2026 PIERMONT MEET THE
TRUSTEE CANDIDATES
"Meet the Candidates" - Village Board of Trustees. Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhD6hxrMx24
BARBARA SCHEULEN
Thank you all for coming.
I know it’s a little warm in here, but um[sic]…
it may even get hotter… during our time.
The Piermont Democratic Committee hosts these foremen[sic]…
forums… so the community members have an informed voice when they get to the
voting booth. Your [Piermont] Democratic Committee is, and if you’re here,
raise your hand… Margaret Grace… Peter Metzler… Martha Schulwolf… Myself…
Don Guyton is in Paris, unfortunately… um[sic]…
Nate Mitchell… Dana Stilley is our County Legislator
and has a county legislator[sic] meeting tonight, and Bruce Tucker.
In addition, Piermont has an additional 22 people on
the Orangetown Democratic Committee.
So we have a lot of representation across the town…
um[sic]…
Liza Barrie, where are you? Liza chairs the
Orangetown Democratic Committee.
We’d like to thank former Mayor Chris Sanders for
moderating this evening. We’d also like to thank Betsy Franco-Feeney and Joan
Chiaramonte for volunteering to help tonight. And importantly, Noreen and
Michael Wright, who are so generous, always of their time.
As well as Talad. Talad runs this… wonderful
building.
So there is much noise… about national candidates
and national politics in general. But here in Piermont, we may be small, but we
are mighty. In towns and villages like this, it’s… this kind of village, this
kind of town that really lead[sic] the fight for Democrats and
democracy.
Here in Piermont, we have approximately 1,035
Democrats and 530 Independents.
Beyond this local race, we hope everyone here will
also participate in local and national efforts to elect leaders who support the
Constitution and all of the people in this amazing country. Um[sic]… uh[sic]…
You’ll find on the benches, there’s… um[sic]… are flyers for every
Saturday. We have…um[sic]… a protest for one hour at the Four Corners in
Nanuet, and it would be great if everyone would attend.
The four men you see before you all seek to guide
the future of Piermont by being elected as a member of the Board of Trustees.
They have drawn straws to establish order of questions. Robert Zitt, [Esq.],
Mark Blomquist, Kevin Timoney, and Jeffrey Gordon, [Esq.]
Um[sic]… When you came in, you found out that
you can… um[sic]… write questions to be asked if individual candidates or
all candidates. We’ve received very few individual questions, so we’re going to
ask the questions of all candidates. This is not a debate.
[Gulp…] At the end, they’ll have two minutes to
summarize their thoughts and can react to anything that has been said.
Chris… may take the opportunity to ask for
clarifications from candidates if needed.
BARBARA SCHEULEN
So now, it’s Chris.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Barbara.
Uh[sic] … The four candidates seated to my
left are running for two open positions in the Democratic primary that’s on
June 23rd.
And I know there’s been... [cough]… a lot of vitriol
on-line over the past few years on members of our various boards, whether it be
Planning, or Zoning, or [our] Board of Trustees.
Um[sic]… So before I get started tonight, and
again, it’s a forum for these candidates to introduce themselves to the… the
public and Democrats in Piermont. Understand that members of the Zoning Board
of Appeals, Planning Board… we have different commissions… These members of the
Board of Trustees or potential members of the Board of Trustees – volunteers – volunteering
their time… for the betterment of Piermont, and their actions are only to do
what’s right for the Village. I can guarantee that… that… that is what they all
have at heart. We can disagree with perhaps the… the… path they want to take. But
let’s understand that what sits behind it is a love for the Village and want[sic]
to make the village better and more sustainable and be someplace we can be
proud of 50 to 100 years from now. So level-setting that, we can get ourselves
started tonight.
And I’d like to start with…um[sic]… opening
statements from the candidates. They’ll have 2 to 3 minutes to make their case.
And then we’ll start by asking the… the questions that came from… from the
audience. And you can continue to add questions as well during… during tonight.
Uh[sic]… We want to try to wrap up by 8:30. It’s an early morning for
me, as well as some others, and we’re all gonna start falling asleep up here,
which is not a good… it’s not a good visual. So to get us started… we have
Robert Zitt, who’s going to make his case. We’re going to work our way down the
line. So, Robert, the floor is yours.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Thank you, Mayor.
Good evening, everyone, and thank you very much for
being here tonight. I want to thank the Piermont Democratic Committee, those
volunteers, and everyone who helped to organize this event and make it
possible. That includes Michael, Noreen, Margaret, everyone involved.
My name is Robert Zitt, and I’m running for Village
Trustee.
I’m running because I love this village. And I
believe deeply in the people who make the community what it is.
Piermont is not just where I live. It’s a home. It’s
a home I’ve chosen for my wife Valentina, and my three children, Robert,
Oliver, and Theodore.
Like so many of you, we chose Piermont because of
its character, its beauty, and the feeling that this is a place where people
know one another.
Over the last few years, I’ve watched more and more
residents become actively engaged in the future of this village.
People attended meetings, they wrote letters, they
asked questions, and they organized.
They spoke passionately about things that concerned
them, that included development, transparency, flooding, infrastructure, the Fire
Department, downtown vitality, and the future direction of this village.
Whether you agreed with them or not, each person
showed up and spoke because they too care deeply about this place.
I’m running because I believe this kind of civic
engagement should never be discouraged, dismissed, or targeted.
It should be welcomed.
A healthy community is not one where residents stay
quiet. It is one where people feel empowered to ask questions, participate,
challenge ideas, voice opinions, and be part of the conversation.
Professionally, I’m an attorney. I served as an Assistant
District Attorney in the Domestic Violence Unit in the office of the district
attorney for Bronx County. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of representing
individuals, families, businesses, planning boards, zoning boards, nonprofits,
municipalities, and community organizations.
That experience has given me a unique perspective,
because I have seen government, business, and community issues from many
different angles and different viewpoints. What I’ve learned in that short
period of time is that good leadership requires independence.
It requires transparency.
And it requires the ability to listen carefully
before making decisions, not after.
I also understand the importance of balancing growth
with preservation.
I appreciate the pressures facing small businesses,
homeowners, residents, and I understand how government decisions, especially at
the local level, affect residents in very real ways.
Trust in government is built through accountability
and respect for the public.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
[To Moderators: Can I go? I’m sorry. Wh… That
was three? Okay. I’ll yield. Thank you].
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Bob.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Sure.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
[Off-Mic, To Mark Blomquist: “Stickin’ to that 3”…].
MARK BLOMQUIST
[Cough]… Hi, I’m…uh[sic]… Mark Blomquist and I thank you all for coming.
Thank the PDC for putting this together.
Um[sic]… Most of you at this point know me. I
know most of you out there. Uh[sic]… For those of you who don’t, I’ll
give you a quick…uh[sic]… back-of-the-napkin background.
Um[sic]… I’ve been a Piermont resident for 30
years. My wife and I raised two kids here. I’ve been a member of the Empire
Hose Company for 20 years… um[sic]… Where I served as a fireman, an EMT,
and a rescue diver.
Um[sic]… I’m one of the lunatics who dives
under the ice in the Hudson in January, and if you want to hold that against
me, against continuing…uh[sic]… further public office for insane
reasons, I understand that completely.
Um[sic]… Professionally, I was a managing
director in a corporate finance firm specializing in pharmaceuticals and
medical devices for the last 30 years.
