Get to Know Your Local Official: Q&A with Rye Brook's Chris Bradbury

Rye Brook Village Administrator Chris Bradbury has a job that essentially requires him to be a jack of all trades, whether it's supervising and coordinating the activities of all Village departments or preparing the village's tentative budget every year. He also has a duty that many residents probably don't envy—sitting through village meetings that can sometimes last half a workday. Bradbury takes it all in stride, he says.

In an effort to get residents more engaged with local government and the people in charge of it, Rye Patch has launched a new Q&A feature with public officials. Get to know our first local official, Village Administrator Chris Bradbury:

 1. What's the weirdest day you've ever had on the job or the weirdest experience you've ever had in your position as a Village Administrator?  

One of the most exciting parts of being Village Administrator is that every day can bring a new challenge.  One hour you may be working with the recreation department about establishing a new program, and the next you could have a sewer break that needs to be immediately addressed by the highway department.  Every day can be both weird and exciting.  It certainly is never boring!

2. What are some things that surprised you about your job?  

I am not sure if "surprised" is the right word, but I enjoy my job and the challenges that comes with it every day.  You need to know enough about every village department to make both long and short term decisions that benefit the village.  I am blessed that we have an excellent staff that serves the village and they make my job easier through their dedication.

3. If you weren't a village administrator, what's a unique profession you'd love to be a part of? Why?  

I was always interested in making a positive, lasting difference in the lives of people in a community.  When I was in college, in addition to local government administration, I also considered working for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as I thought it would a challenging and rewarding career - helping people live in good, safe homes and improving neighborhoods.

4. What are some challenging things the Village faced in 2009? How were they resolved?  

The biggest challenge has been addressing the impacts of the troubled economy and its effect on the village budget.  When the economy started to take a downturn in 2008, the village had to modify its 2008-09 budget by cutting certain planned programs and services and not filling certain positions in order to meet the budget.  This "belt-tightening" continued into the 2009-10 budget year and next year will also bring similar challenges.

5. What are some the most important issues your office and the Village Board will deal with in the coming year? 

 The 2010-11 budget is perhaps the most difficult task in the coming year.  Although the Village's current fiscal condition is strong with low debt, a reasonable fund balance, and a Aa2 bond rating (which is very good for a municipality of Rye Brook's size), revenues such as mortgage tax, sales tax, interest earnings, and building revenue have dropped significantly.  At the same time, certain expenditures such as the retirement system (managed by NYS) are increasing and we need to continue investments in our infrastructure.  The village also recognizes the state of the economy and unemployment, so taxes must also be kept at a minimum.  As a result, it is likely that services may be impacted or we may need to find additional areas of shared services that could reduce municipal costs.

6.    How do you survive those three to four hour Village Board meetings? A recent meeting had a 5-minute break. Any chance that'll become a regular feature of the meetings? 

It is probably easier to be on the dais, as the time passes much more quickly when you are involved in all of the agenda items in one way or another.  I imagine that it would be harder to sit in the audience waiting for an agenda item you are concerned about to be discussed at the meeting.  When possible, we have tried to make it easier for residents by placing public hearings or other agenda items earlier on the agenda if we expect a larger turnout for a particular item.  Since the Village Board meetings are aired live on cable television, some residents monitor the agenda from home and then come down as the item approaches at the meeting.

7. What's the best thing about living in Rye Brook? What is your favorite place within the village (village hall excluded)? 

It is a great village with excellent school districts and quality municipal services with low village taxes compared to other municipalities in Westchester County.  My favorite locations are probably the new ball fields at King Street and Pine Ridge Park and the senior center.  We have added excellent fields in Rye Brook that will provide opportunities for residents far into the future.  I enjoy going to the senior center because of the warm and inviting people that use the center every day.