Gearity's First Priority: Smart Growth

OSSINING, NY — Ossining village Mayor Victoria Gearity is running for re-election. She faces a challenge from village Trustee Omar Herrera on the Working Families party line in November, after defeating him in the Democratic primary in September.

According to her campaign:

Gearity has transformed the way Village government communicates with residents, has held the line on taxes, and has initiated efficiencies that save tax dollars and lower our carbon footprint. She has established a variety of new programs to expand connections with residents including Open Office Hours, the Monday Mayor’s Message, and her journey to experience all 44 miles of Village roadways on foot through her Weekly Walks. As mayor of a village with a large Latino community, she has improved her Spanish language skills to better communicate with Ossining residents.

Beyond her work for the Village, Victoria is mother to two sons in the Ossining Schools, and wife to a union laborer and local business owner. Her early professional career focused on social work—serving adolescents and families facing challenges with the court and foster care system. A desire to serve something greater than herself led her to this work. She shifted her focus to the for-profit world for a number of years in New York City. She’s grateful to have spent those years exploring her independence in a fast-paced profit-driven environment. Her career motivations came full circle when she began substitute teaching where she ultimately was hired to teach middle school math.

Victoria and her husband moved to Ossining to start a family, and she spent a few years focusing on being a new mother. She grew up nearby, and is fortunate that her parents continue to live in Sleepy Hollow. Victoria entered politics through a pathway of environmentalism. As a homeowner, she is aware of the direct impact that the tax rate has on her household. Her dedication to both progressive environmental policies, and preserving affordability for Ossining residents, drives her to create savings through programs like installing LED streetlights, which has helped the Village maintain a 0% tax rate increase two years in a row. Her service as mayor is an extension of all of her career experience, the inspiring dedication to community service that her parents continue to model for her, and the values she hope to instill in her sons.

Patch sent the same questions to all candidates asking them to respond.

PATCH: What are the biggest issues facing the Hudson River and Hudson Valley that affect your communities?

GEARITY: The Hudson River is the foundation upon which this Village was established. Today it feeds our local economy, and is at the core of how we connect as a community through recreation and culture. We must protect the River against a growing number of threats.

Rising water levels from climate change are an essential consideration in land use planning in our waterfront district, and for regional policy decisions. The Army Corp of Engineers has proposed plans to create storm surge barriers to mitigate damage to New York City. Depending on what path they choose, poor decision-making could severely impact the Hudson River ecosystem and communities like Ossining. The Village passed a resolution clearly stating our opposition to the shortsighted proposals.

We are fortunate to have Riverkeeper located right here in Ossining. They are an invaluable resource in helping us advocate for the river that is so integral to our community. Ossining was also a leader in the successful effort to ban the barges, preventing the oil and gas industry from turning the Hudson River into a parking lot. Advocating for the health of the Hudson River is the right thing to do for our economy, our environment and our community.

PATCH: How would you apply the adage ‘think globally, act locally’?

GEARITY: Sustainability is both a global idea and a local imperative.

Even before taking office as Trustee, I served on the executive committee of the Northern Westchester Energy Action Consortium. When we expanded our mission to encompass the entire county, I served on the steering committee to establish Sustainable Westchester (SW). This not-for-profit serves its member municipalities by employing the intellectual capital of the region to offer sustainability programs that reduce our carbon footprint while saving money for taxpayers.

The first piece of legislation that I spearheaded as Trustee was to allow beekeeping in the Village. We now have the most progressive beekeeping legislation in Westchester County.

As Mayor, I initiated and championed the effort to switch to LED streetlights—a SW program. This effort alone saves taxpayers over $100,000 each year, helping us hold the line on taxes, while we reduce our carbon footprint.

PATCH: Property taxes are an issue for all our communities. What’s your position on the Shared Services projects? How would you bring school districts into that discussion?

GEARITY: Holding the line on taxes is one of the ways I strive to keep our community affordable. Under my leadership, we have maintained a 0% Village tax rate increase for two successive years.

The Village and Town of Ossining are leaders in New York State when it comes to sharing services. In fact, our two municipalities share facilities and services in almost every department. I am a strong proponent for expanding opportunities to create operational and financial efficiencies by making the most of shared municipal resources.

The resources we share with the Ossining Schools for athletics are beneficial for the whole community. I would like to formalize and build on our existing shared services between the Village and School District.

PATCH: What would your first priorities be if elected?

GEARITY: My top priority is to open up the Comprehensive Plan and work with all our community partners to shape a vision for who Ossining will be in the next 5, 10 and 20 years.

Small businesses are thriving for local entrepreneurs. That’s great for all of Ossining. Now it’s time to make big decisions about what kind of development we will welcome in the coming years so that we have intelligent growth that benefits our whole community. That process demands candid in-depth engagement with residents and public institutions, especially the School District. One clear challenge is determining how we balance our desire for high quality housing at all income levels, with a crowded school system.

I am optimistic that when the dust settles after the election, all members of the Village Board will come together to demonstrate a leadership team that is committed to smart growth driven by community priorities.

PATCH: It’s a divisive election season - how would you serve all your constituents?

GEARITY: I work for all of Ossining. My door has always been open, and I will continue to reach out to all residents. Ossining working together is how we are all successful.

I will continue working on behalf of our immigrant community. While we have very little ability to influence immigration policies coming from the White House, here in New York we can help families of undocumented residents in a tangible way. Albany will be considering legislation to allow all drivers to be licensed and insured—regardless of documentation station. I am working with immigrant advocacy groups and leaders in other local, county and state administrations to pressure Albany to make this happen when the new legislature convenes in January.

When I first took office as Mayor, I established Open Office Hours every Tuesday—something that had never been done before in our Village. It has been a valuable forum for connecting with and assisting residents one-on-one. When I began my second term, I created the Monday Mayor’s Message, an effective tool for updating residents on what’s happening in Village government each week. I also began my journey of exploring all 44 miles of roadways in the Village with my Weekly Walks. Experiencing a neighborhood on foot is special, and doing it with local residents adds a rich layer of community connection.

What initiative for furthering community connections will I introduce if elected to a third term as Mayor? You’ll just have to wait and see.

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