Time to Vote

There are many qualities that make a great leader. But having strong beliefs, being able to stick with them through popular and unpopular times, is the most important characteristic of a great leader.
Rudy Giuliani

News

News
Village heading into strange new territory
Woodbury voters start something new


By Chris McKenna
October 29, 2006

Times Herald-Record
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Woodbury — A strange new chapter in the history of this town will begin Thursday when voters elect the first mayor and trustees of the village they created almost three months ago.

If the motto of Eliot Spitzer's campaign for governor is, "Day One: Everything Changes," the slogan here might be, "Day One: Now What Do We Do?"

OK, let's get this straight: This new board will rule the Village of Woodbury, which is practically the same as the Town of Woodbury. But the Town Board still exists and retains control — at least for the time being — of a roughly $16 million budget and a full roster of cops and other employees.

And how exactly is that supposed to work?

Below is a summary of how this experiment in local government — a first in New York — came to pass and some of the complicated issues that attorneys have been flipping through law books to resolve.



Background
On Aug. 10, residents voted overwhelmingly to incorporate a 36.8-square-mile village encompassing all of the Town of Woodbury except its share of Harriman (which straddles Woodbury and Monroe). The new Village of Woodbury formally came into existence Aug. 28.



Why
The proposal surfaced in 2004 amid hysteria that Kiryas Joel — the fast-growing Hasidic community next door — would commandeer Woodbury land through annexation or by incorporating a second village. Voters hoped that forming a village would hold Kiryas Joel and its dense, multifamily housing at bay.



The reality
Forming one big village did prevent any smaller ones, Hasidic or otherwise, from cropping up in Woodbury. But it did nothing to stop or hinder annexation, since state law allows one village to annex land from another.



The weirdness factor
Woodbury appears to be the first place in New York to create a village with borders nearly — but not quite — identical to those of the town. As a result, two governing bodies — the new Village Board and the Town Board — will rule over virtually the same territory.



Meanwhile, next door
Residents of southern Blooming Grove, also motivated by fear of an expanding Kiryas Joel, voted in June to form a village. But theirs takes up only 4.8 square miles and poses none of the complex issues that Woodbury officials now face.



If only
If Woodbury's town and village borders were identical, a single government could be formed to eliminate the confusion. (New York has five "coterminous" town-villages operating that way, including three in Westchester County: Scarsdale, Harrison and Mount Kisco.) Woodbury couldn't go "coterminous" because it already had a small piece of incorporated territory — Harriman.



The transition
The new village will truly come into its own on June 1, when the town and Orange County begin sharing revenue with the village, and the village's new Planning Board begins reviewing development applications.



The seven-twelfths clause
On June 1, the town must give the village seven-twelfths of its taxes and assessments unless the two boards have worked out another arrangement. But that fraction applies only to revenue to be spent on services that the village is taking over from the town.



Services
A big question mark. At this point, all of the candidates say they want to preserve the town services, which would mean little transfer of revenue and oversight to the village board. (Nobody has suggested, for example, making the police force a village department.) But it's hard to predict what officials will decide after they take office.



Woodbury elections
The Village of Woodbury's election will take place from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Woodbury Senior Center.



CPW: Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury

WC: Woodbury CommUNITY Party

RCG: Right Choice Government party

BM: Bull Moose party



Mayor (expires April 6, 2009)

Ralph Caruso (CPW)

Stephanie Berean-Weeks (WC)

David Sutz (RCG)

Anthony F. Cirigliano (BM)



Trustee (two seats expiring April 7, 2008)

Neil Crouse (WC)

Michael Kling (WC)

Adrienne F. Fuchs (CPW)

Benjamin L. Meyers (CPW)



Trustee (two seats expiring April 6, 2009)

William F. Mullooly (CPW)

George Pedersen (CPW)

Joann Stabile (WC)

Patrick Kinney (WC)

Joann Stabile states her case for Woodbury Village trustee

Joann Stabile states her case for Woodbury Village trustee

To the editor:

Joann Stabile is a candidate running on the CommUNITY party ticket for one of the new village trustee positions. She has lived in the Town of Woodbury for the last 34 years and is married 32 years to Peter, who as we all know, is the Woodbury Town Highway Superintendent.

Together they raised two children, Joann and Peter III, who are now grown and married.

Joann was a successful local business owner in Central Valley for 17 years, a former member of the Women of Woodbury and the Highland Mills Ladies Fire Auxiliary, as well as chairperson of Woodbury Community Day, a member of the Woodbury Parks Commission and FEMA-certified Crisis Manager and a member of St. Patrick Church in Highland Mills.

Joann is currently a regional safety and accident prevention manager with a regional trucking company in Newburgh, and the first woman to hold this position in the 88-year history of the company.

When the residents elect the CommUNITY Party as the new village board, they will work closely with the town board to ensure that all town services will stay intact and they will defend against anyone who tries to annex any land out of the village. Their goal is to minimize village taxes.