Um[sic]… I have… Educationally, an MBA in
international finance… uh[sic]… graduated as class valedictorian. I’m also an
attorney admitted in both New York State and Louisiana, although I am retired
there and not practicing. And most importantly… um[sic]… I have served as a Trustee in this village for
the last 19 years. Uh[sic]… I’ve been reelected… eight times, so I know
the job pretty well, and I think most of you know that I know the job pretty
well. I’ve also served as Deputy Mayor for the last 18 years under three
separate administrations.
Um[sic]… My focus has always been… more than
anything else on the pocketbook issues.
Um[sic]… I tried very hard to keep our taxes
low over the last 19 years, and I think for the most part have succeeded.
Um[sic]… And… I… I don’t have a whole lot
more to say than that other than... um[sic]… You guys know what I can do
and… I’d… love the opportunity to [ea…][sic] [ta…][sic] continue
going forward with that.
CHRIS SANDERS
Kevin.
KEVIN TIMONEY
Thank you… Well, good evening, everyone, and thank
you for being here tonight. For those of you who may not know me, my name is Kevin
Timoney [an…][sic] [uh][sic]… My husband [and][sic] Brian
and I are raising our daughter, Harper, here in Piermont. And like so many of
you, we chose this village because there truly is nowhere else like it.
Piermont is a special place. It’s where people at
the Farmer’s Market, conversations on the sidewalk, kids running through
Flywheel Park, neighbors showing up for one another, and the feeling that this
village is just not where we live, it’s home.
Professionally, I serve as the Executive Director
for Citywide Contracts, where I oversee large-scale public contracts, budgets,
and inter-agency operations.
My career has been rooted in public service,
accountability, collaboration, and finding practical solutions... that help
government work for the people.
Locally, I serve on the Piermont Zoning Board of
Appeals, where I’ve had the opportunity to work through important issues
thoughtfully, collaboratively, while balancing the needs of residents and the
character of our village.
I’ve also started the BTND Run Club here in
Piermont, which has become a fun and meaningful way to bring neighbors together
to build…[pause]… of[sic]… community beyond meetings and agendas, where
we can duss[sic]-cuss topics like parking, the cyclists, and… d[sic]…
downtown events.
I’m running for Trustee because I care deeply about
Piermont’s future. I want to help strengthen the character of this village
while also making sure that we’re planning responsilly[sic]… communicating
openly, and governing thoughtfully.
I also believe a strong board benefits from hearing
different p… perspectives and voices at the table. A healthy community does not
require everyone to think the same way. It requires people who are willing to
listen to one another, work respect…fully together, and stay focused on the[sic]…
what’s best for Piermont.
I have met many of you before this, and I’ve heard
yourd[sic]… dideas[sic], your concerns, your hopes for Piermont’s
future, and I’m excited to continue these conversations. So thank you again for
being here tonight, and I’d be honored to earn your support.
CHRIS SANDERS
Jeffrey.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Thank you, Mayor. Good evening and thanks,
everybody, for coming tonight and thanks to the PDC and Michael and Maureen
Wright for putting this together and having a... videotape to memorialize this
evening’s event. I’m a lifelong resident of the lower Hudson Valley. I grew up
in Yonkers and have always lived in river towns, like Tarrytown, Ossining,
Croton, moving to Stony Point in 2015, and now Piermont for the last 3 years.
The Lower Hudson Valley holds a special place in my heart, as I’m sure it does
in all of yours. I’m the father of two grown sons I’m incredibly proud of. I
was a practicing attorney for 40 years until my retirement 6 years ago, which
affords me the... time to devote to Piermont and its 2,500 residents. In
January of this year, I had the honor of being appointed by Mayor Mitchell to
fill a vacancy… of Christine McAndrews, which ends on December 31st of this
year and is why I’m running in this year’s election.
Municipal law and government has always interested
me. While in Pace Law School, I was the co-founder of the Municipal Law
Resource Center, which provided subscription services to smaller municipalities
who did not have the resources to undertake their own research. While at the
Resource Center, I prepared a feasibility study for residents residing in the
unincorporated area of Rye who wanted to secede and form their own village.
Using that study, the village of Rye Brook was formed in 1982 - the first such
village formation in over 50 years, and I’m very proud of that, that I had a
significant part in that.
I started my legal career as a municipal attorney
for Port Chester, Irving, Briarcliff Manor, and Tarrytown. While representing
Tarrytown, I prepared comprehensive legislation creating Tarrytown’s Architectural
Review Board, which was later adopted by the Village and has been used by other
historic municipalities up and down the Hudson River. I have provided that
legislation to Mayor Mitchell and our village council to consider while we are
in the process of recreating Piermont’s own review board. In 1989, I opened my
practice in New York City, maintaining it until 2020, with a focus on family
and matrimonial law. For the last eight years, I’ve sat on the board of Legal
Services NYC, the country’s largest nonprofit provider of... free civil legal
services to the indigent of New York City, serving more than 100,000 clients
annually. For the last six years, I volunteer my time serving as a
court-appointed divorce mediator for the New York State Supreme Court.
I’ve spent my entire professional career and my
volunteer endeavors in retirement in problem-solving and dispute resolution,
tools that are particularly invaluable at this crucial time in our village
history. Because of that knowledge, experience, and background, I think I’m
uniquely qualified to work as a Trustee, and I’m asking for your vote in order
to continue my service to all of the residents of Piermont. Thank you.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Gentlemen.
And my apologies, by the way. I realized I was not
referring to you as Mr. Zitt, Mr. Blomquist, Mr. Timoney.
CHRIS SANDERS
Um[sic]… First name’s okay, right?
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Absolutely.
CHRIS SANDERS
Okay. It is Piermont after all.
All right, we’ll move on to the…um[sic]… the
questions.
And what I like to do is we’ll keep the same format.
Robert, I’ll start with you for the… uh[sic]…
first question. We’ll walk down the line with a… the minute to answer, but then
I’m going to rotate in. So Mark, you’ll get the second one. So, hopefully,
everybody ‘ll have that opportunity to be the first one to start and then to
build on those.
So, to get us started.
For those who are serving on the Board of Trustees,
what do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment[sic]… accomplishments…
and why?
… Or for those not yet on the Board of Trustees,
what do you consider your biggest contribution to Piermont? And what was the
impact on the Village?
OK… Robert.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Sure.
I am not on the Board of Trustees. I think as many
of you know, I’ve been involved the last few years in trying to get members of
the public.
VOICE OFF-CAMERA
[Unintelligible].
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
[To Voice Off-Camera: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.]
I think the – can you ask the question again? I’m
sorry.
CHRIS SANDERS
Sure... Um[sic]… What do you consider your
biggest -
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
[To Voice Off-Camera: “Come on, Rich!”.]
CHRIS SANDERS
And… uh[sic]… what was that impact on the Village?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
OK... Look, you know, I think frankly my biggest
impact, or contribution to the Village has probably been drumming-up public
participation. I think one of the biggest issues, at least from my perspective,
is apathy. Apathy at the local level, apathy at the national level. We have the
opportunity to encourage public participation, and that’s one of the main
reasons that I am running for Village Trustee. I think there’s a responsibility
- owed to the public - to get you involved - even if you don’t necessarily want
to be involved.
Thank you.
CHRIS SANDERS
Mark, do you need it again or are you good?
MARK BLOMQUIST
Good.
CHRIS SANDERS
Okay.
One minute.
