Yorktown residents will have a new supervisor, Michael Grace, as of Jan. 1, 2012.
Grace, who ran on the Republican line, garnered 2,809 votes; Democrat, Independence and Working Families candidate Don Peters had 2,587; and incumbent Supervisor Susan Siegel, who ran on the Conservative and Yorktowners for Better Government had 2,112 votes, according to the Westchester County Board of Elections website.
Michael Grace is a lawyer whose practice is across the street from Town Hall. He and his wife have eight children, four of them are adopted.
Grace's campaign slogan, "Progress with Preservation," was a play off of the town's slogan, "Progress and Preservation."
During his campaign, Grace promised to make the town board more accountable. During a debate, hosted by the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce, Grace reminisced about the days when town supervisors held weekly meetings with department heads and were well aware of employee issues (implying the past few supervisors were not).
One of his campaign promises was to return accountability to the town board by taking the development approval process back from the planning board. It was a politicial decision to transfer the power to the planning board because how a town councilman voted for any individual project would not affect him at the voting booth, he said.
Grace believes each member of the town board should be held accountable for what projects are permitted to move forward in town, he said.
I'm a huge fan of holding the town board accountable for the governing of the town (well, duh! Right?). It's not okay for town council members to show up to a meeting, have no idea what's on the agenda, be unfamiliar with the topics, and expect to lead the town and its people. Town board members are not getting paid to show up once a week, sit in a chair and nod. So I hope to see Grace shake things up a bit.
Grace isn't the only one who made campaign promises. Others include: Town Councilman Nick Bianco promised he is a friend to the businessman; soon-to-be Councilman David Paganelli promised to bring business practices and strategy to town finances, and to recognize those who volunteer their time to the town.
I look forward to seeing what these gentlemen will do.
'Grace's campaign slogan, "Progress with Preservation," was a play off of the town's slogan, "Progress and Preservation."'
ReplyDeleteIs that a typo? That's not a play on the town's slogan, it is the town slogan.
More importantly, does Mr. Graces' promise "to return accountability to the town board by taking the development approval process back from the planning board" mean the planning board will be eliminated and the responsibilities be assumed by the town board? Would the other volunteer boards also go by the wayside, such as the zoning board. Or would they remain in an advisory capacity with voting taking place on--for example, zoning variances--at town board meetings instead of ZBA meetings? Will council members and the supervisor be required to attend all of the board meetings now?