In recent years, the most commonly cited reason for seeking incorporation is the desire to control or limit local development, principally by getting more localized control over zoning. Local zoning powers are not absolute, and are limited by state law as well as court decisions. Those seeking to control and guide development through incorporation are well advised to proceed carefully to make certain that their wishes fall within the effects that are possible and legal and to be certain that they take actions that will not produce unwanted side effects.

So vote for the CommUNITY party on Nov. 2 at the Senior Center from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. You will find the CommUNITY Party on Row D Bottom line, so vote bottom line. That is where Woodbury’s future is.

Joann Stabile

candidate for trustee

Village of Woodbury

Political happenings

Political happenings

Chester Councilman Steve Neuhaus will host a fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Trailside Pub on Winkler Place in Chester. Tickets are $30. Call 469-2445.
The Mamakating Democratic Committee will host a public meeting to discuss town issues at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mamakating Town Park. Free.
The Woodbury Community Party will host an open house at 6 p.m. Thursday at its campaign headquarters at 509 Route 32 in Highland Mills. Log onto www.communityparty.net.
Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury are hosting a free continental breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Savory Grill on Route 32 in Highland Mills to introduce its Village of Woodbury candidates. Call 928-2059.

Talk on the Street is the Times Herald-Record's weekly roundup of political events and anecdotes. Write to Talk on the Street, c/o Times Herald-Record, 1170 Route 17M, Suite 4, Chester, NY 10918. Call 783-2764, ext. 6308, fax 783-2604 or e-mail contributions to bscott@th-record.com.

Questions we should ask the candidates

The new Village Election a few weeks away I have some thoughts about the election and questions we should ask the candidates.

Questions

• What are the specific changes you want to make in our community?
• Is running for this office the best way to make these changes?
• Why are you the best person for the job?
• Are you ok with the current zoning or do you want to change it?
• Will you use all the Towns services?
• What is your plan to reduce taxes now that we have a Village and it will cost taxpayer more to live here?
• Will you use the Town Master Plan or re write your own?
• Do you have any Local Government experience?
• Do you have any budget experience?
• What do think the Village Officials salaries should be?
• What are your plans for a building or renting a Village Hall and what will this cost the taxpayers?
• Do you have any idea of what your 2007 budget will be?
• Do you really want the job?
• Are you absolutely healthy and sane? (You will
• be under tremendous pressure)

"We Cannot Let Down Our Guard"

"We Cannot Let Down Our Guard"
By Rudy Giuliani


USA Today, Sep 11 -

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, continue to flood me with many memories. Some are sad, some are tragic, others are uplifting. But recently I have been reflecting on how the attacks are ongoing. The attacks of five years ago cannot be consigned to history.

The attacks did not begin on Sept. 11, 2001. They actually began sometime in the late 1960s, when Islamic radicals started hijacking planes and directing terror at civilians. The first attack that drew significant international attention was the slaughter of the Israeli wrestling team at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Numerous attacks followed, leading up to Sept. 11 and the deadliest ever attack on American soil.

The attacks have continued unceasingly since 9/11 and include those on Bali, Indonesia; Madrid; Beslan, Russia; London — and the recent interrupted plot in the United Kingdom, which might have been even deadlier than the attacks five years ago.

So the killing of innocent civilians by Islamic fanatics has been going on for some time. What was quite different about the attacks of five years ago is that Sept. 11, 2001, marks the day that our nation went on offense against the terrorists.

We broke the pattern of inconsistent response to previous attacks. We began a concerted effort to defeat Islamic fundamentalist terrorism.

'Safer, but not safe enough'

Five years later, the measures taken to improve safety in our country have made a difference. We are safer, but not safe enough. It might be tempting to lower our guard and allow our memories to fade into history. That's probably a natural tendency. But it would be a dangerous mistake for our country.

The people who consider democracy their enemy have not stopped fighting. They have not stopped killing. We cannot let down our guard.

This month brings us another sad anniversary, the second year since the siege at Beslan by terrorists. Imagine the kind of people who saw their intended targets — schoolchildren — enter for the first day of school laden with flowers for their teachers. Days later, those children would be so hungry they would eat those wilted flowers as the terrorists mocked them. Soon, many of the children and their parents would be dead.

Shortly after the siege ended, I happened to travel to the region. I was in Moscow on the day of the memorial gathering. Having recently endured a deadly takeover of a Moscow theater and the downing of commercial airliners, Russia's reaction was swift and overpowering. The war against radical Chechen Islamists continues, but Russia has won significant victories and seems to have turned the tide.

It is just over a year since the brutal bombing attacks in London that killed more than 50 innocent people on their way to work. I was visiting in London on that date, just a half block from Liverpool Street Station when the bombings occurred. These attacks made it clear to us that any place is vulnerable. Despite having perhaps the best intelligence services in the world, British authorities were not able to prevent the attack. They did, however, display superb skill in responding to the emergency. Their immediate action saved lives, reduced suffering and mitigated the shock the terrorists were attempting to achieve.