MARK BLOMQUIST
I would say I’ve got two real big accomplishments
since I first became a Trustee. Um[sic]… When I was first elected, we
were in nego[sic].. in the middle of negotiating a new police contract,
and that went into arbitration and took 18 months before it was worked out. Um[sic]…
in a village this small, it’s extremely important to have the trust of your
department heads, and I’ve worked tirelessly to establish that. And I’m happy
to say the last…uh[sic]… police contract that was signed, I negotiated
in under 20 minutes, and it was for 5 years instead of 3. Um[sic]… and I
was also able to negotiate the…uh[sic]… the last contract with our DPW,
and that was done in about 2 hours.
Um[sic]… What else do I have here?
Oh… The other thing, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve
always had a focus on pocketbook issues.
Um[sic]… and one thing I’ve been very proud
of is the fact that almo[sic]… in almost every... administration I’ve
served with, um[sic]… our fund balance has grown significantly. For
those of you who don’t really understand what that is, it’s akin to equity in a
private company… Um[sic]… and… it…
OK… Sorry.
CHRIS SANDERS
OK?
Kevin, you need the question again, or are you okay?
KEVIN TIMONEY
Yeah, I’m okay.
CHRIS SANDERS
OK.
KEVIN TIMONEY
For the last 3 years, I’ve been on the Zoning Board,
as I mentioned… um[sic]…
It’s… a role that I take very seriously. Where
friends and neighbors are coming there, and… you’re gonna have to make some
tough decisions. You’re going to have to look at the... the… plans that they
have, and you’re going to have to… thoughtfully and respectfully question them
and go over everything and, these might be people that you see every day, but
you might have to turn them down, but you’re gonna do it in a… respectful way
or ask questions and go over things to make sure that Piermont’s character
or... Anything the zoning is staying in place[sic]… so I
think doing that has… made me become a… better person and… um[sic]… something
that I do want to do for the Board of Trustees, also… um[sic]… the BTND
club that I mentioned, we meet outside Bunbury’s every Sunday, where we then go
get coffee. We’re spending money at these local businesses. We… put our
children at Peace in Piermont afterwards. We go to the Farmer’s Market. So we’re
spending money in this[sic]… with these small community[sic]… these
small businesses to help the community.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you.
Jeffrey.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Well, the first thing that comes to mind is really a
group effort, and that’s repealing the CBM Zone and having that ridiculous
fence removed, which is in the process of being removed. But I think the one
thing that I could... I can own is when I first got here and did some FOIL
requests, I saw there was a whole bunch of missing minutes, documentation, and
things of that nature. So what I did is I went out and I purchased my own video
equipment and started videotaping. This period of time spans pre-Trustee and
currently as Trustee for the past year. I’ve been videotaping minutes, making
sure that they got uploaded to the Internet for everybody… to view.
It really didn’t hit me until I was canvassing
recently and knocked on the door of someone who was wheelchair-bound. And when
he found out that I was the individual who was videotaping the meetings, he got
very emotional. And it really hit me at that point that what I was actually
accomplishing with videotaping these meetings… that he would otherwise not be
able to view or partake in Village government.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you.
As a… um[sic]… kind of a follow-up to that
question, and we’ll start with you, Mark.
Um[sic]… How would you encourage residents to be
more active in Village government?
MARK BLOMQUIST
That’s a good[sic]… very good question.
It’s hard when we’re all so pressed for time. Um[sic]...
I would… n’t... First, encourage all of you, if you haven’t done it, to join
one of the Village volunteer organizations. Get to know your neighbors better.
Um[sic]… and really… make some wonderful
things happen. There’s[sic]… I can say…um[sic]… there’s nothing
in the world that feels quite like saving somebody’s life. It’s an unbelievable
experience.
Um[sic]… and then I would regularly... look
at the minutes. I don’t know if I personally would have the patience to watch…um[sic]…
an entire videotape, especially having been there already of a… uh[sic]…
a Trustees’ meeting, um[sic]… but I think that would be the best thing
to do.
CHRIS SANDERS
Kevin.
KEVIN TIMONEY
Thank you. I think… before we can ask the Village
what they want to do or how they want to get involved, I think we need to… have
better communication with them. I know… the… Board and uh[sic]… Piermont
is in the process of getting a new website, but I think we need to make sure
that this website has communication so we can… have all these activities. If
someone wants to be interested in gardening, if someone wants to be interested
in the Community Center… if they want to volunteer… um[sic]… at the Farmer’s
Market, anywhere, that all these resources are for them and it will… let’s
bring the resources to them instead of having them come to us. And that’s
essentially how I think we could help the community.
CHRIS SANDERS
Jeffrey.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
I know that, at least for me, what got me involved,
other than my background and interest in municipal law, was when I first got to
the Village and I did some investigations and saw a whole bunch of stuff that
was going wrong, not getting done, done improperly, in violation of certain
rules and state laws. That got me involved. And so it’s easy for me to sit here
and say, well, if there are problems with a particular municipality and you
want to try to fix it, you know, that’s a good way to get involved. I’m hoping
that while I’m on the Board, that a lot of those... issues that had existed
when I came to the Village are going to be remedied. So we’ll have to find some
other impetus to get people involved in the Village ‘cause hopefully it won’t
be to fix the wrongs that we’re trying to right now.
CHRIS SANDERS
And Robert.
How would you encourage residents to be more active
in Village government?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Sure.
You know, Mark said everyone is busy.
But I’m going to bring it back to the fact that
there is no government that has an impact on residents like local government.
You need to make the time - as citizens - to pay attention to what’s going on.
And in terms of making efforts to make greater outreach to residents, I think
that there’s some stuff that the Village Board can do, perhaps weekly
newsletters, including events, stuff like that. It’s difficult to just kind of
go off of Facebook these days, because it’s all over the place. I think if
there were a controlled method to deliver what’s going on in the Village to the
residents, I think that might be the most efficient way of handling it.
CHRIS SANDERS
Okay, thank you.
All right, starting with you, Kevin, on this next
question.
Residents being the priority… how do we best balance
with economic interests and the follow-up here is like partying, noise,
congestion, etcetera. I guess especially as we’re coming into our busy
tourism season.
KEVIN TIMONEY
So… That’s[sic]… uh[sic]…
Can you repeat the question?
CHRIS SANDERS
Do my best.
Residents being the priority, how do we balance with
economic interests?
I guess I would read into that… uh[sic]… yeah
downtown… um[sic]...
KEVIN TIMONEY
So I think our main issue is the parking, and we
need to first address that. We have to figure out how we can get parking for
our residents, but also… get it for the people that want to come and spend
money in our restaurants… um[sic]…
And I think that is where… we have to… be creative
with our ideas. Is it reaching out to Tallman and seeing if we can get a permit
of[sic] parking there? Is it getting a bus that goes through downtown?
But I think first we need to work on our... parking situation in order to help
the residents, um[sic]… because I think that’s one of our main issues
here. So I think, once we can get parking under control, that’s a first step
for helping the residents and helping our downtown thrive.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you.
Jeff.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Parking is a chronic problem. You know, it’s a tug-of-war
between the interests of the residents and the business district which needs
parking in order to be successful.
Focusing on one of the issues, noise control, which
is a big complaint. Coincidentally, in the last Board meeting, we had called in
the owners of Trata because adjacent landowners were claiming that there was
noise pollution. They were having discos late into the evening. Complaints went
unanswered. So we brought the owner of Trata’s in and basically, you know, be a
good neighbor, and we won’t have to enforce our Village code, and our noise
ordinance, and cite you repeatedly. So, I mean, that’s one way of handling it,
is code enforcement. We have the codes on the books – like noise ordinance, and
we just have to enforce it. Bicycling, I mean, we just formed the Traffic and Parking
Committee. That’s going to focus on bicycling, traffic, parking, and things of
that nature. Thank you.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you. Robert?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Sure.
