Protect the Owners of Condos and Coops

As a Town resident, I usually do not meddle in village politics. However, I felt the need to write this letter after the Village Board meeting on September 5, 2018. As a longtime ally of the Ossining condominium and co-op community, I find Trustee John Codman’s statement regarding the Homestead Act to be both divisive and dangerous.

Even though Homestead is not a village issue, we cannot ignore the interconnectivity between town and village policy. We must hold our elected officials responsible for their statements, even if the statement was symbolic and cannot actually become village policy without town approval.

In his defense of his vote for ETPA, Trustee Codman brought up the Homestead Option, which would reassess condos and co-ops as single family homes. This would effectively raise taxes for all condos and co-ops in the town of Ossining. The Trustee stated, “I’ve always thought it was unfair” when referring to the “discount” that condo and co-op owners receive.

The Trustee fails to realize that these condo and co-op owners pay a boatload of money in common charges every month. They pay for their own essential services, and tdon’t have nearly as much land as a single family home, yet they still have a separate tax bill to cover on top of these other charges.

The Trustee also fails to realize that the vast majority of condo and co-op owners are senior citizens who are on a fixed income, so I am appalled that a so-called advocate for affordable housing would speak in favor of a policy that would raise taxes by more than 50 percent on the condo and co-op community.

During the same sequence in which he blasted condos, the Trustee also alluded to his membership in the Working Families Party of Ossining as part of the reason why he voted for ETPA. While the Trustee is entitled to his views, I believe that we have opened up a transparency issue when he said his party’s platform contributed to his vote. In fact, his statement regarding party lines begs the question: What is the Working Families Party’s view on the Homestead Act?

Trustee Codman may be nearing the end of his term, but both he and his party have endorsed candidates for local office this election cycle. We need to know where the Working Families Party and its candidates stand on the issue of Homestead. Certain members of this board have already turned landlords and tenants against one another over the ETPA issue; I don't think we should support people endorsed by those parties who seek to pit condo owners against homeowners. Therefore, we must know where the WFP candidates stand on this pivotal issue.

Aaron Spring

Resident, Town of Ossining