My Detailed Campaign Promises To The Voters On These Issues:
- Town Property Taxes for our residents must remain as low as possible, and cannot rise by the 9.5% increase that occurred for the 2015 annual (January) tax bill. If I am elected to office, I will vote against any tax increases like that in the future. I will be a fiscally responsible voice for all Town budgets and spending, basing it on current town-wide property tax projections staying at a zero-percent increase or less, while I am in office.
- The Town Clerk and Town Highway Superintendent positions that are currently elected positions must remain elected positions, and not become appointed positions controlled by the Town Supervisor or a rogue Town Council. I will fight to prevent any attempt to change those positions to appointed positions, like the failed attempt by Supervisor Fromaget that occurred in the Spring/Summer of 2015, which this past spring wasted both the taxpayer's money, and the town board's time, in a blatant power grab attempt by Supervisor Fromaget.
- I will not support ANY attempt by non-residents that own town property to re-zone and build new high density housing in Blooming Grove. I will also fight all future annexation attempts by Kiryas Joel, and its allies, of any territory in Blooming Grove, Monroe, Cornwall, Woodbury, or Chester.
- The former "Camp LaGuardia" site, if and when updated development plans are proposed for it, must be a fair plan that benefits both the Town of Chester and the Town of Blooming Grove equally with sensible commercial development. If the next development site plans either shortchange Blooming Grove, or risks putting Blooming Grove into a detrimental financial situation by trying to become low-income high-density housing, I will not support these plans.
- I will work with our town's business community to increase tourism, to improve our business environment, and to seek new businesses to consider Blooming Grove as a place to locate.
- I support a positive working relationship between our town government, and the two village governments that exist within our town borders. When we can all work together to provide the needed services of our citizens, at a lower cost, we should make every effort to pursue those goals.
- The last thing we need in our Blooming Grove local government are elected officials who believe in expanding the role of government in our lives. I am talking about career partisan Democrats who think policies like those of Mayor de Blasio of NYC are a great idea. If you prefer to have that kind of local government, with its typical NYC-style of spending, and overreach into our lives, I am NOT the candidate you wish to support. I support small government solutions, with honesty and integrity being my guide. Not partisan politics or special interest power grabs by our town officials. And certainly not excessive spending that our taxpayers cannot afford!
Copyright ©2015 Mark J. Levy, All Rights Reserved (page last updated 10/28/2015)