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WPCNR CAMPAIGN 2005. October 1, 2005: Dennis Power, speaking on Battle Hill to a galaxy of Democratic Party luminaries who included County Executive Andy Spano, Chairman of the County Board of Legislators Bill Ryan, Assemblypersons Adam Bradley and Amy Paulin, County Legislators Luis Alvarado and Loiz Bronz, and State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer, summarized his platform and policy initiatives that he would bring as Mayor of White Plains.
Mr. Power called for holding the line on city budgets to a rise of 3% over the next three years, and holding property tax increases to 3%. He said he would roll back parking fees, end the aggressive ticket enforcement policies of the Department of Public Safety, cut city department expenses, extend life of rolling stock, and make city hall more responsive to the residents and give residents more of a role in shaping the future of the city.
Here are Mr. Power’s remarks:
Dennis Power Delivering His Platform Address at Battle Hill Park. Photo by Paul Schwartz, Courtesy, The Power Campaign.
Here we are on the spot now called Battle Hill in 1776, overlooking the white marshes of a town nestled around the Bronx River, a band of rebels, lightly equipped and waiting for the well-armed British regulars and highly trained Hessian mercenaries ready to storm the hill.
Well, the Power Committee purposely picked this spot to lay out the game plan for the ensuing campaign to the finish line on November 8 because of the emphasis on neighborhoods in my campaign. Like the villagers defending their homes and we with our band of small signs, are taking on the big challenge.
Dennis Power deliveringhis message Friday. Photo by Paul Schwarz, Courtesy, The Power Campaign.
And ever since June 10th, when we launched the Power of the People campaign over on Soundview and Prospect, the small individual neighborhoods have been the battlegrounds, whether they be apartment buildings or single family homes. We knew then and we know now that there is a sense of urgency to the campaign.
On September 30, 2005 there is a sense of urgency and quiet alarm among those who realize what is at stake. White Plains may be forever changing, and we hope, through our efforts, to get the word out on how to fight for the White Plains we know so well.
White Plains is emerging from a transitional period and needs leadership not for its past, but for its future as a vibrant residential community. One of the greatest challenges – and one of the greatest opportunities – for our next Mayor will be to shape our downtown development so that it serves our community as a whole, both now and in the future. We need a fresh look at the issues. The residents need to feel that the vision and the destiny of this city is back in their hands and not in the control of outsiders. They need to feel the benefits will accrue to all the people in the city, and those benefits will come sooner than later.
But for the moment, let me answer an even more current question for all of us here today. Who is Dennis Power? Why will I make a better Mayor, a better leader for White Plains?
Dennis Power is a man who loves White Plains. And has shown so for the last 26 years. I’ve been a Councilman, a Corporate Manager, a Nonprofit Executive Director, a Community leader and Volunteer. A servant to the community in need, and I know how to gather good people about me and lead, with them. And a father of adult children who graduated from our excellent public schools who live in White Plains. Now I’ve got a grandchild waiting to start. Dennis Power is a fighter for those who want their voice heard again and for those who like the sound of Democracy in their town. Dennis Power is also a listener. You’ve got to be able to listen first in order to understand what the residents, the taxpayers need.
For the past 3-months I have been walking around this small 10-square mile city with you. And, I have heard you. This is a good place to live, to raise a family, to work, there is a lot happening, and there is a lot of development, new stores, new shops, new housing. Other towns and small cities wish they had our problems. But, there are also a lot of heads shaking who are raising real questions about where we’re going and how fast. I am hearing things like this:
Responsible Fiscal Management
It is not sufficient for the City to encourage development through real property tax abatements that fail to consider the long-term impacts on our School District, which does not share in sales tax revenues and depends primarily on property taxes to meet its already tight budget. Both a fiscally sound School District and a fiscally sound City government must be essential components of planning for WP’s future.
All around the city residents have been asking me: If White Plains is continuing to undergo a remarkable renaissance, can you explain why approximately $2 billion worth of construction during the past 7 years has produced a budget deficit for the past 3 years and that City’s tax base has actually decreased on top of that? I thought I was supposed to see a benefit!! No, instead I get property tax increases the last few years.
Folks, we’ve got some serious thinking to do about our financial picture. And, that’s why, as Mayor, I will
– Institute a three-year budget plan to improve the long term fiscal health of the City.
– Introduce legislation to cap the City Budget, restricting spending increases to 3% annually over the next three years and restricting property-tax increases to 3% over the same period.
– Extend the running life of rolling stock in all City departments.
– Reduce the City’s share of capital improvements in projects involving private developer financing. Heh, let them build their own sidewalks! They got a garage and you got increased parking fees! And, by the way, you don’t mind if they keep the parking revenues for the next 13-years to pay off their debt? As a taxpayer, you also get the bonus of financing the maintenance of the garage! Is something wrong with that picture?
As Mayor I will also defer any major new capital improvements, like City Hall, until the City’s financial health and balance has been restored. I will also relax the City’s unfriendly and aggressive enforcement of parking and traffic regulations which serves to drive residents and surrounding population to out-of-city shopping centers. Time and time again residents told me how they avoid driving downtown and do their shopping or restaurant hopping in another Westchester town or CT. You get smacked with a $15 parking ticket for a short overtime and it sticks in your memory!