You know, I think one thing that might advance at
least the economic interests of the business owners in the Village as well as
those private interests of the individual residents is the formation of some
type of working group between those businesses and also residents, landlords,
representatives… This downtown business working group might be focused on
things like storefront vacancies. I know that’s something that’s sort of a
concern that continues to come up. Foot traffic, events, beautification…
I think the Village can take some initiative in
terms of forming this working group and have it comprised of everyone who could
contribute. And I think that might be an appropriate balance.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you… Mark.
MARK BLOMQUIST
Um[sic]… As I said earlier, I’m a 30-year
resident… um[sic]… Parking was a problem when I moved in. It’s a problem now.
Um[sic]… And I imagine it will be for the
foreseeable future, I think… and… um[sic]… Mayor Mitchell has alluded to
this… uh[sic]… One of the things we might want to start looking at for
immediate relief is the next time we have a restaurant go out of business. Um[sic]…
change things around so that inless[sic] they can come up with
sufficient parking, they can’t – it[sic]… or[sic]… not that they can’t, but it’s
not economic for them to open up as a restaurant. And they can open up as
something else… um[sic]…
Another thing that was mentioned was possibly
running vans up to… um[sic]… Tallman Mountain or… um[sic]… Tappan
Zee Elementary, and that’s[sic]… I think that’s something else we ought
to look at as well.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you.
All right. Next question… um[sic]... and
Jeff, I think this is probably within your wheelhouse. So we’ll get started
with you on this one as well… um[sic]... It’s about proper board
operations and awareness of Open Meetings Laws. So your thoughts on how a prop[sic]…
a board should properly operate under those laws.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Thank you. Yeah, that is in my wheelhouse. Based on
my experience, you know, I know how an efficient, responsible municipality
should run. And when I came here... you know, there were a lot of issues. The Village
was clearly in violation of Open Government Law. Things that should have been
recorded and documented were not.
I’m liaison to the Planning Board and the Zoning
Board of Appeals, as well as the Building Department. And one of the things I’m
working on is not only supporting them and the fine people that run those
departments and help along with this village, but making sure that the public
has access in advance of meetings to documents that are being considered,
whether it’s before the Zoning Board, the Building Department, or the Planning
Board.
CHRIS SANDERS
[OK]... And Robert, also your background as well, I
would guess... um[sic]… Open Meetings Laws, things like that.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Sure… So, you know, I think the entire Board of
Trustees is in here tonight. And I’m not trying to throw anyone under the bus,
but I still think we can do a better job in terms of publishing those things
that are set to be discussed at meetings.
This is something that I have ranted about probably
for the last two years.
And if I am somehow found to be in the position of
sitting on the Board of Trustees. I will make sure that every single thing that
is going to be discussed by this Village Board is published to the extent
required under law.
MARK BLOMQUIST
Thank you, Robert. Mark.
Um[sic]… I agree with both…uh[sic]… Jeff and
Bob that we can do a better job of this.
Um[sic]… Historically, it’s been much more
difficult… we always get compared to Orangetown… ah[sic]… with people
forgetting that Orangetown has a tax base that’s 19 times larger than Piermont
and access to a lot more resources. And in the last couple of years, I’ve seen
us catching up, and we… we are getting there. It’s just going to take a little
more time.
CHRIS SANDERS
Kevin.
KEVIN TIMONEY
Yeah, I think… on a similar note, I think it’s
communication. Um[sic]… you go to the website now. I know... um[sic]…
We… have agendas there, but I… I’m not seeing stuff from this month. It’s not
current. I don’t know where the… the… videos are. I would love to have more…
availability on the website for this communication, for all the meetings to
have… um[sic]… transparency, and I think that would allow the community
to be able to view everything and see everything and get a better view. So…
I think communication is of the major factor right now[sic]…
CHRIS SANDERS
OK… Thank you.
All right, Robert, starting with… um[sic]…
with you this time.
What is the question you hear most often from your
neighbors, and what do you think the Village can do to address it?
So what are you hearing out there?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
To be honest with you, the question that I hear most
is what’s happening with the Triangle Lot.
I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t think
anyone here does. My understanding is the Village has repealed the law which
enabled what it was that was going to be built.
But in terms of things that I’m hearing from my
neighbors, that is frankly what I hear every single time. Another thing that I
hear is... And he’s in the audience tonight. Dan Goswick is constantly talking
about how we do not have affordable housing for first responders.
I think that’s something that the Village should
look into, whether it be purchasing land to assist, working with the Fire Department
to identify land that they could possibly obtain. I think that’s something also
that deserves some attention.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you. Mark.
MARK BLOMQUIST
Uh[sic]… I can[sic]… Maybe it’s just
my neighbors, but the complaint I hear most about is, what are you going to do
to make sure the Village is not so crowded on weekends?... Uh[sic]… We
can’t get downtown in our own village to get dinner reservations.
Um[sic]… There’s[sic]... Also, as many
of you know, you know, constant complaints about… uh[sic]… the
bicyclists. Um[sic]… parking… Uh[sic]…
For anybody who wants to make a… a stop downtown has
also been a perennial complaint.
Um[sic]… And… I’d say those are the big three.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Mark.
Kevin?
KEVIN TIMONEY
I think… the most highly questioned is[sic],
what’s happening with the downtown and the fence… uh[sic]… Do I know
anything about it? Has it gone through the Zoning Board?... um[sic]…
Do we know when it’s coming down? So I always let
everyone know, it never actually made it to the Zoning Board. There’s some
false pretense that it went to the Zoning Board and we okayed it. This was back
about two years ago, and I let them know that, no, it never actually made it to
the Zoning Board, but it’s… everyone wants to know what’s going on with the
downtown triangle and…uh[sic]… when the fence will come down.
CHRIS SANDERS
Jeff.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
That’s usually the question, but I’ll segue
into something else since a couple of people already opined upon that. It’s
safety downtown, it’s traffic, and it’s parking. And we’ve got a newly-formed Traffic
and Parking Commission. One of the things we’re talking about is re-routing the
traffic patterns in the downtown, on Chicklesby[sp?] and Gair Street.
Noreen had brought on behalf of The Landing an issue with trucks loading and
unloading at the foot of Gair Street by the intersection of Piermont Avenue.
And if we made Gair Street one way, that would alleviate that problem. If we
made Chicklesby[sp?] one way instead of two ways, where the police cars
are parked, that would afford us more parking. We’ve got a DPW lot, and if we
move that equipment up behind the DP headquarters, we’d have another 40 spots.
If we take the grassy knoll on the left side of Gair Street going into The Landing
and we cut it in half, we could put another 20 spots there. There are a bunch
of things that are in the works that we could do to improve traffic and parking
and safety in the downtown.
Bicyclists, you know, enforcement is the answer
there.
CHRIS SANDERS
Okay, thank you, Jeff.
And um[sic]… I’m kind of leading into this
next question, starting with you, Mark… uh[sic]…
What are your thoughts on the CBM zoning?
MARK BLOMQUIST
It would take me a whole lot more than a minute to
properly answer that question. And I’ll say I’d be happy to talk to any of you
out there at length about that.
Um[sic]… I would say, at this point, when it
went through, if any[sic]… for me, at least, and probably almost everyone else
on the Board…um[sic]… if we had known how much vitriol and
misinformation and pain that was gonna… have cost, we never would have voted
for it. I did vote to repeal it… um[sic]…
And… right now we’re waiting on some new proposals
for the Comprehensive Plan, and I’m looking forward to…put[sic]… working
on that and coming up with something that is more restrictive than what we’ve
got…uh[sic]… in place already.
