Letter to the Editor: Time to clarify some misrepresentations by GOP
November 4, 2011
by Susan Carpenter
It’s time to clarify some inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have circled around the campaign of Mr. Murphy, Mr. Kirkwood and Mr. Diefenbach.
First, early on, they claimed that New Castle hamlet development was being stymied—“shackled,” I believe they claimed—by a requirement that all new development have residential use on the second floor. In fact the town’s regulations require new development to have a second floor, but that second floor can be used for either office or residential. The town has been encouraging land owners in the hamlets to consider such development, and one new structure has successfully been constructed with a second and third floor combining office and residential. Second story development is recognized as good planning in hamlets like ours that have a restricted footprint and need more foot traffic both during the day and at night.
Second, there has been a great deal of criticism of New Castle’s petition for $10 million on New York City watershed funds, held by Westchester County, to construct a sewer line to connect Yeshiva, Random Farms and Riverwoods to the existing sewer district lines that discharge at at the Yonkers sewage treatment plant.
The complaint has been that the Town is ignoring Kisco Park and Stanwood. However, as Mr. Murphy, Mr. Kirkwood and Mr. Diefenbach have not acknowledged, neither Kisco Park or Stanwood wanted to be included in this sewer petition. The cost of installing the internal infrastructure to connect each house would have been much higher for these two neighborhoods than for the three that are included in the petition—because those three already have sewage treatment plants, albeit failing ones, which allow them to utilize their existing infrastructure to connect to the new line.
The Millwood business district would benefit from being in a sewer district, but that district is not eligible for the funds that will be used to install this line because most of the Millwood business district is not in the New York City watershed. However, once the sewer lines resulting from the existing petition are built, future development in Millwood may well be able to connect to the line.
Third, the Republicans have complained about how long Mr. Demeo, who owns the new gas station in Millwood, had to work to get his approvals for his new gas station in Millwood. In fact it was a challenging site with contamination, wetlands, septic issues—no doubt the reasons it had been underdeveloped for so long. I’m happy Mr. Demeo had the perseverance to stick with the development and he has made a positive addition to Millwood. However, his problems have been with the County of Westchester, which had to approve his septic system, and with New York State DOT. The Town made every effort to accommodate Mr. Demeo—even writing to ask Con Ed to approve the location of the power lines for his site.
Finally, the Republicans continue to promise a new supermarket for the Chappaqua hamlet, and Mr. Murphy has been touting his COSTCO in Yorktown as an example of what we need in New Castle. Everyone would like to make sure the hamlets have grocery stores, but most of us realize our hamlets have limited develop-able space for big box stores, which is what chain grocery stores now want. And I have never heard a serious suggestion that COSTCO would be good for our small hamlets.
I hope when New Castle residents go to vote on November 8 that they will make a decision about whom to vote for based on the facts.
Susan Carpenter
Planning Board Chair
Candidate for Supervisor of New Castle
To the best of my knowledge, there is no Costco in Yorktown, although there is a BJ’s Wholesale store located in a huge multi-tenant shopping center. I have repeatedly asked what is envisioned for Millwood in this forum and finally someone has responded with a project that would actually need sewers. While I think the idea is laughable on its face-seriously, where would a giant shopping center go in the Millwood business district-I would vigorously oppose this type of development. Traffic alone would be a nightmare.
I’m disappointed to read this “rebuttal” to vague and unsubstantiated allegations. I have not heard Mr Murphy advocate a Costco in Chappaqua (and by the way, there are not any Costco’s in Yorktown - would be MUCH easier to drive there than to Yonkers…)
I was still on the fence about this election until I read this letter from Ms. Carpenter. I don’t want to have public officials who resort to attacks like this. This is NOT the leadership we need.
I will make my decision on FACTS and not these sad allegations.
thank you, Ms Carpenter, for providing facts, and not a"sound bite” response typically used in campaign discussion. Candidates need to be held accountable for what they are saying. On more than one occasion during this election I’ve heard candidates claim that they never said something that was indeed recorded. Watch out candidates, cell phones can easily record all that you say….
I believe Mr. Murphy was simply illustrating the effectiveness of the Yorktown town board working with the private sector provide a solution for that community. They found out what their community wanted and acted. That sort of voice/ leadership would have been nice here in New Castle during the Chappaqua Crossing debacle.
Another letter bashing the opposition while offering no new ideas, no leadership. We have many issues, many needs in this town and the old guard offers nothing new but more of the same. Instead of pointing out discrepancies and focusing in minutia how about you Democrats offer the taxpayer some new and fresh ideas. You (dems) have been office since I lived here. Things have gotten worse. Where are your solution. These letters offer no solutions other than demonstrate its time for a change.
