Letter to the Editor: Cast a thoughtful and informed vote based on facts, not rhetoric

Monday, November 7, 2011
by Dana Stein-Dince

As Election Day nears, there has been a flurry of emails circulating that implore recipients to vote for change. I was offended by one of them in particular.  Because it ignores facts, perpetuates rumors and resorts to scare tactics to strike back at the “status quo,” I felt compelled to write this. Sometimes irresponsible sound bites need to be met with the facts.

In that email, the writer spoke of the “complete downturn in our little hamlet.”  As a 13-year resident of New Castle, I find this insulting. There is no “complete downturn” evident anywhere in town.  Here are the facts: despite a nationwide economic crisis of truly unprecedented scope, 105 of the 111 storefronts in the hamlet of Chappaqua, and 28 of the 30 storefronts in Millwood, are occupied. That’s an occupancy rate of better than 94% in Chappaqua and better than 93% in Millwood. Calling that a “complete downturn” is simply reckless, particularly in the current economic environment.  Our high occupancy rates are in no small measure due to the tremendous improvements to our hamlets in recent years, and to the continuing efforts of our elected officials to make our Town more business- and shopper-friendly.

The email also mentioned that a nail salon was moving into the old Indigo storefront and added, “it will also be housing some sort of Tattoo Parlor! Yikes…That’s a really scary thought!”  Scary, indeed. Also greatly misinformed. The FACT is that tattoo parlors are illegal in New Castle per Town Code §114-2 (See http://ecode360.com/11770498#11770550). In an email that charges, “There is a lot of misinformation out there going on…” it is the height of irresponsibility to spread such blatant misinformation.

I share with the email writer and others distress over the loss of D’Agostino and appreciate everyone’s efforts to fight it; however, it was a business decision on the part of D’Agostino to sublease to Walgreens—- not the landlord’s decision and not the Town’s decision. To say this is “the tip of the iceberg” as the email writer does demonstrates a lack of awareness of what is and is not in the purview of Town government officials.

There is no question we need to encourage more commercial business to improve town life and our commercial tax base and to ease our tax burden. All of the candidates know this and have pledged to work towards this goal.

Other emails are being circulated that, for example, have talked about the need to develop “an effective master plan, [to] implement it with urgency and incorporate within it a savvy understanding of what would attract businesses to our town that we would all welcome and support.” Susan Carpenter has acknowledged that the Town Development Plan needs to be updated, understands the urgent need for commercial tax revenue and has vowed to incorporate resident input and expertise into further improving New Castle. As Chair of the Town Planning Board and attorney for the Westchester Land Trust, she has worked with other towns, knows of their development plans and is well positioned to follow through on this pledge in a sensible way.

Elise Mottel and Jason Chapin have gone on record to say they share the same planning vision for the future that Susan does and have the proven ability and Town Board experience to help make that plan a reality. I have heard the call for “fresh” and “new” ideas from the Republican candidates and their supporters, but the few ideas that were articulated did not sound feasible or inspire confidence in me.

These are deeply stressful and emotional times. All of us feel we’d like to “change the channel” on our national problems and politics; however, it is important for all of us to cast thoughtful and informed votes for the best candidates.  We should not vote based on inflammatory rhetoric and misinformation that is calculated to scare and distort. Voting for “change for change’s sake” may satisfy some emotional need, but will not result in good government.

Each of us has the responsibility to our children and ourselves to exercise due diligence in this important election. After listening to press conferences and debates involving candidates from all parties, it is remarkable how the Republican candidates have been willing to ignore facts in favor of divisive distortions, misinformation and sound bites. Both Chappaqua Crossing and the use of NYC money set aside for watershed protection to sewer various parts of Town, for example, are extremely complex issues and our Town administration has demonstrated skill in their handling of them. To dismiss their careful process as a “fiasco” and accuse them of ignoring whole sectors of town in the sewer petition make good sound bites, but shows a worrisome lack of awareness of the intricacies of these matters.

I will vote for Susan Carpenter, Elise Mottel and Jason Chapin on Tuesday. I want well thought-out decisions and feasible ideas for growth based on facts from my elected officials.  I feel all of the Democratic candidates, including Douglas Kraus and David Zuckerman for Town Justice and Mike Kaplowitz for County Legislator, are best positioned to serve our Town.

Tweet