this reason, I have decided to endorse incumbent Mayor Victoria Gearity for re-election.

Mayor Gearity has found a way to craft policy that intertwines both fiscal discipline and social progress for basic human rights, all for the betterment of the village of Ossining. As Congressional Republicans capped our SALT reductions to $10,000 and New York State Democrats raised state property taxes, Mayor Gearity held the line in the village, passing two straight budgets with a 0% tax increase in the village. She also did her research and voted against a $1.6 million tax increase that will come as a result of the disastrous ETPA policy that was promoted by outside groups.

In addition to this voting record, we’ve seen an influx of small businesses open on Main Street during her tenure. The revitalization of downtown and the tremendous business growth is no accident; it comes from the result of leadership and a good economic vision from the Mayor.

On the social side, she led on the issue of LGBTQ rights by passing legislation that created gender-neutral bathrooms in municipal buildings, which I saw as a strong step toward equality for a marginalized group. In addition to this, she worked with me when I was helping to plan an immigration reform rally, and touted our bipartisan effort during her speech at the rally.

Conservatives, I urge you to vote your pocketbook to prevent any additional tax increases. Liberals, I urge you to vote your progressive values to continue to protect and advance the individual liberties of all of the members of our community.

Aaron Spring

Community Activist, Independent Voter