Ltr to Ed: Some thoughts on Halloween and the election
November 1, 2013
by Mark Goodman
My wife and I moved to Chappaqua in 1985. Her birthday is Halloween and when we were house hunting, we happened to be in Chappaqua on the day of the Ragamuffin Parade. My wife and I decided that any town that celebrated her birthday in such grand fashion was a place we wanted to live.
We raised our three children here and have stayed. Our surroundings are beautiful, our way of life serene and our children have benefitted from schools that are worlds apart from those we attended in the boroughs.
We feel safe here, part of the community and know how fortunate we are to live in the Town of New Castle.
At this time, I am saddened by the negativism and division in town, worse than anything I have seen in the almost 30 years we have lived here. Our town should not be a microcosm of what is going on in Washington – we are a community that works together. We do not want to have elected officials who foment litigation, are anti-everything and scream at people at public meetings.
Please think about what you want for yourself as a member of this incredible community when you go to vote November 5th. Please don’t let me and my family down by voting for those who want to destroy rather than build.
Please vote for Penny, John, Michael and Noah on November 5th.
MARK GOODMAN
Mr. Goodman,
You are asking us to vote for a town official who threatened to run a merchant out of town. How safe will you feel when she comes to your house? Better not cross her.
Are you the husband of democratic politico and activist Robbie Schlaff?
Great letter! Thank you, Mr. Goodman.
Zuch must have been the manager of his football team. He’s so good at carrying water.
Mark Goodman, it is unfortunate that the town you knew and enjoyed is in the process of being destroyed by reckless “leaders.” First the approval of a horrid humongous building at the RR for affordable housing for minorities; no dignity, no safety, no place for children to play, stands by itself, creates unsafe traffic conditions, difficult to fight a fire from the lower King Street side of the railroad, et al. No positives there.
The Chappaqua Crossing boondoggle will decimate the businesses in the village. I would like to know which one of the “leaders” came up with the idea of a supermarket and retail stores in a beautiful bucolic neighborhood. I feel sorry for home owners who live in the area if this tragedy is constructed; I can feel comfortable saying that the SG principals probably do not live there.
Everyone, please be sensible and end this string of reckless “leaders” and replace them with sensible people like Greenstein, Brodsky and Katz.
Mr. Goodman,
Happy (slightly) belated birthday to your wife. It would have been honest of you to have fully disclosed your wife’s role in the town’s democrat political machine that Janet Wells has so inadvertently indicted. But then Zuch might not have been such a fan of your letter. By willfully not disclosing the relevant relationships you have proven yourself emblematic of the secretive and dishonest way the political machine operates in New Castle. Your deception did not work. But I’m glad you feel safe in the bosom of the corrupt party machine and hope you continue to enjoy the Ragamuffin Parade.
Follow the money—not a republican? Check the records. Find out what party is finding “democrat” Robert Greenstein. Follow the money indeed. He is no democrat!
To “By Really” –
Your sarcastic and inaccurate comment about “following the money” is precisely what the author of this article is condemning.
If you’d actually checked the NYS campaign contribution records that are available online, you’d find that the Democratic Slate has raised more money (over $27,000), and from fewer donors, than Team New Castle. Where has this money come from? Where is always does: the Democratic political machine, which is fueled by money from labor unions. Do you really think the Democratic Slate will have any willingness to pursue mandate reform or tackle other tough fiscal issues? Penny, who would become a “double-dipping” retiree/employee as supervisor, is a product of that machine.
I’m voting for Team New Castle. We need a fresh, non-partisan approach to local government.
@really,
What does your comment have to do with Goodman’s deception in not disclosing his wife’s relationship with the town’s party machine?
C’mon, Zuch, start vetting your minions.
While you may disagree with Mark, as I do, as to what candidates should be supported in the upcoming elections, I think you would do better to focus on issues in the letter or his reasoning than Ms. Schlaff. Even better, get out the vote on Tuesday.
I find it difficult to find fault with someone who was publicly thanked by Mr. Astorino for working across party lines as part of the current county administration and who has supported environmental issues and worked to protect the rights of women during her past ten years of service. My gut tells my members of TNC likely support some of these issues as well. I have previously echoed concerns about single party rule in this town (or anywhere for that matter), but I think commentators would be better served to focus on the letter and not Ms. Schlaff. Mark, while I would readily admit the the last two board meetings were two of the best in terms of town board and community interaction and civility, the past few years have not been a model that I hope any town board emulates in the future. For the sake of full disclosure, I have met with Ms. Sclaff and have found her to be an intelligent, kind and engaging person. There are plenty of issues in this campaign, but I do not think she is one of them.
Robert Fleisher,
While I will certainly take your word for Ms. Scalff’s fine character, that is not the point of what was being said above. The point is that, like you, Mr. Goodman would have done well to engage in full disclosure.
If I had to summarize my problems with Wshington, I’d say it is that there are a large number of politicians that are beholden to a particular party or a certain ideology. We have the opportunity to be different, to elect leaders beholden to the community. It is here that the change can begin.
Lovely letter. Happy belated to your wife.
Mr goodman is a machine democrat in the old style. Really. I would be a cup of coffee that she wrote the letter because she can’t because if her thorough involvement in local and county politics. His wife was the new castle democratic leader 12 years ago. Cripes doesn’t anybody remember anything?
This rob greenstein again
The readership must know who the players are and what is or may be their agenda. Yes ms Schlaff is a nice person but that does not alter her democratic machine bias and that of her husband, mark goodman. In her very nice way( her charm was the secret of her political success) she towed the democratic party line in all ways. Just so everyone is aware of the goodman-Schlaff agenda. While she is not outwardly involved in any issue, no doubt her husband speaks for her. She , the former new castle democratic leader, is the impromatur for mr goodman’s letter, that’s all.
Here is how the democratic committee acts:
