I sent a document which contained my concerns about the Ward System electoral process, and an "Alternative Proposal to studying/creating a Ward System", to the Blooming Grove Town Supervisor Robert Fromaget, and the Blooming Grove Town Council, on January 29th, 2016, after reading the January 25th Times-Herald Record article in which newspaper reporter Michael Randall stated that Supervisor Fromaget sees the Ward System "as a way to ensure each section of the town would have a specific board member who could be designated to take the lead in addressing problems and issues that arise there."
Unfortunately, Supervisor Fromaget was not interested in discussing this proposal, and never put it on the Work Session agenda to be discussed, even after I asked his office to put it on the Agenda for February 2nd, 2016. Below is the proposal I sent him
Supervisor Fromaget thinks it would be a great idea if citizens could look online, or call the Town Hall, to find out which Town Board member could initially answer their question, or help them with their issue.
I have no problem with this idea of Supervisor Fromaget; in fact I am willing to represent any “region” as their first “go to” Board Member since I ran in all 16 EDs, and I was elected either in 1st or 2nd place by 14 of those 16 EDs.
Below I list how the 4 Town Council members could be listed as the representatives to “regions” of Blooming Grove during the next year or two, if the Board agrees to my proposal on this.
First – my idea of an informal “regions” approach, instead of a formal “Ward” approach, is that there is no need for the “regions” to strictly conform to Census figures, and no legal challenge can be made. The regions are not “elected” positions; Town Board members still will be elected “at large” for 4 year terms.
Second – since the Census figures from 2010 combined a number of our EDs together back in 2010, which makes their data unusable, I recommend we use the current ‘total registered voters’ from Orange County Board of Elections – from January 1st 2016, to make the four regions close in size:
Currently there are 11,124 registered voters in Blooming Grove (1/1/2016)
ED 01 702
ED 02 731
ED 03 792
ED 04 467
ED 05 643
ED 06 645
ED 07 693
ED 08 784
ED 09 761
ED 10 670
ED 11 719
ED 12 889
ED 13 864
ED 14 699
ED 15 547
ED 16 518
So here are my “Regions” for Blooming Grove that the 4 Board members can be first-line liaisons to:
Region 1:
South Blooming Grove & Mountain Lodge
Contains ED 4, 7, 9, and 13
2016/01/01 Voter Population is 2,785
I recommend Johanna Kiernan (ED13) be the liaison for “Region 1” for 2016 (or 2016-2017)
Region 2:
Western Blooming Grove
(Bull Mine, Greycourt, Oxford, Craigville, Tomahawk, and Tuthill/Moffat)
Contains ED 2, 6, 15, 16
2016/01/01 Voter Population is 2,441
I recommend George KyDon (ED 6) be the liaison for “Region 2” for 2016 (or 2016-2017)
Region 3:
North/East Blooming Grove & Western Washingtonville
(Salisbury Mills, Woodcock Mountain, Felter Hill, Tappan, and west of North St./Toleman Road in Washingtonville)
Contains ED 1, 3, 5, 8:
2016/01/01 Voter Population is 2,921
I recommend Ron Jurain (ED08) be the liaison for “Region 3” for 2016 (or 2016-2017)
Region 4:
Eastern Washingtonville
(All of the Village of Washingtonville east of Toleman Road / North Street)
Contains ED 10, 11, 12, 14
2016/01/01 Voter Population is 2,977
I recommend myself (Mark Levy) be the liaison for “Region 4” for 2016 (or 2016-2017), since I lived in ED14 for 17 years of my life as a homeowner, and know that community very well.
Everyone, I look forward to your input and discussion, and if the Town Board agrees, maybe we vote on this 2/9.
Unfortunately, Supervisor Fromaget was not interested in discussing this proposal, and never put it on the Work Session agenda to be discussed, even after I asked his office to put it on the Agenda for February 2nd, 2016. Below is the proposal I sent him
Supervisor Fromaget thinks it would be a great idea if citizens could look online, or call the Town Hall, to find out which Town Board member could initially answer their question, or help them with their issue.
I have no problem with this idea of Supervisor Fromaget; in fact I am willing to represent any “region” as their first “go to” Board Member since I ran in all 16 EDs, and I was elected either in 1st or 2nd place by 14 of those 16 EDs.
Below I list how the 4 Town Council members could be listed as the representatives to “regions” of Blooming Grove during the next year or two, if the Board agrees to my proposal on this.
First – my idea of an informal “regions” approach, instead of a formal “Ward” approach, is that there is no need for the “regions” to strictly conform to Census figures, and no legal challenge can be made. The regions are not “elected” positions; Town Board members still will be elected “at large” for 4 year terms.
Second – since the Census figures from 2010 combined a number of our EDs together back in 2010, which makes their data unusable, I recommend we use the current ‘total registered voters’ from Orange County Board of Elections – from January 1st 2016, to make the four regions close in size:
Currently there are 11,124 registered voters in Blooming Grove (1/1/2016)
ED 01 702
ED 02 731
ED 03 792
ED 04 467
ED 05 643
ED 06 645
ED 07 693
ED 08 784
ED 09 761
ED 10 670
ED 11 719
ED 12 889
ED 13 864
ED 14 699
ED 15 547
ED 16 518
So here are my “Regions” for Blooming Grove that the 4 Board members can be first-line liaisons to:
Region 1:
South Blooming Grove & Mountain Lodge
Contains ED 4, 7, 9, and 13
2016/01/01 Voter Population is 2,785
I recommend Johanna Kiernan (ED13) be the liaison for “Region 1” for 2016 (or 2016-2017)
Region 2:
Western Blooming Grove
(Bull Mine, Greycourt, Oxford, Craigville, Tomahawk, and Tuthill/Moffat)
Contains ED 2, 6, 15, 16
2016/01/01 Voter Population is 2,441
I recommend George KyDon (ED 6) be the liaison for “Region 2” for 2016 (or 2016-2017)
Region 3:
North/East Blooming Grove & Western Washingtonville
(Salisbury Mills, Woodcock Mountain, Felter Hill, Tappan, and west of North St./Toleman Road in Washingtonville)
Contains ED 1, 3, 5, 8:
2016/01/01 Voter Population is 2,921
I recommend Ron Jurain (ED08) be the liaison for “Region 3” for 2016 (or 2016-2017)
Region 4:
Eastern Washingtonville
(All of the Village of Washingtonville east of Toleman Road / North Street)
Contains ED 10, 11, 12, 14
2016/01/01 Voter Population is 2,977
I recommend myself (Mark Levy) be the liaison for “Region 4” for 2016 (or 2016-2017), since I lived in ED14 for 17 years of my life as a homeowner, and know that community very well.
Everyone, I look forward to your input and discussion, and if the Town Board agrees, maybe we vote on this 2/9.