Patch 2011 Elections: Orangetown Town Supervisor

Patch has asked your candidates a set of questions. Today we finish our series on the candiates in the Nov. 8 elections with the contenders for Orangetown Town Supervisor, incumbent Paul Whalen and challenger Andy Stewart.

Party Lines

Stewart: Democrat

Whalen: Republican, Conservative, Independence

What community do you live in?

Stewart: Nyack

Whalen: Nanuet, Pearl River School District

How long have you lived there?

Stewart: 15 years in Nyack proper, 22 years in the Hackensack River watershed.

Whalen: In this particular house 28 years, in the area 51 years

How old are you?

Stewart: 46

Whalen: 51

Provide family information.

Stewart: Married to Rachel Grob from Stony Point, two children, Jonah (16) and Talia (12). We just added a “rescue dog” from Texas to our family, and we’re so grateful to have grandparents, siblings and cousins living nearby.

Whalen: I have been married to my wife Debbie for 32 years and we are the proud parents of five children.

What is your education background?

Stewart: B.A. from Wesleyan University, PhD in Geography from Rutgers University. Continuing education in land use planning (Pace University) and watershed management (Center for Watershed Protection)

Whalen: Nanuet High School, Rockland Community College and Hofstra University

Why do you think you are qualified for this position?

Stewart:  First, I know the Town well. Through my ten years with Keep Rockland Beautiful and my years on the Orangetown Planning Board, I have worked closely with Orangetown’s highway department, building department, schools, civic associations and related groups to address community concerns in a pragmatic and visible way. I have extensive field experience in Orangetown’s hamlets, roads, streams and parks, even having canoed the Sparkill Creek after a heavy rain. I recently coordinated the removal of several abandoned cars from Tackamack Park on Clausland Mountain. My time as a Mighty Midgets coach and parent provided direct experience with the Town recreation facilities and leagues. As a member of the Nyack Parking Authority, I participated directly in the management of parking systems serving a busy and heavily scrutinized downtown area.

Second, I have a suitable professional background. My training in geography and planning, and years of experience in community outreach and education, are an excellent match with the Town’s greatest challenge. That is forging a common vision for the re-development of the Rockland Psychiatric Center lands, and using land use planning to facilitate the siting of commercial enterprises that increase the Town’s tax base while meeting community needs for quality of life and long term sustainability. As CEO of a small nonprofit, I know the value of a dollar and have not grown accustomed to the perks, inefficiencies and slow pace of government.

Third, as an expert in volunteerism, I am keenly aware of the fact that there are almost as many residents participating in Town government through various advisory committees and boards as there are actual municipal employees. “Good Government” is truly a question of getting this relationship right, so that all relevant expertise and knowledge contributes to the best possible choices about how to manage local resources and serve residents, whether we are speaking of parks, shade trees, traffic, land use, zoning, golf, the environment, historical areas, or other municipal concerns.

Whalen: My desire to be involved in town government along with my successful business experience are what I feel give me the ability to be a great Supervisor. I want Orangetown to remain the best town for years to come.

Why are you running for this elected office?

Stewart: Orangetown residents deserve a Supervisor who is open, accountable and professional and able to bring high-quality Town services to all residents in a cost-effective and proactive way.

The current Supervisor is sincere in his love of Orangetown, but his erratic behavior, conflicts of interest and poor understanding of the budget process are not serving the Town well. A letter from the CSEA dated August 8, 2011, demands that Mr. Whalen curb his angry outbursts and create a labor-management committee to re-establish respectful relations in Town Hall. He has voted for funding for a nonprofit he serves as a board member. As chair of the housing authority he writes checks to ARCO Management, which in turn bankrolls his political campaign.

In various debates and Town meetings, Mr. Whalen has been unable to explain how it is that his proposed budget for 2012 shows the golf courses breaking even, when they typically lose about $500,000 annually, even admitting to not having read the budget during the Our Town debate in Town Hall. This is not a good sign – it’s bad for the golf program and bad for the overall budgeting process.

The proposed budget also predicts a 2.3% tax increase but leaves out the Pfizer settlement which brings the tax increase, for better or for worse, to 6.8%. The lack of contracts with the CSEA and PBA, lack of cost information about the amortization of skyrocketing pension costs and other issues lead one to question Mr. Whalen’s oversight of Town finances.

