Orangetown Candidate Profile: Kenny For Town Supervisor

PEARL RIVER, NY — Rockland County has several contested races in this fall's election, including a race for Orangetown Town Supervisor. Pearl River Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Teresa Kenny is running for town supervisor in Orangetown on the Republican, Conservative, SAM, and Libertarian lines. Her opponent is Thom Kleiner, who will appear on the Democratic and Green party lines. Kleiner served as Orangetown Town Supervisor from 1996-2009.

Kenny, 54, began her legal career as an attorney for Con Edison from 1990 to 1996, before being hired by Orangetown as a part-time Deputy Town Attorney. In addition, she has had a private law practice in Nanuet, which specializes in real estate law, for more than 23 years.

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

Previously on Patch:

• Rockland Candidate Profile: Diederich For District Attorney
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Feiden For Clarkstown Town Justice
• Rockland Candidate Profile: Wolfe For County Legislature
• Rockland Candidate Profile: Foley For County Legislature
  
• Clarkstown Candidate Profile: Tannenbaum For Town Council Ward 2
  
• Rockland Candidate Profile: Vivian Street For County Legislature

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

The single most pressing issue facing Orangetown is overdevelopment throughout Rockland County and specifically in the Town of Ramapo.

During my time in the Deputy Town Attorney’s office, I have worked closely with the Town Board to craft and implement critical laws designed to address these concerns.

Over the last decade, the town has made significant progress under the Republican Majority by passing laws and taking action:

• An LLC Disclosure Law, that requires all LLC’s to reveal their members whenever they apply for a permit or an action before the land use boards;
• A law to regulate the placement of places of worship and schools by addressing deficiencies in the Town code regarding lot and bulk controls, which resulted in a larger minimum lot size requirement;
• A law to implement to town’s “Do Not Knock” registry;
• A law to establish a landlord registry;
• A law to improve the public notification to neighbors of land use projects and zone change requests;
• Establishing non-residents fees for use of our parks and recreational facilities;
• Increasing fines for violators of our town code; and
• Hiring additional code enforcement officers.

However, these laws and actions are not enough. With the continued efforts of Ramapo developers to change the character of our suburban communities in Rockland (such as the proposed Pascack Ridge Development), more must be done to strengthen and protect our zoning laws and enforce our town code.

In order to preserve our suburban community and our single-family residential neighborhoods, we must move forward on these additional laws and initiatives:

• Update the Town’s woefully outdated comprehensive plan, which hasn’t been updated since 2003 and review and strengthen our zoning laws and town code;
• Establish a land trust to purchase “under threat” properties to avoid fire sales and market the properties to proper buyers or repurpose for use by town residents;
• Work with environmentally friendly businesses to commercially develop RPC, fill the IRG property, improve the Route 303 corridor and protect large properties such as Nyack College and HNA;
• Grow our economy, with prosperous businesses – new and existing – and vibrant downtown business districts, to help produce clean tax ratables and reduce the property tax burden on town residents; and
• Judiciously use PAC (Planned Adult Community) zones to allow seniors to stay in our town and consider market rate “Millennial Housing” in and around our downtown business districts for our young residents to move to until they are ready to buy a single-family home in the town.

The future of Orangetown depends on strong leadership and a vision for the future. We cannot afford to go backwards.

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

One difference between us, is that my opponent has a 14-year record as Town Supervisor - which includes raising property taxes by 102%, pushing for high-density housing at RPC and proposing "workforce housing" throughout Orangetown. While there are areas of agreement between the two of us, the most significant difference is in how we would oversee the town government.

During his tenure, my opponent would hold meeting after meeting, discussion after discussion, and fail to act on many of the important issues before him. I will work in the mold of our current Supervisor, who is very responsive to the needs and concerns of town residents and has worked hard to move important projects forward and pass critical legislation, all while giving Orangetown its first tax cut in many years and finding efficiencies in town government.

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

The current board has made significant progress addressing the issues impacting Orangetown, specifically as it relates to taxes, overdevelopment, and the environment. As Supervisor, I will build on their good work to tackle these critical issues. However, I do believe more can and must be done to recruit businesses to Orangetown and expand the tax base. As Supervisor, I will make this a priority. Furthermore, I believe more must be done to bridge the divide between the River Villages and the hamlets. As Supervisor, I will make a concerted effort to meet with elected officials and community leaders in our River Villages to address issues critical to them and ensure that all residents of Orangetown have access to our town government.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I will use my experience in town government and as a small business owner to:

• PROTECT Taxpayers by holding the line on property taxes and budgeting responsibly.
• GROW Our Economy by revitalizing our downtowns and re-developing RPC, the IRG property and Route 303 corridor.
• STOP Overdevelopment by enforcing our zoning and planning laws, fighting illegal home conversions, and protecting at-risk properties, like HNA Palisades and Nyack College.
• SAFEGUARD Our Environment by protecting our water and air quality, investing in our sewer infrastructure, and promoting recycling.
• PRESERVE Our Quality Of Life by investing in our recreational programs and parkland and building a new town hall and community center.

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

As indicated, I have worked closely with the Town Board for the last 23 years to address many of the critical issues facing our town. For example, I have been closely involved in crafting many of the laws that the Town Board has implemented to address issues of overdevelopment and I worked with the Town Board on the purchase of RPC and the sale of land for Chase Data Center. In addition, as a business owner and real estate attorney, I understand what many of our small businesses face on a daily basis and will work to ensure that town government is responsive to their needs and those of our community at large.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

From my Mother, who said "you have to live within your means." This is advice that I have shared with my own children and will bring with me to the Town Supervisor's office. In addition, the second best piece of advice was from my Dad, who said "Stand up for what's right, even if you are standing alone." Wise words.

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

While I do not believe this is why someone should vote for me, it is interesting that I would be the first woman ever elected as Town Supervisor in the history of Rockland County. In addition, I believe elected office is a service, not a career. I want to serve our community, do the job, and then leave. I think it is important that we have new ideas and a fresh perspective in the Town Supervisor's office. I ask for your vote, so that together we can move Orangetown forward.