To the editor,
There has been a lot of back and forth about the value of political parties in the upcoming Village of Sleepy Hollow mayoral and trustees election. Depending on who you ask they either matter a whole lot or they don’t matter at all.
I am a Sleepy Hollow resident and I have been working on a local small business idea for our village. There are many challenges facing small business owners, would-be real estate renters / tenants, and the overall path to economic revitalization in Sleepy Hollow. These challenges are nuanced, complex, rooted in the history of the village. They cross multiple, evolving socioeconomic, demographic, and neighborhood layers – layers that make this village so dynamic. I am interested in a truly collaborative approach to running our village, one that takes all of these dynamics into account and executes with clear priorities to accomplish defined positive outcomes for residents.
The specific priority I am interested in is economic revitalization, including taking back control of much of the village real estate from derelict landlords who are using the properties as tax write-offs. I’ve attended trustee meetings for the past six months and my eyes have been opened about what it takes to run a village. I encourage more people to attend and engage in these meetings so that when challenges – like the current landlord power imbalance – become front and center that it’s easier to understand and contextualize as part of a bigger, more complex picture that pulls all the way through to the current economic and financial state of Sleepy Hollow. If people aren’t aware, it’s much harder to collectively and cohesively solve these challenges.
In terms of the election, this decision is not about political party affiliation for me. It’s about who I trust to bring cohesive leadership to define and execute clear plans with positive outcomes for our village and residents. During these past six months I have gotten to know trustees and mayoral candidates on both sides of the aisle and I am supporting the Sleepy Hollow Democrats. Marjorie is a proven leader. Cory, Jairo, and Jared are a cohesive team who bring nuanced, complementary experience and perspectives to tackle multiple, complex, competing issues. This team will do what it takes to unlock our town’s bright future: set clear priorities, execute to achieve positive outcomes and communicate goals and progress clearly to everyone.
There is more to bring our magical town of Sleepy Hollow together than to divide it.
Sincerely,
Jenny Cox
Sleepy Hollow, NY
