We Need a New Yorktown Town Board
By: Jennie Sunshine, Yorktown
If you look at the Yorktown town website, www.yorktownny.gov, you’d see countless pictures of trees and greenery and pages touting our Revolutionary War history and our expansive parks and green spaces. On the “Welcome to Yorktown” page, it says that Yorktown is, and I quote, “forty square miles of rolling hills, farmland, residential areas and light industry.”
This is now – a joke. We were these things. We are supposed to be these things. Yes, we still have some buildings from the 1700s. We have a few forested areas left. And thankfully we do still have a few farms (which are magnificent), but mostly we are increasingly more expensive with frustrating, bumper to bumper traffic, ever more urban, with more polluted air, an overdone sometimes failing infrastructure, a soon-to-be impassable Underhill Road and a Town Board that gives unnecessary tax breaks to builders and developers (over the wishes of its citizens).
Our schools and police and fire will soon be stretched thin and the promise of what our Town was supposed to be, almost a figment in the rear-view mirror as more strip mall and way-too-costly housing developments loom over any still-standing trees and green spaces. We’ve pretty much had the same leadership in Yorktown for the last 10 years.
Maybe it’s time we make some changes. This November 4, you can choose a better direction for our town, one that is more thoughtful and innovative and focuses on the needs of the people of Yorktown. All are experts in their own fields, parents of Yorktown kids, volunteers in our community and wish only to be your public servants; please vote for Jann Mirchandani for Yorktown Supervisor and Ilan Gilbert and Michael Hickins for Yorktown Town Council.
To Rising and all friends of Bob Stauf!
As the principal, a colleague and friend of Bob, and knowing him for over 50 years I was extremely pleased with your article recording his devotion to many causes that certainly graced the City of Yonkers, his parish, Irish endeavors and mostly the needs all people and every citizen.
Our founding fathers were well aware that our democracy would need an informed citizenry to help legislate, judge and lead – Bob Stauf was such a man! With all respects, he talked the talk, walked the walk and worked unselfishly for the betterment of politics and good government.
And Bob sung the Star-Spangled Banner beautifully with all the respect it conveys and deserves. You are good home friend! Blessed, as we who knew you were blessed with your life and devotion to task.
Eugene C Radko, Yonkers