CHRIS SANDERS
Kevin?
KEVIN TIMONEY
Yeah, so… I’m excited to see what happens with the
new CBM… um[sic]… I know that there was a Comprehensive Plan done in the
past.
I know that we spent a lot of money on that, so… I
would hope that we can... take stuff from that Comprehensive Plan.
What we all agreed upon, I think the major issue
that people had with the CBM and the Comprehensive Plan… all these issues were…
there wasn’t enough involvement. People didn’t know about the meetings. They
didn’t know about what was going on. So I think… starting from letting people
know when these meetings are going to be happening, who’s part of the… Comprehensive
Plan, who’s part of… like[sic]… obviously the Board of Trustees for the
CBM, but... letting people know what’s being involved[sic] and when
they can go to these meetings… and… there’s full community engagement, I think,
would be very... uh[sic]… the first step to making sure that… uh[sic]…
we get a… Comprehensive Plan [nervous laughter].
CHRIS SANDERS
Jeff.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
The CBM was a mess. I lay the blame on that at the
feet of conflicted Village Counsel. He was representing the Village as well as
one of the landowners of the Triangular Lot. Should have never had his
fingerprints anywhere near the CBM, nor should he have been advising the Village
on the CBM. CBM has been repealed. We are now in the process of updating the Comprehensive
Plan because there were issues with that. Once that is updated and finalized,
we’ll be working on a new zone for the downtown, whether expanding the B[B] Zone
that’s currently existing now with the repealing of CBM, whether it’s a new
zone, but I can assure you - the intent is to have village residents involved.
There will be notice. There will be numerous public hearings. We’ll engage
experts to help us with the development of the downtown. There will be an Architectural
Review Board in place as well as a Traffic and Parking Commission, all to give
input into the zoning downtown.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Jeff. Robert.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
I think everyone knows how I feel about the CBM.
At this point, I think the biggest concern that I
had, at least when I first looked at it, was that it essentially gutted the
need for any type of a Zoning Board Of Appeals.
It made things permissible as of right. It maximized
“developability”.
In terms of floor-area ratio and size and scope, I
think that downtown is 95% of the reason why every single person in this room
has moved into this Village. It is a gem. Anything that goes up against that or
threatens that is something that I will have an issue with and will fight to
stop.
CHRIS SANDERS
All right, I think it’s Kevin, right?
BARBARA SCHEULEN
I believe so.
CHRIS SANDERS
Okay, looking at my list here.
Preserve Piermont has posted and re-posted vitriolic
attacks on village residents and officials of differing opinions. How can you
help get control of this damaging behavior?... so hard on our community.
VOICE OFF-CAMERA
[Unintelligible].
CHRIS SANDERS
Yeah, let me run that by you again.
Preserve Piermont has posted and re-posted vitriolic
attacks on village residents and officials of differing opinions. How can you
help get control of this damaging behavior, which is so hard on our community?
KEVIN TIMONEY
Yeah, so… I’ve stated before, I don’t use social
media as a weapon. I try to use it as a tool to educate people. I think it
comes to... One, having openness and a respect for everyone. I think if you’re
an administrator of that group or whatnot, you have the right to delete hateful
comments or something that would be... considered harassment. I think you have
to, you know, it’s[sic]... instead of making it a closed group, you have
to open it up and allow people... like[sic]… I don’t understand the
reason why it’s a closed group to... talk about people, to make fun of people.
This is a small community. It’s a small village. It’s gonna… get around. So why
not have open-mindedness… and create rules… and… make respect the number one
priority of it.
CHRIS SANDERS
OK. Jeffrey.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Preserve Piermont has been, I believe, unfairly
painted because of the actions of one individual who keeps getting brought up
like Voldemort. You know, the person whose name will not be repeated. He’s not
even a resident of the village. I’ve never met him. I’ve never spoken to him. I’ve
never had any contact with him.
This goes back now a couple of years. And when he
was shut down in Preserve Piermont by the administrators there, he opened up
his own blogs, and his own website, and his own Facebook groups. But that
stigma seems to always want to be attached to Preserve Piermont, even though
they cut him off at the knees, they made him go elsewhere, and he obviously had
a vendetta himself with certain village officials.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Jeff. Robert?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Sure… So I am one of the administrators of Preserve
Piermont.
You know, it was a tool in terms of bringing
information to the residents who would otherwise not have that information.
In terms of vitriol and hate and rhetoric and all of
that stuff, this is social media. So, as an administrator, I control[ed] that to
the best extent that I could. There are rules for the page. There are controls
for the page in terms of posts review, etcetera. I think that is
something that we identified early on and tried to do, and it has somehow now
become a convenient political talking-point to attribute Preserve Piermont with
hate and vitriol, and I just completely disagree with that. At the end of the
day, I understand that there are volunteers and there are public officials who
work for this village.
Can I finish this?
VOICE OFF-CAMERA
Um-hmmm…
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Thank you… But at the end of the day, you are a Public
O-fficial.
It does not matter what is said. You put yourself in
the spotlight, and it’s fair game. And some people on social media... take
advantage of that, and I fully sympathize with those volunteers who had their
pictures displayed, their names tossed around. I sympathize with that, and we
have tried to control it to the best that we can.
But at the end of the day, as a public official.
This is America. You have the right to say what you would like about public
officials in a public space. And I think that’s something that also sort of
gets brushed to the wayside.
CHRIS SANDERS
OK… Mark.
MARK BLOMQUIST
I… I would agree with Jeff. I mean, the principal
problem with this was that…uh[sic]… the people that were stirring things
up…um[sic]… lying…um[sic]… making things up, making baseless
accusations… were non-residents. And they were just doing it to entertain
themselves. There was some misinformation, which I think was re… regarding the
way things worked with… uh[sic]… some of the Board’s decisions. Um[sic]…
but I do think… some of that was… all of that was really just not understanding
how things had evolved. Um[sic]… and the best thing you can do is… y’know…
um[sic]… try and shut that down the minute it starts by leaning on the
administrators, but the problem is once the cat’s out of the bag, it’s… a… a
genie that’s very very hard to put back in the bottle[sic].
CHRIS SANDERS
OK… Then now… it’s kind of a… good follow-up, Jeff,
starting with you.
The question is, do you see social media as a
hindrance or a benefit to the job of Trustee. And I think I’m going to tack-on
to that, if you’re going to talk about a benefit - How? Let’s get to the meat
of that.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
It can be used as another tool for getting the word
out. As Kevin had aptly said, getting information to the people, it’s just one
tool that we can use. We have a new Village website. That’s another resource
that can be used. A lot of people in the Village, myself included, are up in
years and may not be as savvy as I am with social media and Facebook and things
of that nature.
But for the rest of us, you know, it’s a valuable
tool to get the word out. And I think it’s... it’s more valuable than it is a
detriment, particularly if it’s handled correctly, to inform the public and
engage the public, which we try to do.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Jeff.
Robert.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Can you repeat that question for me, please?
CHRIS SANDERS
Sure.. um[sic]…
Bear with me. Here we go.
Right. The question itself was, do you see social
media as a hindrance, or a benefit to the job of Trustee. And I kind of tacked-on,
if you’re going to talk about a benefit, or even a hindrance - How? Is it that?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
I think social media is both a benefit and a
hindrance. I think that... For example, even with this data center, right?
