New Suffern Mayor Trish Abato talks shop at Village Hall. Original photo by Carucha L. Meuse.
At the beginning of December, there was a significant changing of the guard at the Village of Suffern. Mayor Dagan Lacorte handed the presiding gavel over to longtime Village Trustee and newly elected Mayor Trish Abato.
Abato said she was “very excited about becoming the first female mayor of Suffern” in a recent video brief interview by The Journal News’ Carucha L. Meuse. The video was part of Journal News reporter Akiko Matsuda’s recent article on Abato.
Upon Mayor Trish Abato’s request, the village review of the Orange Avenue Development project has been pushed back to February 2014. Abato’s request is in line with public support during public hearings requesting to see a plan for a smaller footprint than the 111 luxury rental unit proposal presented for developement at Chestnut Avenue adjacent to village center.
Former Suffern Mayor Dagan Lacorte (right) hands off the gavel of village leadership to incoming Mayor Trish Abato. Photo credit: Dagan Lacorte Facebook.
Abato is the first female mayor elected in the village’s some 200 year history. She beat out former Mayor John Keegan in a September primary and then won the overall election in a close race with Suffern Village Trustee Charles Faciglia.
“My priorities are to serve my village so it is an affordable, safe place to live,” said Abato in the LoHud interview. “We have many projects coming to the village that need a watchful eye.”
Perhaps the biggest move Abato made is to reorganize the Suffern Police Department through a proposed early retirement program for officers who have served on the force for more than 20 years. Approximately 23 of the department’s 25 full-time officers earn above $100,000 — as it stands, the department accounts for nearly 1/3 of the village’s budget expenses (figures taken from the Village of Suffern General Fund Budget Summary for 2014).
Eight officers are eligible for the early retirement program, which would involve a one-year salary and could save the village nearly a million dollars a year. According to Matsuda’s article, participating officers will have to the end of this year to consider the offer.
Abato mentioned several other important issues facing the village, including flood remediation and downtown revitalization. Lonergan Drive, which experienced severe flooding during Tropical Storm Irene, has been an especially critical point for the village. Several houses were recently purchased by the village under a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program and will be razed at any time. In all, four houses in the neighborhood will be demolished due to flood damage.
“I want to see more progress in the downtown area with revitalization,” the new mayor said. Under Mayor Dagan Lacorte, an aggressive facade upgrade program along Lafayette Avenue in the heart of the village was undertaken. Lacorte worked to revitalize the village downtown area, landing Rainbow Hardward, which has completely renovated the old eye-sore OTB property, as well as set the stage for the Orange Avenue Development project.
The contentious and controversial (in some quarters) urban renewal project is currently under review by both the Village Board and Planning & Zoning department. As proposed, the development would build 111 luxury rental apartments adjacent to the village center. Abato said that she requested the developer to revise the plan. The Orange Avenue Development proposal has been pushed back to February while the applicant revises several components specific to concerns raised during public hearings on the project.
“Although I do believe we need to have a project there, I really want to make sure it’s a good fit for the village,” Abato said to LoHud. “I don’t want this to be an overdeveloped piece of property.”
