Tarrytown Mayor Drew Fixell, along with incumbent Trustees Tom Butler and Doug Zollo, will be running again for election this March. Clarice Pollack will not be standing for re-election and in her place will be Rebecca McGovern, sister-in-law to Judge Kyle McGovern.
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L to R: Doug Zollo, Drew Fixell, Rebecca McGovern and Tom Butler. |
A thumbnail sketch of the candidates follows.
Drew Fixell has been a Trustee for five years and Mayor for two. He was in the State Comptroller’s Office for 12 years and is a 20-year resident of Tarrytown. On his watch, many new and needed projects have been moved forward. Most notably, the Asphalt plant was finally removed from the riverfront after many months of negotiation, and the entire Ferry Landings project was approved and set in motion.
Thomas Butler is running for re-election after one term as a Trustee. He is a project manager for Tishman Construction, was Mt. Vernon Buildings Commissioner as well as Vice-Chair of the Mt. Vernon Planning Board. He is a Colonel with 35 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserves.
Doug Zollo is a long-time Tarrytown resident and a former Trustee, now seeking a second term in his current service to the Village. He is a former NY State Trooper with a Criminal Justice Degree from St. John’s, and operates his own business in Tarrytown.
Rebecca "Becky" McGovern resides in Tarrytown with husband "Skip" who served as a Village Trustee for 10 years. She has three children and was President of the Sleepy Hollow Parent Teacher Student Association in 2000-2002. She is a current Member of the Tarrytown Advisory Board to the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester and is on the Board of Directors of the Junior League of Westchester.
In an interview with Deputy Mayor Tom Basher, he pointed out that several "milestones" were achieved over the past two years, including the removal of the asphalt plant from the Village. Additionally, says Basher, much Board negotiation on the waterfront with the developer was completed, including the funding of a 30,000 square foot aquatic center, plus, the requirement that the new townhouses built at Ferry Landings would be deeded as single-family homes in order to maximize tax revenues for the Village and the school district. Fifteen new or reactivated citizen committees were established, and a new Village Hall will be completed in the Spring of 2008. Further, a 1600 square foot addition will be made to the Senior Center. Basher commented: "In my 17 years of being a Trustee, I have never seen a Board move on so many projects for the betterment of the Village." Each of the candidates are looking forward to continuing the many projects now underway.
Republicans Pick Four
For the March 20 election, Nick Morabito will stand for election as the Mayoral candidate, with Bob Kearns, Joe McCarthy and Paul Cancro as candidates for Trustees. Here are the details of their backgrounds:
Morabito served as Deputy Mayor of the Village of Tarrytown for 8 years and is a lifelong resident of Tarrytown. He was the owner of Morabito Electric Inc. from 1969 to 1996. He is a veteran of the US Navy and currently is employed by NY Electrical Services in Elmsford, NY. He has been a Volunteer Fireman since 1960.
Paul Cancro served the Village of Tarrytown for 30 plus years and was Assistant General Foreman of the Department of Public Works for many of those years until retirement. He has been a Tarrytown Volunteer Fireman for 35 years and served as Chief for several of those years.
Bob Kearns is a retired Tarrytown Police Sergeant with 34 years of service to the community. He was an Air Force Sergeant for 4 years and was part of the NYC Police Command group during the 9/11 emergency. He is currently a project manager for a local developer.
Joe McCarthy is a Volunteer Fireman in the Village, a former Fire Chief, a native of Tarrytown and a self-employed contractor.
In a meeting with the candidates it became apparent that their focus was on several key projects that are vital to the future of the community. There is concern that the Tarrytown Lakes may not have a full measure of legal protection particularly as it receives various drainage mixtures from properties surrounding the Lakes. There is similar concern that much new construction is allowing larger and larger homes to dominate smaller lots, changing the character of the neighborhoods.
There was discussion by the slate to ask for greater cooperation between the Village Board and the Planning Board and similar direction is asked between the School Board and the Trustees. The recent School Board meeting at Washington Irving, dealing with the disrepair of school playing fields, seemed to be a surprise for many in the community. Questions have already been raised as to why this did not come up in the original $72 million school bond rebuilding issue.
When it comes to budgeting, they have put forward a suggestion to save money by using retired, but still accredited, building inspectors in various construction projects that will, from time to time, require faster approval times and expense allocations. Estimates of 15% savings through such a system are being suggested. Similarly, they made another suggestion that neighboring towns share large projects such as road paving, with one village providing the trucks and another the manpower. Finally, there is concern by the Republican slate to develop a more beneficial tax structure for seniors, along with more units of affordable housing.
