Unite Sleepy Hollow, a non-partisan political committee for the Village that was created for the 2015 mayoral election announced today that Ken Wray would run for his seventh two-year term as Mayor. Denise Scaglione will join him for re-election, running for her third two-year term as Trustee.
Running for the two open Trustee positions are Tom Andruss and Jared Rodriguez. Katherine Baldwin will vie to become Village Justice. (She is currently filling out Andres Valdespino’s term on the Village court.)
Believing that state and national politics have little in common with the issues facing the local voter, Unite Sleepy Hollow was established to provide voters with the best slate of candidates without regard to national political party affiliation. In 2015, Unite Sleepy Hollow swept the village election, and has run unopposed since.
In order to be placed on the ballot, Unite Sleepy Hollow must obtain 70 valid signatures by February 9. A petition drive is currently underway. The General Election is March 16.
Mayor Wray says of this campaign, “I am very pleased that Tom and Jared, who each bring an understanding of the complexities that a modern village contends with, are excited to join Sam Gonzalez, Rachelle Gebler and Sandra Spiro on the Village Board. Sleepy Hollow is grappling with some interesting challenges. Some challenges, such as the one-billion dollar private development Edge on Hudson, are unique. It is critical for the future of the Village that this project continues to progress in a timely manner. Other issues, such as keeping property taxes in check, as we have for the past decade, are more commonplace. Like every municipality in New York State, we are looking at how our police force and community interact. We are conducting a study on technology and the impact on the future of our Department of Public Works. We recognize that as a village we have a role to play in responding to climate change and protecting our urban forest as a critical piece of village’s infrastructure. And we must continue to help our residents who are suffering in so many different ways from the COVID pandemic.”
Campaign themes will also include increased tourism to the village; the support of the downtown business community; the attention being paid to reclaiming and restoring public spaces that suffered from a century of industrial degradation; and the support of the arts and creative initiatives, such as the “Wishing Wall” along the Hudson River and the Washington Irving Bicentennial.
Candidate Bios
Ken Wray
Ken received his BA from Columbia University and his MS from Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Currently he is the Executive Director of the Parodneck Foundation, a New York City non-profit providing affordable housing and other services for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers.
After serving a two-year term as a Sleepy Hollow Trustee, he was elected Mayor in 2009. Mayor Wray led the Village thru the arduous process of negotiations with General Motors and in crafting the Special Permit which guides the Edge on Hudson development. Edge is a complex project and Ken continues to work with the developers to ensure its success. When construction on the Riverwalk is completed, the Village will be in possession of one of the most stunning public parks on the Hudson River.
Construction at the former GM employee parking lot is moving forward as a space for a state-of-the-art DPW facility, athletic fields, outlets for cultural events as well as a large swath of land devoted to passive recreation. Restorations to Devries Park and the Pocantico River are underway. These projects are being funded through a financial plan that Ken developed with the Local Development Corporation and with significant grants from New York State. He believes that such a network of new and renewed public spaces will bring together the Village’s diverse neighborhoods. And envisioned as a whole, these projects will secure the Village’s place as a regional destination in the Hudson Valley.
With the Edge on Hudson properties moving on to the local tax rolls, Mayor Wray has maintained his promise to Village homeowners to reduce the rate of property tax increases while not sacrificing services. In 2018, the Village crafted a new comprehensive plan that affirms the community’s desire for diversity and for social, economic and ecological justice. The plan provides a road map to future generations to achieve these goals.
Denise Scaglione
Denise is running for a third term as Village Trustee, where she has been a strong voice focusing on restoration of the the Pocantico River and the active recreation designs for the new Common. She led the efforts to establish the public kayak rack at Horan’s Landing as well as the Village-wide celebration for WWII veteran Chick Galella’s 100th birthday with the groundbreaking for the Gold Star Mothers memorial.
Denise grew up in Westchester and has been a Village resident since 1999. Her B.A. degree from Concordia College in business administration led to a corporate career before she decided to stay home to raise her two boys. Currently she is the Office Manager at Scarborough Presbyterian Children’s Center. Denise remains very active in sports programs and serves on the Athletic Study Committee at Sleepy Hollow HS while volunteering for the Sleepy Hollow Football Boosters, working with the Boosters on community outreach programs such as food drives. Other community volunteer efforts include the Philipse Manor Beach Club, the EPTA of the Tarrytowns, Wolfpack Youth Football and other youth sports groups.
Tom Andruss
Tom Andruss has been actively engaged in the Sleepy Hollow community since moving here in 2007. Tom resides in Philipse Manor with his wife and two daughters, both of whom attend local public schools. Since 2018, Tom as been a member of the Sleepy Hollow Planning Board which is closely monitoring the progress at the Edge on Hudson development.
Tom has served in volunteer and leadership roles for a variety of local organizations, including the Philipse Manor Beach Club Board of Directors and eventually served as the Club’s president from 2012 through 2016. During that time, he also became a coach in the AYSO soccer program and continues to volunteer as an assistant coach. From 2009 to 2013, Tom assisted at race events sponsored by the Westchester Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), such as the Sleepy Hollow Sprint Triathlon, and served on the local LLS Executive Leadership Committee in 2011/12.
After beginning his career in the IT field in the 1990’s, Tom then spent 18 years with a Big4 tax and accounting firm in New York City. He is currently working with a global payments and payroll company from England.
Jared Rodriguez
Jared is a graduate from Tufts University where he studied Civil Engineering, Architecture and Energy. He holds an M.S. in Real Estate Development from NYU. As Founder and Principal of consulting firm Emergent Urban Concepts, Jared advises municipalities, companies and non-profit organizations in the Hudson Valley on issues related to sustainability, energy, urbanism and placemaking, transportation and economic development.
Jared founded several non-profits and remains involved in a number of Hudson Valley organizations like the Haverstraw Brick Museum and Center for Historic Preservation, Garner Arts Center where he serves as Vice President, and he continues to volunteer and support other organizations seeking to improve the quality of life and knowledge of Hudson Valley residents. He serves as the proxy Citizen’s Representative on the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, a federally recognized Municipal Planning Organization, and he actively supports efforts by Mother’s Out Front, an organization focused on decarbonizing our communities to protect our children. Jared most enjoys hiking and walking with his son and wife on a loop from his home just off Beekman Avenue to the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, through Kingsland Point Park, Philipsburg Manor and back Downtown.
Katherine Baldwin
Katherine Baldwin is a graduate of Yale University where she majored in History. She holds a J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. After law school, Katherine worked as an associate in the Tax Department at Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles, California and then New York, New York until 2018. As an associate, she represented clients in a wide range of matters, including mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions, securities offerings, partnership transactions, and real estate transactions. In addition, Katherine worked on a number of matters for pro bono clients, including applications for tax-exempt status, asylum proceedings, guardianship and juvenile immigration proceedings, and adoption proceedings.