Meanwhile, rather than tackling the Town’s most pressing land use question – the future of the Rockland Psych Center lands -- Mr. Whalen has picked a fight with the Orangeburg Commons/Stop-n-Shop development on Rte 303. This is a project that has already been through the planning board, has been adjusted in ways that further align it with Town needs, ie, it now has a supermarket instead of a strip mall, and that is expected to bring in an estimated $800,000 in tax revenues per year.

I feel the Town deserves more accountable and professional management not compromised by hefty campaign contributions from Town vendors and loyalties to political party and social club. Over the long term, the Town may even consider hiring a professional Town manager with attendant expertise in planning and finance and perhaps scaling back the Supervisor position to be more strictly “political.” In the meantime, we need a Supervisor who really studies issues and will listen to all residents when they have a concern.

Whalen: I have been in this position for almost 2 years and I find it both rewarding and challenging. In these tough economic times you have to be able to think outside the box and not be afraid to change how government delivers cost-effective services.

What are the three issues that most concern you?

Stewart: WASTE: We can save money by making the budgeting process more transparent and accountable: Too many important decisions are now taking place behind closed doors; taxpayers’ money is not being safeguarded.

STALLED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: We need to get the Rockland Psych Center land development process off the back-burner and revive a community discussion about bringing new revenue to Orangetown to reduce taxes.

QUALITY OF LIFE: We need to preserve and enhance our quality of life by controlling noise, traffic, water pollution, flooding, land use conflicts, crime, absentee landlords and other negative aspects of growth in Orangetown.

Whalen: 1 – Taxes must be brought under control. We must cut our overhead and increase our revenue. (we do this by bringing in ratables and increasing our commercial tax base).

2 – Our conservative land practices of now low-income or workforce housing. Only our residents will decide the future of our community.

3 – We need a balance in delivering cost-effective services our residents can afford.

Explain your proposed approach to managing these issues.

Stewart: WASTE: I will create a budget advisory committee to increase public oversight of the Town budget and produce a user-friendly Annual Report that lists measurable goals and performance indicators for each budgeted Town activity.

STALLED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The #1 deterrent to investment is our lack of a clear plan for the Rockland Psych Center lands. I will convene interested parties, forge a common vision and work with the Rockland Economic Development Corporation to bring developers to tour this property and submit proposals that meet our long-term needs for recreation, access to the waterfront, commercial and residential ratables.

QUALITY OF LIFE: Empowered, alert and well-informed citizens and a responsive government are the key to successful resolution of the many quality of life issues. We need to boost the effectiveness of our citizen advisory boards through training and support and hold an annual Orangetown Open House to educate the public on how their government works and how they can help it work better. We can use internet technology to make reporting concerns and tracking their resolution much more efficient. Lastly, a strong, clear and well-enforced policy on illegal conversions of residential properties to single-room occupancy units is critical to protecting the safety of first-responders, residents and communities from the kinds of quality of life issues that propelled many of us to move from the Bronx, and that currently afflict neighboring towns.

Whalen: The tax issue basically is learning to do more with less. That along with attracting more businesses to town are the only way to really change taxes. With the help of the Town Board, I was able to settle the Pfizer tax issue which was inherited by the previous administration. We settled tax years 2005 – 2010 and saved the taxpayers 12 Million Dollars.

Have you held elected office before? Please provide details of what position and for how long.

Stewart: No

Whalen: I’m finishing my first 2 year term. Before that I owned a multi-million dollar company.

What organizations do you belong to?

Stewart: Member of the Orangetown Planning Board, Chair of Rockland County Water Quality Committee, Leadership Rockland, Rockland County Planning Federation

Whalen: Arts Council of Rockland. Blauvelt Lions Club, Chairman Orangetown Senior Housing Authority, Church Parish Council, Little League Coach, Scouting Volunteeer, Pearl River High School Principal, Nyack Hospital Corporation Board, Project Graduation Volunteer, Member Rockland ARC Foundation, Rockland Mental Health Association, Sierra Club, South Orangetown Rotary, South Orangetown School District Foundation Board, Tappan Historical Society.

Editor's Note: The candidates' exact answers to the questionnaire were used unedited.