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POUND RIDGE, NY, 25 -- The Bedford Daily Voice accepts signed letters to the editor. Send letters to bedford@dailyvoice.com.
On Oct. 22, the Pound Ridge candidates running for office in the Nov. 5 election participated in a League of Women Voters forum held at the Pound Ridge Library.
Candidates for Town Supervisor are Dick Lyman (R) and Alison Boak (D). There are four people vying for two board seats: Incumbent Dan Paschkes (D), Bonnie Schwartz (R), Peter Avellino (R), and Sherene De Palma (D). Ira Clair (D) and H.P. Sean Dweck (R) are competing for Town Justice and Receiver of Taxes, Debbie Damascus (R), is unopposed.
Questions from the audience were only submitted to the supervisor and board candidates. Overall, the Democratic candidates promoted change, specifically, the transformation of Scotts Corners. Their ideas, while well taken, are problematic.
Town Board candidate, Bonnie Schwartz, pointed out the harsh reality that Scotts Corners has an inadequate “water and waste management system” which precludes quick or simple improvements to the town.
Pound Ridge with just under 2,000 homes, roughly one third of which are weekend residences, and more than one third of its land set aside as open space, has a tax base that commands fiscal responsibility. Every $50,000 spent in town initiatives equals one percent in municipal taxes per property owner.
People unfamiliar with the water and septic system problem in the Trinity Corners Shopping Center see the vacant stores and wonder why the town doesn’t attract new tenants. What they don’t realize, however, is that water is allocated. They don’t understand that new businesses are limited in size and scope because of the water situation.
Supervisor candidate, Dick Lyman (R), currently on the Town Board, is a charter member of the Sub-Committee on Septic Systems under the Westchester County Committee on the Environment and Energy. He has studied the latest wastewater technologies and will work towards implementing a system in Pound Ridge as the elected supervisor.
His recommendations to the Westchester County Department of Health have been positively received and he is in discussions with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Town Board has also been supportive of his innovative improvement ideas. Dick’s extensive experience as Property Manager with U.S. Summit, planning and overseeing capital construction and maintenance projects, including general facilities maintenance for buildings and grounds, provides him with the wherewithal to get the job done.
Please vote on Nov. 5 and when you cast your ballot into the voting machine do consider who has the experience, knowledge, and substance to lead this town forward – Team Republican. Thank you.
Camille Prisco
Pound Ridge Republicans
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