Everyone there is incredibly well-organized. You have people going to meetings.
Everyone knows what’s going on. And that trickles up, frankly, to the elected
officials and those officials that are presiding over these things.
Some officials, frankly, I don’t think... read
anything. I think they get their information from social media. So it can
certainly be an effective way of communicating with your government. In terms
of hindrance, like your prior question, it’s difficult to control. It is a very
ugly animal, but it can also be a tremendously helpful tool.
I am sure now that I am running for something in
this village that I’m gonna have pictures of me all over the place with a crazy
mustache and a shaved head… and a shaved head, and frankly, I understand that,
and I’m OK with it because that’s what you take on.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Rob. Mark.
MARK BLOMQUIST
In my tenure as a Trustee, I was very fortunate to
serve with one of the wiser people I ever met in my life, who was Trustee John
Gussow. And as social media was just getting big, I’ll never forget her
comment, which was, “I want to meet the genius who decided it was a great idea
to let everyone with an IQ of 4 post things on the Internet with no editor and
no fact-checker”. I tend to agree with that. I think it is often more of a
hindrance, but you know it’s there as Bob said – as elected officials, we have
to deal with it. You have to make the most of it and do your best to keep an
eye on the administrators.
CHRIS SANDERS
Kevin.
KEVIN TIMONEY
I’m going to be an optimist and I’m gonna say it
could be used as a tool. You know, if you’re the... the Board of Trustees and
you’re the responsible porty[sic]… party for the social media, hopefully
you can control it in a narrative that you want and… make sure you get
information out. You know, we spoke about something similar at the Orangetown
Democratic Committee last week about the school board and how we could have
gotten more awareness for someone. So I think one of the candidates we don’t
think used social media enough, and I wish they had because they were a great
candidate. So I think if you use it, as I mentioned before, like as a tool, it
can be really insightful and helpful. But you got to come with the punches[sic]
and let it slide off you for all the hindrances. But… I think overall,
if you’re the one in control of it, it can be used as a tool.
CHRIS SANDERS
Jeff.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Didn’t I answer that question first?
CHRIS SANDERS
Oh, you did. I’m sorry. Yes, you did.
Okay.
[Oh, boy]. Robert, yeah. Thank you.
Do you believe the current President is good for
America?
The current President is good for America.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Did you get that into the mic the second time?
CHRIS SANDERS
I don’t know. Do you believe the current President
is good for America?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
I think the current President is good for half of
America. I respect... everyone’s opinion, everyone’s candidate of choice.
Personally, I’m not looking to get involved in a
debate on national politics at this moment. Are there things that I am
dissatisfied with as an American? Are there things that I am worried about as
an American? Absolutely. And these are some things that keep me up at night. But
in terms of this, what we’re here for tonight, I think this is a question that
is going to hurt anyone that speaks on it. So...
CHRIS SANDERS
Going down the line, Mark.
MARK BLOMQUIST
No.
CHRIS SANDERS
OK.
Kevin.
KEVIN TIMONEY
Mark stole my response, but No. As a gay man with an
adopted daughter, no, I don’t think he’s a good man or a good President.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
There’s very little, if anything, that could make me
happy with President Trump… that he’s done or plans on doing.
CHRIS SANDERS
Yeah, didn’t quite catch that.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Oh, I’m sorry. There’s very little that I find
redeeming in anything that he’s done or said or plans to do. You know. I feel
like we’re all on the same page, at least with regard to that. Now, that’s not
to say that I don’t judge people, whether they’re Republican or Democrat, or
independent, or liberal, or conservative. I judge people for who they are, not
what their political affiliation is. Having said that, yeah, I have a problem
with President Trump.
CHRIS SANDERS
Mark, what efforts would you bring to have greater
transparency in Village government?
MARK BLOMQUIST
Um[sic]… Going back to some things that were
discussed a little bit earlier… um[sic]… as I mentioned, we had a bit of
a problem with financial resources and having things available in Village Hall…
um[sic]… But I would make a real effort to get things up to date, which
I know the Clerks have been working… uh[sic]… very hard to do, and
making sure that... um[sic]… all the meeting materials that we get to
review as Board members are available to the general public at least… um[sic]…
the Friday before we… uh[sic]… vote on anything and… um[sic]… do
a little bit better job about… uh[sic]… posting what’s going to be
discussed at… uh[sic]… various meetings.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Mark.
Kevin?
KEVIN TIMONEY
Yeah… So… I know that there is a new website coming.
I would love to be a part of helping get that done. I’ve worked in technology
for over 20-plus years. I’ve worked on projects big and small… um[sic]…
I have an arsenal in my office of similar types of projects. I would love to…
bring some of that here and… you know… pick out stuff, let’s read it, see what
we can use at a cheaper price or help the community, like the Village… uh[sic]…
get up to date and more current.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Kevin.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
I’m sorry, Chris, what was the question?
CHRIS SANDERS
Sure.. uh[sic]… What efforts would you bring
to have greater transparency in Village government?
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
What efforts?
CHRIS SANDERS
What efforts, yeah.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Oh, OK.
CHRIS SANDERS
Efforts.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
I’ve already started doing it with, I feel, with
videotaping Village meetings, which were not in existence before I started
videotaping. The Village website is a great source for transparency.
I’m working with Michael Wright to... live-stream
our Village Board meetings to people who can’t or [are] unable or unwilling to
come to the Board meetings themselves so they feel like they’re part of the Village.
You know, updating the Village website, making sure
we comply with Open Government Law, videotaping Village Board meetings,
noticing adequately, Village Board meetings, Planning Board meetings, Zoning
Board meetings. I think all of that can increase the transparency that had been
sorely lacking, at least in my opinion, over the past several years in the Village.
CHRIS SANDERS
Great. Thank you, Jeff.
Robert.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
I’d like to come back to a theme that I have also
heard for the last two years. I fully appreciate that this is a small village,
but prior to any of these issues, the Village was completely able to comply
with the Open Meetings Law by providing the materials that were set to be
discussed at meetings in advance on the Village website. There was a
substantial gap. And to suggest that... we can’t do it is, in my opinion, and I’m
thinking as an attorney here, right, you’re required to post these materials to
the extent practicable. So the suggestion repeatedly that this is a small
village, it seems to me to try to be an escape-hatch. I think this village was
capable of complying with Open Meetings Law previously, and I think it still
remains capable now.
The New Village website by Civic Plus…. Can I
finish?
CHRIS SANDERS
Sure.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Thank you. Civic Plus is a great program. It’s
easily navigable, and I think it’s going to alleviate a lot of the burdens that
Jennifer and the other Clerks in the Clerk’s Office have had to deal with. In
terms of bringing greater transparency to Village Hall, one thing that I would
suggest is that the Village have open meetings quarterly with residents just to
shoot the crap. I think that encourages people to pay more attention,
encourages participation, and I think that’s something that would... certainly
encourage transparency in Village Hall.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Robert.
Um[sic]… Kevin, starting with you on this
one, and it kind of related to... uh[sic]… Something you just brought
up, Robert, in terms of like... issues that pop up... uh[sic]… I guess this is
new. There’s been an uptick of noise pollution around Flywheel Park.
Specifically, motorcycles and unmuffled cars circling the park, then the marsh
and back. What can be done to stop this before it becomes a major problem?
