County Legislator Candidates Discuss Differences on Sales Tax
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Paper’s songwriters series, A Song is Born, this Saturday at 8 p.m. | Page 9 FRIDAY, OCT. 19, 2012 69 MAIN ST., COLD SPRING, N.Y. | www.philipstown.info Dunkin’ Donuts Decision Could Be Soon Planning Board schedules November meeting anticipating but not promising a decision By Kevin E. Foley onday, Nov. 5, now looms as a po- tential decision date for the Cold MSpring Planning Board’s ongo- ing consideration of the Elmesco applica- tion for the establishment of a Dunkin’ The Haldane School music room was the setting for The Paper’s forum featuring candidates Barbara Scuccimarra and Steve Donuts franchise and a convenience store Rosario. Both seek to represent the Town of Philipstown and Putnam Valley in the Putnam County Legislature. Photo by M. Turton at its Chestnut Street service station. The tentative date for the board’s next workshop was made after Joseph Bar- County Legislator Candidates Discuss Differences baro, board chair, was pressed by the Elmesco attorney Jennifer L. Van Tuyl to set a date even though the board has on Sales Tax, Butterfield, and Snake Hill Road outstanding issues with the application. Van Tuyl argued insistently that her cli- ‘Fracking’ and tree cutting also prompt questions ents deserved a sign of good faith that By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong and entrepreneur. Sales-tax sharing the board was moving toward a deci- Rosario, an attorney and senior north- Contrasts between the candidates sion. She reminded the board that state ften agreeing about the serious- east regional director for the American quickly appeared in regard to Putnam law required a decision 62 days after the ness of the issues but not neces- Chemistry Council, a trade association, County’s refusal to share revenue from public hearing (held on Sept. 18). Barbaro Osarily on ways to address them, earlier served in the administration of sales tax with the villages and towns in reminded her extension of that deadline Putnam County Legislature District 1 New York City Mayor Ed Koch. “I do know which it is collected. “The sales taxes and is possible. candidates Barbara Scuccimarra and the ins and outs of government” although property taxes should come back in some Steve Rosario debated sales-tax shar- “I’m not a career politician,” he said. “I form to the various towns, especially ing, the Butterfield redevelopment, and can bring my skills” to the legislative of- the sales tax,” Rosario said. “The county Snake Hill Road conditions at a forum fice. A member of the Garrison Volunteer takes the money and does not want to Monday night (Oct. 15). Fire Company, he noted that 22 years ago share it. There is absolutely no reason Questions about “fracking,” or hydrau- he and his wife moved to Philipstown, the why Putnam County cannot do it” when lic fracturing, a controversial method of “place we wanted to set our roots.” He, nearly every other county in the state extracting fuel from underground rocks, too, endorsed bipartisan approaches. As gives back a portion of locally-collected and tree-cutting also came up as the au- a Democrat, a minority in county gov- sales tax, he said. dience entered the discussion, held in the ernment, “I’ll have to do what is best for “Yes,” the problems associated with Haldane School music room and spon- Philipstown, Putnam Valley, and Putnam sales tax are real, Scuccimarra agreed. sored by Philipstown.info, whose pub- Lawyer for Elmesco presenting material County,” he said. He promised to strive “to But she proposed that the solution lies lisher, Gordon Stewart, moderated. The before Planning Board Photo by K.E. Foley raise the level of recognition” of western not in repatriating some sales-tax reve- approximately 80-minute event drew Putnam County at Carmel, the county nue to municipalities but in cutting con- about 60 attendees. seat, and to “be a voice that has not exist- sumer taxes, like that on gasoline. “When After finding a date all the board mem- In the Nov. 6 election, Scuccimarra, ed” for years. “One person and one voice you share sales tax, who are you sharing bers could meet, Barbaro said the board a Republican, and Rosario, a Democrat, can make a difference.” it with?” she (Continued on page 3) was committed to moving its review pro- are vying to succeed Vincent Tamagna cess along as expeditiously as possible as the representative in Carmel for Dis- but that didn’t mean the Nov. 5 meeting trict 1, which covers Philipstown and Philipstown Anticipates 2 Percent (location to be determined later) would part of Putnam Valley. Both have served guarantee a vote. He emphasized that the on the Philipstown Town Board, Rosario board wanted to see resolution of its re- from 1994-1998 and Scuccimarra from Budget Increase for 2013 maining issues before making a decision. 