What would they do if elected mayor of East Rockaway?

RICHARD MEAGHER: East Rockaway Freedom Party candidate

Q: What would be the first two things you would do if elected mayor?
I believe there is a pressing need to restore the top senior management position in the village and to “plug the hole” in grants development and grants administration on at least a part-time basis before meeting other pressing needs. Therefore, I would seek the support of the village board to launch an immediate search for a full-time village administrator who would also serve as clerk/treasurer. Internal and external candidates would be considered. Compensation would be competitive and in line with similar positions in the area. Secondly, I would seek a grants person, either a part-time employee or a consultant, to serve as a bridge or transition from the multi-titled Dennis McCabe, who retired reluctantly at the end of 2010, taking his grants expertise with him, to whatever permanent replacement for him is ultimately put in place for the village’s grants function. The shift was too abrupt, and grants and projects in progress have been put at risk.

Q: Residents are very concerned about taxes and services, among other things. If elected mayor, how would you keep taxes down and still provide, keep or improve village services?
Basic services need to be maintained and, where and when possible, strengthened and improved. Shared services with other municipalities need to continue to be explored — but the operating budget for the village has to be first brought under strict control. A no-growth operating expense budget for 2011-2012 versus 2010-2011 may need to be considered. Or, if that is not judged to be immediately achievable (based on such factors as a pending collective bargaining agreement, certain mandated cost increases, even modest inflation), then a small-growth operating expense budget for 2011-2012 should be developed, with, for example, a pre-set 2 percent maximum budget-to-budget increase limit established. Non-tax revenues need to be projected for this budget-in-development; the use from balance projected; total assessed valuation established; and the amount of revenue needed from property taxes projected. Various scenarios should be examined. There must be total transparency. Budget development should move out of the boardroom and into the meeting room with the public invited.

Q: Since the TOD plan was taken off the table, what would you do to entice new businesses into the village and to generate revenue?
I believe we must partner with the East Rockaway Chamber of Commerce in new ways, not only to entice new businesses into the village, but also to help them stay alive through their first year of operation and to help them grow and thrive. The village and the chamber must join forces with such other resources as the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide guidance and to assist these budding businesses to survive during those crucial early months.
We must also take steps to make sure that the Village of East Rockaway is seen as a place that is friendly and helpful to incoming commercial enterprises, whether that means making additional code revisions, developing appropriate business recruitment materials, or any other steps that we can identify.
I would work with the Chamber to develop a theme of “shop local,” encourage development and distribution of a Merchants’ Directory and have linkages through the village website; encourage an increase in group marketing efforts by local businesses with incentives for local shoppers, such as discounts or coupons; encourage development of training seminars for small business owners.
Q: What improvements or changes would you make, if any, to do this?
We must start with a new vision for East Rockaway. We must be imaginative. We need to strike sparks in greater East Rockaway and ignite the collective energy of our entire community. There is a spirit of volunteerism that must be tapped into.
I would utilize the new five-person board, the East Rockaway Chamber of Commerce, and a new broad-based Citizens Advisory Committee on the Future of East Rockaway to jointly and severally begin working on the development of a Master Plan.

Q: What makes you the most qualified candidate for the job?
I am independent and have 16 years of experience on the board. I love our mile-square village and want to preserve it and strengthen it. I am not beholden to any individual or group or local arm of a national political party. This allows me to truly represent the interests of village residents.



FRANCIS LENAHAN, East Rockaway Pride Party mayoral candidate

Q: What would be the first two things you would do if elected mayor?

I would cut $500,000 from the village budget in salaries, pension and benefit costs for unnecessary political appointees. Then I would use the money to give East Rockaway residents a tax cut.

Q: Residents are very concerned about taxes and services, among other things. If elected mayor, how would you keep taxes down and still provide, keep or improve village services?

East Rockaway operated for generations with a modestly paid village clerk in charge of day-to-day activities assisted by a building inspector and a part-time recreation director.  In the past administration, the idea that bigger was better took hold. All of a sudden we couldn’t function without a $152,000 a year village administrator, a $145,000 building superintendent, or an $111,000 full time recreation director. I firmly believe that our small little village doesn’t need those high priced political appointees in order to deliver top-notch services. If we were able to provide great village services for decades without them, I think we can do so again.  And I will take the money saved to cut taxes.

Q: Since the TOD plan was taken off the table, what would you do to entice new businesses into the village and to generate revenue?

First of all, my opponent wants village residents to have collective amnesia when it comes to the issue of rezoning Ocean Avenue and the Pathmark property for high-rise rental apartments (the so-called TOD).  Richard Meagher was, after the then mayor [Ed Sieban] the TOD’s strongest proponent. I stood up publicly and opposed it.

The first two steps we must take to entice businesses into our village is 1) cut taxes to make it more attractive for businesses to open or expand here and 2) cut the red tape and bureaucracy in the building department to make East Rockaway more business friendly. In just the past two years, two restaurants stopped plans to open at the waterfront (on the site of the old Ackerly property and Skippy’s Bait Store) because of impediments put in their way by East Rockaway’s building department.

Q: What improvements or changes would you make, if any, to do this?