NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - Candidates for North Salem supervisor Warren Lucas and Katherine Daniels went toe-to-toe in a debate in which the former implied that his opponent was playing politics and the latter reiterated her claim that the town needs to be less reactive and more forward thinking.
The event, moderated by the League of Women Voters, drew a large crowd to the Hammond Museum on Oct. 21, and touched on topics that included the proposed Croton Falls sewer district, the importance of capital planning, preserving North Salem’s rural character, and affordable housing.
Daniels, a Democrat, has been a councilmember since 2021; Lucas, a Republican, has been town supervisor since 2009 and a Town Board member since 1989.
Having won the coin toss, Daniels got to go first with opening remarks.
No one would disagree that bucolic North Salem wouldn’t have gotten to where it is today without many decades of hard work on the part of folks both inside and outside the town government, she said.
However, being on the Town Board for the past four years has afforded her a different perspective.
“Let’s call it invisible North Salem and invisible North Salem is not so beautiful. It’s secretive, it’s sloppy, and it’s stuck. Invisible North Salem is short-sighted, undisciplined, and technologically backwards,” Daniels said.
This has resulted, she claimed, in “avoidable and excessive spending, neglected buildings and infrastructure” and “stems from lack of transparency, resistance to change, and too much power concentrated in one person for too long.”
She called for a renewed willingness to seek out the “next generation” of leaders.
Lucas focused on his negotiating and multitasking skills.
“I do wear many hats overseeing town operations, managing the water and sewer systems, running Town Board meetings, preparing our town budget, and working on having close relationships with many others throughout the county and the state for the benefit of our town,” he said.
Lucas attributed those partnerships to his being able to obtain millions in grants “so that people in our town do not have to pay for a variety of projects.”
“The work requires planning, persistence, and the ability to look at complex projects and understand how to move them forward, something I was very good at when I worked at IBM,” said Lucas, adding that he was proud of the town’s employees, volunteers, and residents for “what we have accomplished together.”
Both candidates agreed that there’s a need to keep taxes as low as possible.
“I do not like spending money when I don’t have to,” declared Lucas.
That’s where a capital plan comes in, said Daniels, noting that one way to keep taxes in check is to keep on top of the condition of town-owned infrastructure and buildings such as historic Delancey Hall.
There’s an ad hoc committee that’s been “diligently” working on a capital plan for the past five years, she added.
Bridleside, a privately run apartment community, has addressed some concerns about housing needs and there are still homes in the Croton Falls and Peach Lake areas of town that may be affordable to young families who want to move to North Salem, both said.
However, Daniels urged the town to keep a “close eye” on the affordability issue and make “smart choices” so that folks don’t flee to cheaper areas.
The town’s been very supportive of accessory apartments, said Lucas, noting that town's been mulling joining the state's recently approved the Plus One ADU Program that provides grants of up to $125,000 to property owners for construction and legalization costs.
Preserving North Salem’s rural character was another issue on which they saw eye to eye.
The town put together a master plan in 2011. People agreed then that “the single most important thing was preserving the rural character of our town,” Daniels recalled.
A new plan is being generated, noted Lucas, predicting that it will be “very similar” to the current one now in place.
The public also asked Lucas and Daniels how they planned to balance developmental opportunities with the need to protect the environment.
This gave Daniels the chance to talk about one of the race’s hottest topics.
“There’s a lot of talk about a sewer project in Croton Falls, and that sounds really great, but we’ve done a very poor job of planning for that,” she said, adding that the town’s been going about things “backwards.”
It should have first done a comprehensive needs analysis, determined the scope of the project, and only then gone to residents and businesses to ask them to vote on it, Daniels argued, reminding folks that the Croton Falls water district still owes the town $160,000.
“We need a plan for how that’s going to be paid back before we start adding additional costs to you in the form of a sewer district,” she advised.
“I told everybody a while ago, give me some time and I’ll work this through,” said Lucas, asserting that the project will cost $16 million and he has more than enough in grant money to cover construction costs.
It would cost the average property owner between $500 and $900 in annual O&M fees, depending on usage, he estimated.
As for the need for a public vote, that’s “obvious,” Lucas said, adding that “78 percent” of folks surveyed were “interested” in being included in the district.
The benefits of public sewers are going to be mainly environmental, Daniels said, noting that the size of the hamlet’s business district is going to naturally limit its growth.
“You’re never going to have a Katonah. It’s going to be a small development. Maybe a few more seats in the restaurant, a second story in the old Heritage Fuel building for apartments,” she explained.
“The rest of us need to know how much it’s going to cost us,” she said, segueing to leaky water mains in Croton Falls. “Those need to be dealt with too. Water is more important than sewers in my mind.”
Praising board members for their bipartisanship and civility, one resident asked the candidates how they planned to keep things that way considering the current tense political climate.
“I think you have to treat people properly. As I said, I’m not one who’s going to go out there and beat people up for the sake of beating people up. If she wants to continue this way, she can. People want to make things up, they can. I don’t care. … That’s how I govern my life, that’s how I govern the Town Board,” he said.
“I think we’re pretty good at keeping national politics and politics in general out of our town government. It doesn’t really affect us as a town board,” asserted Daniels, who later went on social media to vent that Lucas had accused her during the debate “several times” of playing politics.
In the post, Daniels said she wanted to “shatter the myth” that there was only one person capable to being supervisor of North Salem.
“There are many of us that are more than capable of serving as North Salem’s supervisor. I happened to step up to the plate. It’s not playing politics; it’s called democracy,” she added.
Daniels and Lucas also tussled over what a supervisor’s role is.
Lucas emphasized that while he puts budgets together -- unlike other towns that usually have accountants do it – or negotiates with outside entities, all decisions are ultimately made by the Town Board.
“I think that that’s one of the things that Mrs. Daniels implied multiple times, that I’m running rogue out there doing things on my own. I can’t do that,” he said, noting later: “For her to say otherwise is, quite frankly, an exaggeration.”
“All decisions, including financial decisions, including budget transfers, are supposed to be approved by the Town Board in advance. That is often not happening,” Daniels countered, claiming that this has caused the budget and accounting processes to be “out of whack.”
Whatever gloves were on during the debate, they came off during closing remarks.
“If I do get voted in -- and I would appreciate that very much -- Katherine would still be on the board. If Katherine gets voted in, I will not be on the board. So, if that helps you at all,” Lucas said, pausing for laughter from the audience.
“Did anyone notice how many times Warren spoke about the town government in the first person? I secure the grants. I manage the water district. I did this. I do that. Everything is about him. There’s no room for us. There’s no room for we. There’s no role for the Town Board. No vision for a future beyond Warren. This is a consequence of concentrating power in one individual for too long. Good leadership is not about I and me. Good leadership is about us and we,” she said.
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