After the umpteenth political ad aggressively attacking someone or other begins to slowly evaporate in the signal ether, numbed minds turn to Tuesday and the all important ballot box. As the sloshing and powerlessness from Superstorm Sandy subsides, election day is upon us and power returns to the hands of ordinary people.
Polls open at 6 a.m. at Sloatsburg Elementary School on Tuesday as the contest for Village Trustee heats up. Mayor Carl Wright has become a vocal advocate in the election as four candidates have their sights set on two available seats.
On the national level, don’t fall for early reporting on any candidate’s victory. It may take days to sort through who actually wins the presidential election. Any way you slice, dice or shout about it, the Electoral College rules the day. Period. Popular votes choose the 538 Electoral College electors, who then cast their votes for president. Any doubts about popular vote versus electoral votes, just ask Al Gore.
Locally, things are heating up in the race for Village Trustee, where four candidates vie for two open seats: Barbara Berntsen (Rep.), Thomas Buckley (Democrat, Conservative, Independent), Dan O’Leary (Democrat, Conservative, Independent), and Mark Reimer (Republican).
Mayor Carl Wright made a robo call Sunday evening in support of the incumbents. Wright, running unopposed for a ninth term as mayor under the Democrat banner, spent some of his political capital in support of his Republican colleagues.
“I urge the election of Mark Reimer and Barbara Berntsen,” the mayor said in his recorded message, with obvious urgency in his voice. “They have led the fight against massive development.”
Wright’s message implied that the very semi-rural, rustic character of Sloatsburg perhaps depended on returning the incumbents to office.
“Partisan politics cannot exist if we are to remain in our way of life,” the mayor said.
Wright’s outright endorsement of Reimer and Berntsen is understandable as he has worked with both trustees for many years. But may appear controversial nevertheless, as it crosses party lines and itself injects partisanship into the trustee race. Additionally, Reimer is currently Deputy Mayor, which means that if Wright is re-elected and serves out two years of his new term, then were to leave office for any reason, Reimer would become mayor and serve out the rest of the term.
The mayor’s call may be in response to a mailing to Sloatsburg residents this past Friday by Dan O’Leary that mentioned a current civil rights violation lawsuit pending against Reimer and the Village, as well as past suits the Village lost and had to pay out. The mailer’s red-lettered callout reads: Everything is not as harmonious as they like to think.
Reimer responded on his A Partnership For Sloatsburg Facebook page, that “Trustee Reimer has been sued multiple times by builders seeking to subvert zoning laws established to maintain our village character.” The Partnership site encourages residents to “vote for strength – not weakness.”
The Reimer/Berntsen site also makes the assertion that their opponents, if elected, would consider cutting the village budget by farming out village services to the Town of Ramapo. Specifically mentioned is the Sloatsburg Department of Public Works. Thomas Buckley, Chief Fire Inspector for the Town of Ramapo for 35 years, said that no discussion related to the DPW ever took place and that the idea of farming Sloatsburg services out to Ramapo is probably just campaign rhetoric.
O’Leary said that the DPW more than earns its keep by ensuring the village is kept clean and safe, as most recently demonstrated both during and after Superstorm Sandy.
“I personally would be dead set against farming out any of our services,” O’Leary said. “You’re giving away the store. Why even bother having a village?”
The pending lawsuit alluded to by both candidates appears to essentially be a supercharged dispute between neighbors and not related to any effort to build multi-housing units in Sloatsburg. Filed in 2009 by Lawrence A. Weissmann, Thomas Pellegrino and the Pellegrino Development Corp., the case apparently centers around an effort to sub-divide property adjacent to property owned by Reimer, who made unsuccessful efforts to stop the action.
O’Leary boiled the conflict down to a NIMBY response, though Reimer and the Village are charged with exerting undue influence on the Sloatsburg Planning & Zoning Board.
The election on Tuesday won’t necessarily change the character or future of Sloatsburg, at least for another year, as the 2014 village budget is already prepared and being readied for a vote by the current Board of Trustees. And Village Trustees are very responsive to their local constituencies, another reason why residents should periodically attend Village Board meetings.
So, the take-away from the current contest is that very real business takes place, even in a small community such as Sloatsburg. Jobs, taxes, even lives, depend on who represents residents, and why. Village residents’ jobs are to go vote. Every vote counts, and even one vote can make a difference.
Again, just ask Al Gore.
Note: Sloatsburg Elementary School, 11 Second Street, is the polling station for Sloatsburg registered voters. See map. Polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. General polling information can be found at the Rockland Board of Elections. A sample ballot can be viewed here.