They had learned from years of terrorism how to handle an attack. The perpetrators were identified and their accomplices and plotters of further attacks were captured before additional planned attacks could be launched.

The British intelligence services learned a lesson from the bombings on July 7, 2005. They updated their methods and learned to identify new sources of danger. Then, homegrown British citizens planned and executed deadly plans without detection, possibly because the intelligence was focused on foreigners. By 2006, the security services had adapted. They were able to thwart a massive plot involving mostly homegrown terrorists.

The United States has successfully prevented domestic attacks over the past five years, but the terrorists have not relented. Think of the innumerable attacks from Israel to Iraq and the reported attacks planned by sleeper cells in Buffalo; Portland, Ore.; and Canada that were disrupted by alert authorities.

Some argue that the attacks continue because of the war in Iraq. But the attacks began decades before the Iraq war. Some argue that our enemies seek negotiation and understanding. But our enemies have made clear to us that what they seek is the annihilation of our most precious freedoms.

One of the main reasons for the founding of the United States was to establish freedom, particularly freedom of religion. Our enemies oppose freedom, particularly freedom of religion. This was made shockingly clear by the recent gunpoint "conversion" of two kidnapped journalists in Gaza. The terrorists don't want to understand and co-exist alongside Western democracies. There are those over the past 30 years, and even to this day, who want to negotiate with the fanatic Islamic terrorists. But the fanatics don't want to negotiate. They want to establish a world in which everyone practices a perverted version of their religion. They want to return to a time before the modern age, to a world in which women have no rights and religious dissent is met with death.

These attacks are about a radical form of Islam that views our very existence as a grave threat. This is not a debate over values or policies. This is not a border dispute. This is a war over the preservation and expansion of the modern world.

We must realize the depth of the danger we face and the determination of our enemy. We have increased attention on air security. We have extended the USA Patriot Act, which has given us a greater opportunity to detect terrorist plots before they occur. We now receive much more help from other countries, such as Pakistan, including banks sharing information about money flow inside terrorist organizations. That information was vital to revealing this summer's airline terror plot in Britain.

Secure our future

As we continue to focus on what we've learned, we must also focus on goals for securing our future. We must improve our intelligence. We must commit to restoring a human intelligence base. We must increase our port security and expand the cooperation of other countries. We must ensure at least a minimum level of emergency preparation in every community in America.

If we remain steadfast in our commitment to these goals, we will succeed. We will make the world safe for the practice of all religions, including Islam. After all, the majority of Muslims are peaceful and law-abiding — they too have been victimized by the radical minority.

On the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, I hope the world will visit the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center and see a soaring memorial to those who were killed there, as well as those in Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa. A fitting tribute will pay honor not only to the victims of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but also to the spirit of freedom.

There is a reason thousands of rescue personnel rushed into enormous danger to save men and women who were strangers to them. The reason was respect for the value of human life. It can also be described as love — the kind of love expressed in a biblical phrase, "Man has no greater love than to lay down his life for his friend." This respect for human life and love for others, including strangers, form the core of Western civilization. It is the driving force that helped us create freedom.

What I learned from Sept. 11, 2001, is that free people have much greater strength than they realize. Ultimately, free people prevail over oppression.

Rudy Giuliani was the mayor of New York on Sept. 11, 2001.

Berean-Weeks makes her case to be Woodbury’s first mayor

To the editor:

My name is Stephanie Berean-Weeks and I am seeking your support to be the first mayor of our new village.

My father was for many years active in the community I grew up in as a public official, including time as our town supervisor. I learned at an early age that the decisions made by our public officials have a direct impact on the lives of my neighbors and friends. Several years ago, I came to call Woodbury home after marrying my husband Cliff, who has been a longtime resident of Woodbury. I have come to love all that Woodbury has to offer and have come to realize, along with my husband, that it is a wonderful community to raise our daughter, Kelly.

Therefore, like many of you, who also realize Woodbury is a great community to raise a family, my husband and I struggle to pay the taxes and bear the high costs it takes to live here. We do it, however, because we feel the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Recently, the voters of Woodbury created a village. There will be new costs that we must bear to live in this new village. I am concerned that this new village could very well break the budgets of many young couples raising families like my husband and I, or seniors who have for years paid more than their share in taxes.

Along with the financial impacts of this new village, we will also have to face the inevitable battles over annexation, issues regarding zoning, increased growth and how to handle the burdens of that on our community, among many others.

I believe that my team and I, running on the CommUNITY ticket, have the best interest of Woodbury at heart. We will attack the issues that Woodbury faces head on.

I look forward to talking to all of you on the campaign trail. If you have any questions or would like to speak to me, please contact me at 845-206-2090 or visit our Web site at www.communityparty.net to learn more about my platform.

Thanks and I look forward to your support on Thursday, Nov. 2.

Stephanie Berean-Weeks

Candidate for Village of Woodbury Mayor

Highland Mills