NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - Property taxes, utility costs, and transportation were among issues affecting older folks that were addressed at a recent candidate forum in North Salem.
Organized by the local senior citizens club and held at the North Salem Firehouse, the event featured Supervisor Warren Lucas, Deputy Supervisor Peter Kamenstein, and Councilman Martin Aronchick, all of whom are running for re-election unopposed; James “Bo” Depaoli, who is unopposed for highway superintendent; Karol DeLuce and Randi Bowen, who are vying for the town tax receiver’s post; and County Legislator Erika L. Pierce of Bedford and challenger Braille Diaz of Mount Kisco, who are battling it out in District 2 (Bedford, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, North Salem, Pound Ridge, and Somers.)
Full interviews with the Tax Receiver candidates can be found here.
Aronchick, a Democrat, said there’ve been several issues that get folks “excited,” namely sewer systems, short-term rentals, and pickleball.
He promised that he and his board colleagues will continue to work together in “a cooperative, non-partisan way” and will always seek feedback from stakeholders.
“So, we hope that at least the process shows you that we care,” he said.
Aronchick is board liaison to the Recreation Advisory Committee, which is working on a recreation “master plan.”
“We want to be responsive to the future needs of seniors,” he said.
Kamenstein, a Republican, has been deputy supervisor for 15 years, was chair of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals before that, and had served on civic organizations such as the North Salem Open Lands Foundation.
“I love this town. I love the people,” he said.
Kamenstein said he and fellow board members are not unaware of how expensive things can be in North Salem, especially for seniors on limited incomes hoping to stay put but also for younger families who want to settle there.
“Our taxes are what they are,” he said, adding that “if there’s any way to make it easier for seniors and juniors, that would be a critical thing for us to do.”
Lucas, a Republican, said 67 percent of users of the new community center are seniors.
“So it’s worked out well. It’s a little home away from home,” he said.
Having sat on “some fairly contentious boards” in his early days, the lifelong resident had promised himself that things would be calmer if he ever got control.
Saying that current board members – regardless of political affiliation -- work “very well together,” Lucas asserted.
As far as taxes go, there’s not a lot that can be done on a local level other than to try “not to spend money,” he said, adding that, according to the state Comptroller’s Office, North Salem’s employee “head count” --compared to its budget -- is “very, very small.”
DePaoli, a North Salem native, was highway foreman for 16 years before being appointed deputy superintendent.
“I’m used to taking care of people in the town. I’ve handled storms, whatever problems come up, DePaoli said, adding that he was “looking forward to keeping the roads and everybody safe.”
One woman spoke of being afraid to drive on Starr Ridge Road at night because it doesn’t have double-yellow lines once it crosses over from Southeast in Putnam County to North Salem in Westchester.
DePaoli promised to bring the topic up to the Town Board.
Bowen, a Republican who as treasurer of the Croton Falls Community Church for six years, has managed finances and overseen both day-to-day operations and special projects, said she handles everything with “honesty and transparency.”
Having worked in pest control for 20 years, Bowen said she knows how to handle fraught situations.
If elected, Bowen said that one of her goals will be to “make sure that everyone, especially our seniors, feel supported, informed, and comfortable when dealing with their taxes.”
DeLuce, a Democrat, has done accounting work for the past 35 years, has held various management titles and has worked in industries such as health care, construction, aerospace, and hospitality.
DeLuce prides herself on being a “hands-on” facilitator who’s able to maintain good, working relationships both “internally and externally.”
Asked how they usually handled situations where taxpayers are either confused or upset, both candidates said they’d listen and be “responsive.”
“That’s all I can do, guide them in the right direction,” said DeLuce, adding that if she didn’t have an answer, she’d do whatever she could to put them in touch with someone who did.
Pierce listed her various committee roles and then jumped to pressing senior concerns.
“The Number One type of constituent who calls my office is a senior … on everything from scams to difficulties with reverse mortgages to problems with utility costs,” the Democratic hopeful said.
The Board of Legislators is “aggressively fighting” rate hikes proposed by NYSE&G and Con Edison. It’s formally intervened in both cases before the state Public Service Commission, a nonpartisan entity whose members are appointed by the governor.
The county itself has no control over what it does, she explained.
However, legislators are working with state partners on a law that would change the way the commission manages the rate approval process and its policies.
Pierce noted that many seniors are on “balanced” billing.
“In reality, NYSE&G often sets that rate at a rate which is way lower than what anyone would ever use. Then they get this tremendous catch-up bill often in the winter when rates are at the highest possible level,” she said, adding that if they get behind, they face finance charges.
Calling that “egregious,” Pierce said it “shouldn’t have to work that way.”
Senior transportation was another topic.
In Westchester, “ParaTransit” is an origin-to-destination public transportation service for folks with disabilities who are unable to use the fixed-route Bee-Line buses.
“The trouble is, it runs proximate to where there are public bus lines,” Pierce said, uncertain of how useful it would be in North Salem, where there are no such routes.
She advised people to call her office “to get set up.”
Lucas said that the town now has a 12-seat senior van that it uses to take resident to and from the community center. Proposed are excursions to the library and shopping.
Diaz, a Republican, is a fire equipment inspector and a firefighter in Mount Kisco, where he was raised.
He serves on the village/town’s Ethics Board and volunteers at a food pantry.
Diaz said he’s running because he’s “young” -- just 24. He’s worried that Westchester is becoming “less and less affordable” for people his age.
He quickly pivoted to the issue of the possible replacement of Indian Point in Buchanan, suggesting that that could be one solution to rising energy costs.
County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat, had urged the BOL to adopt an act declaring the county’s strong opposition to rebooting of the now-defunct nuclear power facility.
“Opening this plant again is a hard no. New York state has access to low-cost, environmentally conscious energy alternatives including solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower – we don’t need or want Indian Point back,” Jenkins said.
Braille dismissed that as “political grandstanding.”
Pierce asked him to explain how re-opening the plant, now owned by Holtec International, would lower energy costs.
“Sure, so when Indian Point was shut down the power to the grid that was lost was never replaced. That’s a fact. Demands (for power) were the same or increased, so rates went higher,” Diaz said.
“Now that the governor herself is calling for, or at least looking into, reopening Indian Point, I think instead of using this opportunity to solve this issue,” he claimed.
Gov. Kathy Hochul had written to Jenkins stating her strong opposition to the rumored Indian Point reboot.
According to the letter obtained by USA TODAY, she said: “Let me say this plainly: No. There have been no discussion or plans, and I would not support efforts to do so.”
That position applied not only to traditional reactors at that particular site, but to smaller, state-of-the-art modular ones – though still a long way from widespread commercial use -- being promoted as a more palatable alternative.
Hochul has indicated that she’s not against adding more nuclear power upstate.
When asked how much it would cost to re-open Indian Point, Diaz responded: “I’m not exactly aware of that.”
Pierce argued that the enormous cost of making nuclear energy is “the main reason the company (Entergy) didn’t want to keep the plant going.”
Not disagreeing that new sources of power should be investigated but, she argued that the real “driver” of rate increases is the need to repair storm-damaged infrastructure -- not to mention the companies’ other overhead costs and pursuit of profits.
“So, are you saying you disagree with our governor?” Diaz asked.
“I didn’t say that. I said that finding new ways to increase our amount of energy is really important, but it’s not going to solve your billing problems today. Those two things are not the same,” Pierce responded.
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