KEVIN TIMONEY
So… we would need… so thankfully we are a village
that has our own Police Department. I think we need to get the police at those
spots where the high-traffic motorcycles and… uh[sic]… noise is going…
um[sic]… on those days where the weekends… beautiful evenings right now…
um[sic]… and make sure that they’re enforcing the… rules and the laws of
Piermont and making sure if… it’s motorcycles revving the engine, you know, ticket
them, making sure that they know that this is a place where there are a lot of
children running around. There is… uh[sic]… restaurants[sic]
right there. So… ticketing them and just police enforcement, I think, would be
the main issue or the main way to resolve that.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Kevin.
Jeff.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
You know, when it comes to noise pollution and
violation of our noise ordinances, it’s kind of easier to enforce it when you’re
dealing with a bar, a restaurant, you know, a venue, then it is when you’re
dealing with a transient, very quick transient issue like a motorcycle or, you
know, a souped-up car with a loud muffler. We are a small village, but with an
even smaller Police Department. And they can’t be all over the Village all the
time. So the minute someone will call and complain about something, even if it’s
a bar or a restaurant, a lot of times, and I’ve seen the police reports, when
the police get there, you know, the sound is now lowered all of a sudden
because someone got to the bar or restaurant owner and told them that the
police are going to be called or have been called. So, it’s a problem. It’s a
problem that I don’t have a really good answer to, when you’re dealing with
cars and motorcycles and things of that nature. They can ticket them if they
see them, but again, it’s an issue.
We’re a small village with a small police force with
only a couple of officers on at any given time and they’ve got a large area to
cover, including Grandview, which we have a police contract with, is to provide
them for services. And they’ve got to spend a certain amount of time on their
tours down in Grandview handling traffic and speeding down there.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Jeff.
Robert?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Enforcement. That is the best that we could do. I
mean, we have Chief Hurley and a number of dedicated police officers in this
village. If there is an issue and you see something, you should say something.
I think you bring it to the Police Department’s attention as quickly as
possible, and hopefully it’s addressed.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Robert.
Mark.
MARK BLOMQUIST
I agree. It’s also a matter of enforcement… um[sic]…
The Chief has always been extremely receptive to… um[sic]… problems that
arise, but unless he knows about them and the Board knows about them, action
can’t be taken.
CHRIS SANDERS
Yeah.
I’m... I mean, just to follow up. Personally, the[sic]…
[unintelligible]… it’s so specific.
The question is, well, was the police notified and
did they not respond? I mean, that’s really, I mean, we’re all kind of saying
the same thing. We have a small police force. They’re available to enforce
these quality of life issues for the Village, but... I mean, obviously, it’s
such a specific issue.
JEFF GORDON
Sometimes by the time they respond, whatever they
will call to respond to is no longer an issue or existing.
CHRIS SANDERS
It’s gone.
Right, I think I’m losing track. I think I started
with Jeff last time on this one, so...
KEVIN TIMONEY
I think I started that one.
CHRIS SANDERS
You started that one. All right. So then, Jeff, this
is for you.
How[sic]… to start, how important is it for
you to provide electric chargers to visitors and residents?
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
You know, we have a great Police Department. We have
a great Fire Department. We’ve got an existing issue right now that I’m aware
of and that the Fire Department wasn’t aware of initially, and that has to do
with car chargers inside the garage in The Landing.
And we know from experience up on 9W, when you have
an electric vehicle fire and the batteries start to catch fire and explode, it’s
potentially… it could be a deadly hazard. We have a potential hazard in the
garage where we have chargers that are working and plugged into cars on The Landing.
With regard to outdoor, I don’t think it’s something that we should expand our
possible liability and possible causes of fire in the village. We have enough
things to deal with. I don’t think we need chargers in the Village, whether
they’re inside or out. Certainly not inside.
CHRIS SANDERS
Great. Thank you.
Robert.
Not a trick question.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Yeah.
Look, you know, I think people are investing in
green energy. So obviously something is going to have to be done to address
those investments.
I think regulation is certainly something that would
be necessary for EVs, charging stations, but the Village has had a charging
station across from Village Hall for the last several years, and I don’t know
if it even works.
VOICE OFF-CAMERA
[Unintelligible].
Yeah, you know, look, if this is something that
needs to be taken seriously, I think you take a poll to see how many residents
in the Village even own electric vehicles, and then you take it from there. Yeah.
CHRIS SANDERS
Great.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
That’s all.
MARK BLOMQUIST
Um[sic]… if we could find a way to do it that’s
inexpensive and, for example, the Village wasn’t actually paying for it. We
were farming it out.
VOICE OFF-CAMERA
[Cannot hear you!]
MARK BLOMQUIST
Sorry.
Um[sic]… we were farming it out to… um[sic]…
some sort of a vendor to handle it. Um[sic]... I’d be okay with it, but
I… I… certainly don’t see it as a priority.
CHRIS SANDERS
Okay, Kevin.
KEVIN TIMONEY
I certainly think it’s… uh[sic]… nice to
have. I think there’s[sic] other priorities that we should tackle first,
but I think there’s[sic] creative ways… um[sic]… that we could,
as you guys mentioned, there are two charging stations… Why don’t we[sic]…
that are broken… replace those and do like a proof of concept with a vendor
that… there’s maybe no charge for us for… the… proof of concept to see how it
works and we go from there and then we work on a deal with the vendor if it is
successful to us, if not, then, you know, they take them out, but I think doing
creative ideas like procurements like that can help the Village.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Kevin.
All right, uh[sic]… the last question… uh[sic]…
before we do our wrap-up, unless there’s[sic] any other questions,
anybody want to scroll down? But… um[sic]… I… I think it’s a good
lead-in to your… your wrap-up. So, starting with you… uh[sic]… Robert.
And then we’ll go down and then we’ll come back with
the fu[sic]… with the wrap-up.
Uh[sic]… How would you balance personal,
professional commitments and your responsibilities as a Piermont Board member?
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
So I am a full-time practicing attorney. I have two
grown boys and a two-week-old son.
I have a wife who is also an attorney. It is
incredibly difficult to balance both professional, personal, and elected
commitments. But when you take this on, when you say, “Hey, I’m going to throw
my hat in the ring”, you stand to say you’ll do it. So, if anyone has any
doubts, for somebody that has three kids, an attorney who’s a wife and a
two-week-old, I’m here to tell you that I will be here if you call.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Robert.
Mark.
MARK BLOMQUIST
Um[sic]… I’ve been doing it for 19 years and
I’m not seeing any problems going forward.
CHRIS SANDERS
OK, thank you.
Sure about that.
CHRIS SANDERS
Kevin.
KEVIN TIMONEY
So… so… my number one priority is my daughter, and I’m
fortunate enough to have a husband… uh[sic]…family who live here, and
friends who have always been willing to help out and be here, so… um[sic]….
I’m doing this for my daughter, so... I don’t see a problem with it. I can
manage all. [Nervous laughter].
CHRIS SANDERS
And Jeff.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
I have two grown sons, one who lives in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the other one who lives in Tel Aviv.
So it’s sad to say the Village is my life. I have
nothing else going on. I mediate maybe twice a month for the Supreme Court
divorces. And I sit on the board of a large nonprofit that we meet either in
person at some fancy law firm in the city or we do it by Zoom. So I have plenty
of time to spend on Village matters - and look forward to it.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Jeff.
Okay, we’re about to move on to… uh[sic]… closing
statements from the candidates - which will be two minutes or so.
Um[sic]… I… I… just before we get started one
of the things I took away from the very beginning… um[sic]… All four of
these gentlemen talked about how they chose this village as home. And I think
that’s important to keep in mind as we look at them to… be potential members of
our Board of Trustees. So, certainly appreciate that… um[sic]… We’re
going to work backwards, starting with you, Jeff, and then Kevin, then Mark,
and ending with Robert on your closing statements.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Closing statement?