Affordable and Workforce Housing
Affordable housing requires action, not lip service, to assure that we meet the housing needs of the full range of WP households and remain a model for how American cities can flourish as home to a diverse range of families from every ethnic and economic group. WP has a proud history of welcoming newcomers to our community from every part of our nation and every part of the world, and we must continue to find innovative ways, as we have in the past, to provide a range of housing types and supportive services to accommodate both new and existing residents. That’s why as Mayor I will
– Establish an Affordable Housing Task Force comprised of community and faith-based organizations, residents and local businesses to analyze, study and target best practices for generating low cost, moderate income and workforce housing units.
– Revise the current set-aside requirement of all new development of 50 or more units from 6% to 15%.
– Expand the Central Business District set-aside requirements to all areas of the City.
– Partner with county, state and federal governments to create affordable and senior housing.
– Lobby the federal govt. to restore cutbacks in Section 8 subsidy payments for those who desperately need that help.
Traffic, Parking, Pedestrian Safety and Security
Wow, have I heard about gridlock traffic and the terrible tales of those greedy parking meters that stalk fear in people’s minds. When I hear people saying that they now have to leave an hour earlier to drive across town – a 6-minute drive- to avoid being stuck for an hour, I think I’m in L.A.
A great city is a walkable city, and we must reverse the current trend of affording first priority to vehicles, rather than to pedestrians. This means providing clearly marked pedestrian crossings and plazas and making sure that everyone, including seniors and people in wheelchairs can beat the cars!
That’s why as Mayor I will
– Commission an independent study to evaluate traffic flow throughout the City to analyze current and future pedestrian and vehicular needs.
– Deploy additional traffic safety personnel to manage peak use and congestion downtown.
– Mandate that developers provide sufficient off-street parking for all new buildings.
– Explore options for providing residents with preferred parking meter status.
– Review current operating procedures for parking fees, fines, and hours of operation, including enforcement measures.
– Review the practice of allowing valet parking on downtown City streets.
– Step up enforcement for drivers who are a threat to pedestrians.
– Enforce laws requiring wheelchair accessibility for all public facilities. And, most importantly, I will
– Institute a comprehensive and coordinated review of security procedures in municipal garages, utilizing the most effective strategies for deployment of police and security personnel, supported by the best available surveillance equipment, to deal with any possible crime.
Open Space and Environmental Quality
Open space and the quality of our city’s environment are critical to the long-term success of our community, both for the residents who make up our diverse neighborhoods and those who work, shop and visit here. This means continuing to protect and care for our remaining open space in our residential neighborhoods and developing well-designed user-friendly open spaces in our downtown.
As Mayor I will
– Continue to protect and acquire open space and park land for community use.
– Continue the work on the Greenway, extending the trail from Gedney to Bryant.
– Develop well-designed user-friendly open spaces in our downtown and densely populated areas.
– Hire an additional Code Enforcement Officer to monitor construction and other hazardous activities to control sources of air, water and noise pollution.
– Establish and fund a local alternative energy production network to reduce energy costs and improve air quality.
– Install air quality monitors in the Central Business District, enabling a proactive response on the City’s part to meet federal air quality standards required in non-attainment areas.
– Propose legislation to require Green Building Standards and promote the use of low-sulfur fuels on development projects.
Open and Responsive Government
I hear so many complaints from residents who tell me about unanswered phone calls, lack of concern for their problems, neighborhood associations that cry out for help and get no response. As Mayor I will
– Initiate Mayoral meetings with neighborhood associations involving Commissioners and appropriate City personnel.
– Conduct two regularly scheduled, televised Common Council meetings per year in rotating neighborhood locations – “bringing City Hall to the neighborhoods.”
– Alert the public, with appropriate notification, to all Common Council Work Sessions, conducting these meetings in Council chambers and allowing for public participation.
– Televise all “Citizens to be Heard” sessions conducted prior to monthly Common Council meetings.
– Establish a “311” type customer service system directly linking residents to appropriate City departments for assistance.
– Reinstitute joint meetings of the Common Council and the School Board.
– Reinstitute meetings between the Mayor’s Office and County Legislators representing White Plains.
Before concluding I want to highlight a few other points from my platform that merit special mention. As Mayor I will
– Review organization, function, vacancies for all boards/commissions. Ensure that membership on such bodies affirms policies of inclusion and representation, reflecting cultural diversity of White Plains.
– Promote diversity at senior management levels to benefit from leadership from all communities.
– Maximize the outreach to all qualified individuals throughout White Plains in offering opportunities for employment and advancement in City positions.
– Provide counseling and incentives to support and stabilize the growth of locally-owned small businesses, bringing economic vitality to all sectors of the White Plains business community.
Folks, we are at a critical juncture in our White Plains history and that if we don’t stop and listen carefully and objectively study what has happened at breakneck speed over the last several years, then we may forever lose what we love most about White Plains—that it is a modern-day city with an incalculable amount of resources and attractiveness and a small town feeling. A vision I share with so many of you is that of a White Plains, continuing to move forward as a thriving regional business center, that puts the needs of its residents first and values the rich cultural diversity, excellent education system, precious open spaces, and its prominent place in American history that has made this city so unique.
White Plains residents can have what’s great about this city, but they can also have more: They can put place a City Administration that’s more open, more forward thinking and more responsive to its people.
