MILLERTON — The Village Election on Tuesday, June 15, easily elected Jennifer Najdek (NOP) mayor, as she ran unchallenged. Newcomer Laurie Kerr (D) also handily won one of the two open seats on the Village Board. But it led to a tie between former Trustee and former North East town Supervisor David Sherman, a Republican, and longtime meeting attendee and former Zoning Boards of Appeals (ZBA) Chair DeLora Brooks, a Democrat, for the other open seat on the board, with 83 votes each.
On Monday, June 21, it was announced a runoff election would be held on Tuesday, July 6, from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Offices at 5593 North Elm Ave. (Route 22) to determine who will serve the two-year term, which begins Tuesday, July 6, and runs through June 1, 2023.
David Sherman
Aside from Millerton’s need for a supermarket, Sherman prioritized the need for a sewer as well as improvements to village streets and more local employment and housing opportunities.
With more funding opportunities becoming available — whether through private or public resources or as a result of development money available to local municipalities — Sherman said the key is “to be able to apply those funds and have a good project in hand and be ready to go.”
An example is the groundwork that’s been laid for the sewer project. Sherman said it will be key going forward to find out what the costs will be and how that will be shared between the village and town.
“We’re at that point where we have to determine those things,” he said, “and I think my experience uniquely qualifies me to be sensitive to this and help drive the project that’s going to be most beneficial to our residents.”
Sherman also said they need to think about having sewer service in the Boulevard District, which stretches east along Route 44 toward the Connecticut border, an effort he thinks the village and the town should prioritize.
“We’re at a point where things are happening in our area in the private sector as far as property development,” he said. “We’re moving in the environment post-COVID, which I think provides the prospect of being able to redevelop portions of the highway boulevard Route 44 east of the village, which is essential for us to be able to have a grocery store and other businesses around that attract people.”
Regarding local streets, Sherman considered not just sidewalk replacements and installing additional crossing signs, but also other improvements such as the walkway paths on Century Boulevard with its drainage issues and worn pavement. Taking into account the funding and planning involved with sidewalk and pedestrian projects, Sherman said he believes Millerton has people on its Village Board who have worked side by side with Townscape and engineers to get this project and others in shape to provide essential services to villagers.
“The nation is in a position to move forward — whether it’s state moneys or federal moneys — to solve our problems,” Sherman added, “and we need to be ready for that and we need to get in a position where we can act on that plan.”
In terms of local employment and housing, Sherman shared his understanding of how the absence of affordable housing not only restricts Millerton’s ability to attract people who want to work in the community, but also its ability to attract new commerce. Above all, Sherman emphasized keeping a strong working relationship between the town and village to determine each municipality’s needs and the ability to benefit both.
DeLora Brooks
Similar to her opponent, Millerton’s sewer system is at the forefront of Brooks’ priorities, and she also has her sights set on addressing infrastructure, bringing government to the people and bringing a grocery store into the “food desert” Millerton has become.
Having been on the sidelines of local government for a long time, Brooks has watched as attendance at village meetings shifted before and after COVID-19, with village officials utilizing the “Village of Millerton VOM” Facebook page to hold meetings.
Looking ahead, she wants social media to become a permanent fixture to allow people to view public meetings at their convenience and be given public access to what’s going on in real time. She believes everyone should share the responsibility for the decisions being made in government — thus creating full transparency. It’s an issue she’s been trying to promote.
Social media, Brooks said, could also be used to help connect the North East (Webutuck) Central School District and local government so that students would not only get high school credits by observing how local government operates, but also have a chance to participate in local government and have their voices heard.
Brooks understands how important sewers are to the community’s viability and growth as well as the challenges of Millerton’s repeated attempts to install a sewer system during the last 50 years.
Brooks said, “This is an opportune time for us to get a lot of funding to put in sewers and at least try to stop our community from sliding into a position of only being a town where people visit on weekends — it needs to be a town where people live and work and grow old and do all the other things that other communities do.”
Next on her list of priorities is to improve how Millerton approaches affordable housing, especially given how COVID-19 “has created an awkward situation for us and has made it difficult for us to support an onslaught of additional people.”
Brooks added that she’d like to see the community become more diversified. She said she’d like to see housing made more affordable for all groups of people and more viable jobs created in the community.
Once the revitalization of Eddie Collins Memorial Park is completed, she hopes the park will draw young families into the community.
Taking into account the village’s aging infrastructure — particularly the Water District, which she said is now in a grave state of disrepair — Brooks said the village needs begin to monitor its municipal funds more closely.
As the Village Board sits down and evaluates what’s important going forward, she wants to invite everyone in the community to take the time to watch board meetings on the village’s Facebook page, feel like they have a voice and ask questions about things they are concerned about or that they don’t understand.
Communication, Brooks said, is critical for a healthy community.
Dave Sherman Photo submitted
Submitted
