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Community Corner

Legislator Catherine Parker Speaks Out on Playland, Environmental Issues, and More

Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker’s first address to the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Local Summit on May 20 at the Nautilus Diner showcased her views on a broad range of issues impacting the county, including Playland, the environment, affordable housing, taxes and gun control. She was not shy to take a stance on key issues, often offering a point of view that differed from that of the County Executive Rob Astorino.

Playland

Speaking about her recently-announced decision to withdraw support for Sustainable Playland, Inc.’s (SPI) plan to revitalize Westchester County’s historic amusement park, County Legislator Parker questioned the viability of the plan and noted the likelihood of its being mired in litigation for years to come, even if it were to be approved. Questioned about why she withdrew support, she indicated that she has been influenced by residents’ concerns over SPI’s plan to add a field zone, which residents believe will negatively impact flooding, the quality of life of the surrounding residential area, and the character of the park. She also noted that she has concerns over the process that the County Executive’s office has followed to make their plan happen.

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Asserting that “lingering uncertainly is not good for the park or taxpayers,” County Legislator Parker pointed out that four years have already passed since County Executive Astorino first sought Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to “reinvent” Playland, with Playland languishing in the meantime. She shared her belief that “whether you think it’s a great plan or whether you think it’s a bad plan . . . there’s no win for SPI, regardless of whether they get the votes” due to the likelihood of its being tied up in the court system for a long time. She very strongly expressed her belief that the continued delays and pending litigation is a no win for all parties – SPI, Westchester County, and Playland.

Although she no longer supports SPI, she continues to believe that a “public-private partnership is a good idea” and is pushing to review and vet the plans of two other potential partners – Central Amusements and Standard Amusements. Parker’s goal is to move forward as quickly as possible with these other options in order to have a new operator in place for the 2015 season.  She is hopeful that her colleagues will follow her lead and/or that SPI will withdraw its bid so that the County will be able to move forward with a new plan for Playland in the near future.

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In response to a question regarding whether a full environmental review would be required prior to any plan being adopted, Parker indicated that there really is not sufficient time for a full review. However, she informed the audience that the Parks Committee meeting scheduled for the following day, May 21, would be focusing on the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR), and that environmental impact issues would be fully discussed at that meeting, which was open to the public.

Environmental Issues

As Chair of the Board of Legislators’ Environment & Energy Committee, County Legislator Parker has wasted no time during her first five months in office.

Proposed “Clean Air” legislation: Parker has just submitted proposed legislation to ban #4 and #6 heating oils. According to Parker, the American Lung Association claims that these heavy, dark fuels cause more air pollution than car exhaust. These heavy fuels are currently being used by some large buildings, including some apartment buildings, hospitals and schools. Based on her research, conversion costs can be minimized through the use of qualified energy bonds. The next step for this proposed legislation is a review by the Environment & Energy Committee; if it gains the committee’s approval, it will then be submitted to the Westchester County Board of Legislators for its review. (Note that NYC enacted legislation in 2011 to phase out the use of #4 fuel oil by 2015 and #6 fuel oil by 2030.)

Push to focus on longer-term energy-efficient solutions: Parker is also pushing the County to take a longer-term view when planning infrastructure projects and to seek more energy-efficient solutions, rather than adopting quick, “Band-Aid” fixes. By doing so, she firmly believes that the County will be able to save taxpayers significant money. In order to facilitate use of this approach, Parker has also supported creating the position of Energy Director, a move that her colleagues have rallied behind.

Sound Shore Environmental Summit: On May 10, Parker hosted a district-wide environmental summit at the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, attended by local officials, community leaders, and residents. The summit featured presentations from a variety of environmental advocates on topics such as green building codes, composting, innovative financing for energy savings projects and the health of Long Island Sound. Explaining that this type of a forum provides an excellent opportunity for communities to hear from one another and to share best practices, Parker says she plans to hold environmental summits periodically. She anticipates holding the next one in the fall, perhaps focusing on flooding issues.

Parker expressed her belief that the County could and should play an important role in county-wide environmental initiatives, in conjunction with municipal efforts.

Affordable Housing Settlement

Touching on Westchester County’s much debated 2009 fair housing settlement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice, Parker made it clear that she disagrees with County Executive Astorino’s outspoken opposition to the settlement, which he inherited. She shared that “legislators have felt that the tone from the top that’s been set by the County Executive is hurting our communities.” She explained that as a result of the County’s disagreement with HUD and the Department of Justice over the settlement, millions of dollars of much-needed community block grants – totaling $12 million for 2011 and 2012 – are being withheld, severely impacting some of Westchester’s poorest communities.

Parker praised the Town of Mamaroneck, which was cited in the settlement, for proactively reaching out to HUD and working with them cooperatively to expand opportunities for affordable housing, and urged other communities to follow the Town of Mamaroneck’s example. (As a result of the zoning changes it made, the Town of Mamaroneck has been taken off the settlement’s list.) Parker believes that a bipartisan effort by the county legislators is urgently needed to facilitate discussions with HUD in order to prevent the county from losing more federal funds.

TAXES, GUN CONTROL, AND OTHER ISSUES

Parker also serves on the Board of Legislators’ Budget and Appropriations, Labor/Parks/Planning/Housing and Community Services Committees.

Addressing the issue of taxes, she pointed out that despite the county-wide tax levy being held flat at $548 million, taxpayers in some parts of the county, including The Town of Mamaroneck and the City of Rye, had county tax increases on their recent tax bill due to equalization formulas. Parker explained that areas where assessed values have increased pay a higher share of the county’s tax levy, while areas with decreased values pay a lower share. Parker also told the audience that she supports a county-wide revaluation in the interest of “tax fairness” but acknowledged that it will be a challenge to get her colleagues on board.

In terms of her other committee work, she spoke highly of the County’s many community service organizations, praising their work and dedicated employees. She noted how moving her experience has been with these organizations, citing two examples - the Child Abuse Prevention Center of Westchester and Furniture Sharehouse.

Asked about her views on gun control, Parker stated that “this is an area where the County Executive and I are on opposite ends of the spectrum.” She firmly stated that she supports more regulation on gun ownership and that she opposes Astorino’s reinstatement of gun shows at the Westchester County Center. She denounced Astorino’s intention to repeal the SAFE Act if elected governor and pledged to use her position and voice to say “no” to any efforts to repeal it. (Note that the SAFE Act is gun control legislation enacted by Governor Cuomo in January 2013 following the Sandy Hook tragedy.)

Responding to a question about the status of the County’s planning department, Parker expressed frustration that due to budget cuts, it has been decimated, and that there are no resources remaining at the County level to “do the heavy lifting.” According to Parker, there is no longer any County staff to address the regional problems – such as flooding – that need regional solutions; instead, everything is now outsourced to consultants. She questioned if this model is really the right solution, and if it really saves taxpayers money in the long-term, adding that it might be time to rethink this model.

Catherine Parker was elected in November 2013 to represent the 7th Legislative District (Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye, part of Harrison and part of New Rochelle).

This breakfast forum was hosted by The Larchmont/Mamaroneck Local Summit, an informal community council that seeks to make life better for all in the tri-municipal area. Its monthly public meetings are usually held at the Nautilus Diner in Mamaroneck at 7:45 a.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. The next breakfast meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 24.

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