CHRIS SANDERS
Closing statement, sir.
Make the case. Close the deal. All right.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
All right.
CHRIS SANDERS
Bring up World War two. I’m gonna kill you.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Say?
CHRIS SANDERS
You bring up World War II, I’ll kill you.
JEFF GORDON, ESQ.
Yeah… No, no, no, no, no. You’re safe there.
Even before being appointed to the Board of Trustees
5 months ago, I felt compelled to serve the Village. I discovered, through FOIL
requests, the lack of documentation and minutes of public meetings,
particularly during a critical period of development in our history - in
violation of state Open Government Laws.
To help fill the gap, I invested in AV equipment and
began recording meetings myself. For over a year, I’ve made sure all recordings
were uploaded to the Internet where they can be viewed by the public. When
faced with that ridiculous, illegal fence downtown, I filed an appeal to the
Zoning Board of Appeals in October of 2024. I was stonewalled by the then-conflicted
Village Attorney in that attempt to have the fence removed.
As Trustee, I’ve worked to repeal the illegal CBM Zone,
which was repealed at our last Board meeting last week. I’ve also worked
diligently to have that blight in our downtown removed, and as you have
witnessed, that is happening as I speak.
I’m working with Trustee Wright towards live-streaming
village board meetings for residents who cannot attend, so they don’t feel
disenfranchised, but feel engaged and informed by their village. As Trustee
liaison to the Building Department and Planning and Zoning Boards, I am
committed to their support while at the same time ensuring that the public has
timely access to relevant materials in advance of meetings to increase the
awareness of projects being proposed. I continue to engage our local business
owners to refresh our Chamber of Commerce with our newly-formed Parking And
Traffic Commission to assist with those major issues facing the downtown which
threaten public safety and economic growth and success of all businesses in our
village. As your Trustee, I’ve attended numerous government-sponsored programs,
seminars, and workshops to further understand and better advise on the serious
issues facing our village, such as zoning, development, traffic, parking, and
the existential threats to our village of climate change. As Trustee, I’ve met
with residents on 9W since the group’s inception to help get officials to focus
on their plight and the dangerous life-taking conditions existing on 9W in
Piermont and Upper Grandview.
If elected to a full term, I promise to continue
these efforts and others to support open government and engagement of our
residents in the crafting of the future for Piermont that we all hope to build.
Thank you.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Jeff.
We’ll go for three.
KEVIN TIMONEY
I’m gonna keep it short. It’s hot. You guys are all
champs. Thank you so much for being here tonight. Um[sic]… I just want
to say… I wanna be part of this Zoning Board[sic]… uh[sic]… [nervous
laughter] the Board of Trustees because… um[sic]… I wanna be a voice
for… people who don’t have one, who are maybe afraid to go up and speak at
these meetings. I want to be able to... give everyone a comfort and a respect
that they all deserve as a Village residents[sic].
Um[sic]… I wanna make sure that there is
respect and accountability and I want to help with my public service and my
prior local Zoning Board um[sic]… uh[sic]… term, I wanna be able
to bring that all back here into the Trustee position and… uh[sic]… make
Piermont a place for the future for our children and… a great place for us. So
thank you.
CHRIS SANDERS
Thank you, Kevin.
Mark.
MARK BLOMQUIST
Um[sic]… I also… uh[sic]… wanna say
once again thank you to all of you who came down tonight… uh[sic]… I
would also like to say thank you to my fellow candidates here. You’re all aware
of the term “an embarrassment of riches”. What we’ve got here is an
embarrassment of talent, and it’s a real honor to be running against them.
Um[sic]… I’ll make this part short... I’m the
only one here running on a record. I’ve been doing this 19 years. I think I’ve
done it really well. I know the job well. And I’d… I’d… love the opportunity to
do it… uh[sic]… for one more term. So thank you all.
CHRIS SANDERS
Robert.
ROBERT ZITT, ESQ.
Thank you. Thanks again to everyone for coming out
on a hot Wednesday. I appreciate it. And thank you to the organizers for
putting this together.
Tonight, you heard a lot about policy, about
priorities, and different visions for the future of the Village. At the end of
the day, the local government is ultimately about trust. It’s about whether
residents feel heard, respected, and represented by the people elected to serve
them.
I’ve decided to run because I love this village. I
think everyone up here loves this village. Everyone out there loves it.
You know, as an attorney, as a member of the Fire Department,
as a husband, as a father, and simply as a resident, I understand how important
community is.
I understand how much people care about protecting
what makes Piermont a special place.
I’m not running because I think everything is
broken. I’m running because I believe Piermont is something that’s worth
fighting for.
I believe residents deserve independent leadership
that listens, asks questions, and never loses sight of who government is
supposed to serve.
You may not always agree with me on things, but you
will always know where I stand. I will always be accessible. I will always
listen.
I will always put the residents of this village
first.
I would be honored to earn your support for Village
Trustee. Thank you.
CHRIS SANDERS
Again, and as Mark had mentioned, an embarrassment
of riches.
Uh[sic]… my appreciation.
Again, to the 4 candidates who are willing to take
their time, put themselves out there, to engage in the public sphere…um[sic]…
and… um[sic]… serve this village. So, hands for them and... We’ll look
forward to June 23rd and selecting 2 of these to be our candidates
for Board of Trustees. So thank you very much,
Margaret? Comments?
MARGARET GRACE
Yes, thank you. Thank you all so much for coming.
And thank you all for coming. I mean, it’s terrific to see you here tonight.
And please let your friends know that they can[sic]… this will be
published and you’ll have a chance to look. [Ooh, now I see how to speak]. I
want to remind folks here that on June 4th, at 7 o’clock, at the Village Hall,
there will be another such meeting. This meeting is to meet the candidates for
the Democratic Committee for Election District One.
So, um[sic]… it’s a… it’s a contested
election, and… um[sic]… it will take place at 7 o’clock at the Village
Hall. I don’t know if all of you are aware of what your Election District is,
but there will be… um[sic]… a... map going out to assure you if… if this is
related to your… uh[sic]… Piermont committee members or…or if you’re…
um[sic]… in Election District 33, which… sort of tends to be the south side of
the Village and along Ferdon, the Sparkill Creek, and the apartments up behind
tend to be 33… um[sic]… the area that is, north of… um[sic]… Ash
Street is mostly Election District… um[sic]… 1, and that’s the Election District
where the committee people are being challenged, the current committee people,
and there will be a… um[sic]… meet the candidates so that you all can
meet all the current committee people as well as the folks that are challenging
to hold those seats.
Um… and a lot of… um[sic]… I just have to say
that already the Internet is on fire about this. So it’s really... useful if
you’d like to… because I know most committee people and possibly all committee
people in Election District 1 don’t respond to Facebook posts. So it’s a...
really good opportunity to sort of hear person-to-person… um[sic]…
questions and concerns of the various candidates. So I highly recommend it… um[sic]…so…
uh[sic]… for you all to come, especially if you’re in Election District 1.
So that, again, is on June 4th… um[sic]… at 7 o’clock at the
Village Hall. If you have any questions, you can contact any of us. Thank you
all for coming. Thank you all for being here.
And thank you. I want to thank Talad... Tal-AD…
and I want to thank the rights, Maureen and her husband, Michael, for setting
this up for us. That was really great.
And also, Joan Chiaramonte, who came to help us
organize the questions. And of course, Chris Sanders. Thank you.