I assume that certain issues have been approached in a very low key manner. What 10 steps would you eliminate from the application process? We are lucky that Mr. DeMeo did not drop dead of a heart ATTACK during his review process! Look how beautiful his gas station looks; it is a prize location, and maintained as a prize location! But yet when he had a huge sign out front “Grand Opening” he had to take it down! As you said, he had RED TAPE to deal with; would you see it appropriate to use the powers of the Town to proactively make matters progress in a much more timely manner? Would you deploy the Town Attorney, Planner, Independent Consultant, and ALL individuals of the various Town Boards to flood the phone lines and absorb the time of those who had stood in Mr. Demeo’s path, at no cost to Mr. DeMeo? New Castle has a solid reputation, that if you want to take a RISK, don’t do it in New Castle! What are you prepared to do, to scream out ” We are open for business ” Governor Cuomo is screaming “New York is open for business,” Kirkwood is “Screaming the same message.” Perhaps I am WRONG, but I don’t see you advocating for individuals to come to New Castle and take on RISK! How do you intend to attract businesses that can open up pay their staff, utilities, mortgage, rent, maintenance, property insurance, property Taxes, and not worry about the impact of Town Hall during their decisions as to come here, or go elsewhere? Aside from Governor Cuomo, the only other Democrat that sticks out in my mind as advocating for businesses was MAYOR KOCH! Can you become a “Mayor Koch” if elected? Mayor Koch took away ALL RED TAPE, after receiving a few pointers from Trump. Who is your Trump Advisor? Who would you invite into your inner circle to advise you, perhaps in a direction that you are not comfortable with? Rules are rules, regulations are regulations, applications are applications that need to be filled out; but what would you do away with?
I agree with Voting on the Facts. I have frankly not heard the Republicans mention any of these things. Ms. Carpenter even goes so far as to say “I believe they claimed” in the second paragraph. You BELIEVE?? Please get YOUR facts straight and substantiate them with details before making these accusations. As a resident of Random Farms, the support from town over the years for helping with the sewers has been atrocious. Now that it’s campaign time, things finally start rolling! Why don’t you stick to presenting your ideas, and being positive, rather than muckraking. Politics at its best, and I’ll be voting on the facts as well.
When did Terrence Murphy say New Castle needs a Costco? Please show us the video or the press conference. I’ve received a bunch of mailers and read some articles in this and the other local news sources and haven’t seen that mentioned. Grocery store yes, Costco no.
It is a shame that Ms. Carpenter and Ms. Mottel are resorting to fingerpointing and false claims of their opponents instead of running on their own accomplishments and offering their own plans for the future of our town.
I just saw that the Democratic candidates are having a coffee event at Lange’s following their one the other week at Tazza’s. I don’t recall them doing that before and would applaud them except that they are simply copying the Team New Castle candidates events (which were held at the same exact locations!)
Ms. Carpenter may actually be worried about CHANGE…For a democrat in this town to proactively engage the public, she must be worried. Could this be the first sign that the rule of limousine liberalism in New Castle may be ending. Fingers crossed…GO TEAM NEW CASTLE!!!
@voting on the facts,
It is peculiar that you would characterize Susan Carpenter’s dignified clarifications as an attack.
If you want to see attacks, I would refer you to Kirkwood and Diefenbach’s unfortunate dissembling, readily available on Ncnow.
Come on now, you were never voting for Carpenter.
Just read Team New Castle’s pledge to the community that was printed in Chappaqua Patch. Fairness dictates that you make space for this statement in your publication.
I trust it will appear before the election takes place. Thanks.
Editor’s Note: NCNOW, you may have noticed, has its own schedule of publication—Fridays and Mondays. And AOL-Patch has its. We consider every submission according to our timetable.
Look at Mr. Murphy’s comments at the Republican press conference in late September. He acutally brought up both Lowes and Costco and suggested we could have had them come in to town and build the bridge for us in return for getting a location in town. Personally I prefer having had the state pay for it.
Susan,
I want to vote for you. But if you can’t reply to some of the issues raised by your constituents above (even if every comment is from the same person), how are you going to get things done if you are elected. You don’t have to be mean-spirited to reply to legitimate questions. The Republicans do strike me as a bit more aggressive / mean spirited in this debate, but I will take that over an unwillingness to engage every time. You obviously have enough knowledge to answer these questions and maybe even admit a mistake in your letter if one was made. Mistakes are forgivable, sitting in silence is not.
I went onto the Town website and searched the regulations to find the one being discussed. This is what I found:
#11. Apartments above the street level floor in a building used for nonresidential purposes, subject to § 60-417.6 and
provided further that compliance with § 60-412.1 of this chapter shall be required if such use is located in a building
constructed after the effective date of this provision or to which floor area above the street level floor is added after
such date.
How I read it, apartments are required. I looked at the other regulations referenced and they don’t seem to say otherwise though I am not experienced at reading the Town Code.
Here is the link: http://www.ecode360.com/documents/NE0395/NE0395-060c Business and Industrial-Use.pdf#search=60-412.1
@ Robin Murphy,
Now you are a lawyer… amazing.
Bob, why do you keep attacking Robin Murphy. She never said she is a lawyer, in fact she said that isn’t experienced in reading town code. Give her credit, she is sharing information (and under her real name) while you just throw daggers anonymously.
PS What happened to New Castle Now’s policy of encouraging civil, civic discourse?