2008 to January 2012. Town Board begins work on worked through the initial data at a work- The outstanding matters formed the shop Wednesday night (Oct. 18), they made Reasons for running core of contention at a tense, almost two- spending and taxes clear that projected increases in spending hour workshop Tuesday, Oct. 16 at the The candidates began by explaining in some accounts, including some salary VFW hall on Kemble Avenue. their reasons and qualifications for run- By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong hikes, were unlikely to survive. In addressing the issues, Barbaro was ning. Going first, Scuccimarra described The pay of the supervisor and his fellow joined by Stephen Gaba, the village attor- herself as someone with “a quiet strength” preliminary outline for the 2013 Town Board members would remain the ney. Having the two lawyers go back and who gets along “with all sides,” citing her Town of Philipstown budget calls same as in the present, fiscal 2012 year forth over various points provided a sug- role on the Democrat-dominated Town A for a 2 percent increase in spend- — $26,000 for Shea and $18,000 apiece gestion of possible litigation down the Board in helping achieve consensus. De- ing, up from the $8,815,276 total town for Councilors Nancy Montgomery, Betty road depending on the Planning Board’s spite political party differences, all Town appropriation of the fiscal year 2012 to Budney, Dave Merandy, and John Van Tas- final decision. Van Tuyl at this and other Board members cooperated “to find so- $8,997,052 for the new fiscal year, which sel. Nonetheless, the pay for some town meetings has certainly implied that pos- lutions,” she said. “We must all work to- begins Jan. 1. The amount to be raised employees would go up — but only if the sibility. Of course, litigation by the appli- gether. I realize it should always be peo- by taxes would go from the $6,954,192 of departments involved get their way. For cant is only one threat, with those in the ple before politics.” And because of her fiscal 2012 to $7,158,532 in fiscal 2013. instance, the Justice Court office propos- community opposed to the change of use background and extensive involvement Based on individual budgets submit- es increases of 4 to 6 percent for personal yet another. in Philipstown affairs, “I understand the ted by the town’s various departments, and clerical services, the Town Clerk’s Village governments, in particular, issues. I’m in a position to hit the ground including local fire companies that serve office proposes a 10 percent increase — worry about the possibility of litigation running,” she said. Originally from Put- Philipstown residents, the budget still $1,000 — for a grant administrator posi- expenses as a threat to relatively small nam Valley, Scuccimarra moved to Gar- awaits considerable further honing and tion; and the pay for the highway superin- and fragile budgets. rison, raising a family there and working likely paring in some areas. As Supervisor tendent, an elected official, would go from (Continued on page 5) on Main Street in Cold Spring as a florist Richard Shea and Town Board members (Continued on page 3) 2 Oct. 19, 2012 The Paper www.philipstown.info | Philipstown.info Mouths to Feed Sandwich Redemption followed me home. It’s called Saltie, af- By Celia Barbour ter a sandwich shop that was opened ormally, I love paging through in Brooklyn a few years back by three cookbooks. The great ones fill women. There is something wonderful- me with the kind of complicated, ly accessible, democratic and fun about N sandwiches — the fact that anyone with achy yearning that comes from reading about something I wish I were doing. half an imagination can compose a ca- There are certain recipes I experience pricious, edible collage out of familiar in- with my taste buds, nose and hands gredients, and then grab hold of it with the way you might go through a thrill- her bare hands and take a bite! Surely, er with your adrenaline surging and this is why the Saltie cookbook had heart pounding. By the time I’m halfway buoyed me. through a good cookbook, I’ve inevitably Yet Saltie is no ordinary sandwich decided to quit my job and take to the shop, and these are not simple sandwich kitchen full-time, with only the occasion- recipes. Each ingredient is elevated to al break to go grocery shopping. its most noble expression. For example, But last week at work, I had to peruse the recipe I decided to try first, the Clean Slate, required four different sub-recipes more than 85 of them, all recently or Photo by C. Barbour soon-to-be published, and the cumula- (it would have been five if I’d made my own sauerkraut): Naan, a warm, soft tive effect was as if grit had been tossed board.