elected a new Rye Town supervisor and eight years since current Supervisor Joe Carvin was elected by a wide margin over his longtime predecessor Bob Morabito. Carvin has done a fantastic job in office, restoring integrity to town government, cutting $1 million in expenses from the first budget he was in charge of and introducing best business practices. His administration has sold the towns building at 10 Pearl St., which had gotten to the point where it could no longer be repaired in a cost-effective manner, and negotiated a lease agreement with the Village of Port Chester to move the towns administrative offices to 222 Grace Church St. and court to 350 North Main St. It also embarked on a campaign to dissolve the town following a thorough study of the pros and cons. While dissolution was in the end unsuccessful because of its complexity and the need for so many parties to agree to move forward, it was a valiant effort that politicians had talked about in the past but Carvin believed in and did his utmost to foster. Having largely accomplished what he set out to do, Carvin chose to step down rather than seek a third term. Now voters will be charged with choosing his successor on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Fortunately two intelligent gentlemen, both lawyers with extensive experience in government, have stepped forward to seek the position. Theres no question that either Gary Zuckerman or Aldo Vitagliano could effectively do the job, but Zuckerman clearly wants it while Vitagliano comes across as the more reluctant candidate. Zuckerman, 70, a real estate attorney and developer, has had a more well-thought-out five-point action plan from the beginning. The eight-year Rye Brook trustee, who has served for the past 10 years as a member of the Rye Brook Planning Board and chaired that group for the last seven, is as passionate about running the Town of Rye as he was about becoming mayor of Rye Brook when he ran unsuccessfully to lead the village back in 2000. While Vitagliano, a Republican, has delved into the campaign and rounded out his platform as the days have gone by, at first he couldnt articulate why he was running. It was nonetheless admirable that he joined the race to give voters
Gary Zuckerman
Anthony Baxter
Lindsay Jackson
a choice and not allow backers of
Zuckermans fusion ticket to just railroad it through. We would not have wanted to see a no-contest race where the issues were not discussed, as has so often been the case in Rye Brook mayoral and trustee races in recent years. Even if Zuckerman wins, Vitaglianos contribution will have been valuable. Zuckerman, a registered Democrat, is running a proactive campaign laying out what he and his running mates want to accomplish rather than a negative one attacking his opponents. Even if Zuckerman got into the campaign at the behest of Sam Terenzi and Paul Noto, who are seeking to keep their jobs as town attorney and town accountant, Zuckerman is not a weak personality who can be easily controlled. We will put our faith in him to decide if these two are the best people for the job. Given the state of the towns finances as pointed out in its auditors recommendations the past two years, it looks like there should be some changes made on the financial side and that outsourcing, which has been suggested by Carvin, may actually be a good idea. That being said, Zuckerman is only one vote on the five-member board to make those decisions. Vitaglianos campaign is dwelling on Zuckerman allegedly promising Terenzi and Noto they will keep their jobs as a major reason residents should not vote for his opponent. With this issue such a large part of his campaign, we were surprised that Vitagliano didnt answer yes to the question on our Pinned down
on the issues survey published in
last weeks paper asking if he would put both Terenzis and Notos job out for bid but instead went along with his opponent and refused to answer that question. The Town of Rye performs limited functions, and, once the negativity has been swept aside, both candidates and their running mates have focused on improving its parks, tax collection, assessment, administration and finances, with only nuanced differences between their platforms. Continuing the tradition of volunteer government service as a village trustee and Planning Board member in Rye Brook, Zuckerman says he will not take the $17,400 salary as Rye Town supervisor, following in the footsteps of his predecessor, something we find admirable while at the same time understanding those who may not be of the same means and said they need the money to pay for expenses that may be required of them as a Rye Town elected official. The three candidates seeking the two council seats up for grabs are all newcomers, giving none of them an advantage. Always backing individuals rather than a party, or in this case a ticket, it is only coincidental that we are supporting Anthony Baxter and Lindsay Jackson who, with Zuckerman, are billed as The Rye Town Coalition ticket because they represent three different parties and three different villages. Jackson, a Republican, is actually running on both tickets since she is being endorsed by the Republicans as well as the Democrats and Conservatives
on the fusion ticket.
Both Baxter, 47, an assistant principal at Sleepy Hollow High School and former principal at Blind Brook High School, and Jackson, 28, who serves on the staff of the Westchester County executive and previously was district administrator for the New York State Assembly, have a good grasp of the issues. We were impressed with Baxters straightforward manner and ease in dealing with people gained from handling the delicate and sometimes controversial issues a principal confronts on a daily basis. As a member of the Port Chester Planning Commission and a volunteer basketball and baseball coach with four children in the Port Chester public schools, Baxter, a registered Conservative, has already proven that he is committed to serving his community. He, too, said he would not take the $4,000 salary for the council position. There has not been a candidate from Rye Neck running for supervisor or councilperson in at least the last 30 years, so its about time that portion of the town had some representation. Thats not the only reason we are supporting Jackson, however. Her maturity and confidence at her young age and obvious enthusiasm for good government shined through in our office debate as well as the League of Women Voters forum. And she had done her homework, going as far as reading the town dissolution study over the summer. The other candidate, Republican Alex Leonzi, gained confidence as the campaign progressed but did not stand out like the others.