Bruce For Trustee

For all of my life, I’ve known how important it is for us to vote, and especially this year, since you will ultimately decide whether I am elected. Your vote really does matter, and it’s the only way to get effective government in place. But there’s someone here in Suffern, someone in a position of authority, that doesn’t believe your vote is important.

That someone is Suffern’s Deputy Mayor, Jack Meehan. For reasons only he will ever fully understand, Jack has decided to publicly announce that you don’t matter.

Meehan is upset that our ticket (myself, incumbent trustee Trish Abato, and mayoral candidate Dagan LaCorte) won the Democratic primary over the team he backed, Mayor John Keegan and running mates James DeStefano and Rosemary Schultz. In fact, Meehan is so upset that he wants people to vote for the Keegan team, even though they’re not running anymore (for technical reasons, their names will still be on the secondary ballot line they secured earlier this year).

In his plea for support, Meehan writes, “Dagan defeated incumbent John Keegan in the Democratic Primary by a mere 87 votes.” Think about that for a second: “a mere 87 votes.”

What Jack is saying is that he knows better than you and the other people who voted for Dagan, that all of you who supported Dagan were wrong, and that he’s arrived on his white horse to set you straight.

Jack Meehan — who’s earned a Master’s Degree in Political Science, who’s served for well over 20 years in an elected capacity here in Rockland County, who is our Deputy Mayor — says your vote shouldn’t count, because HE doesn’t like how the primary turned out.

I’d like to remind everyone reading this about something very important — you have a constitutional right to pick whoever you want in an election. It’s not up to Jack Meehan, or any of the other old-line political hacks who are only interested in maintaining or expanding their base of power. When you go into the voting booth and close the curtain, you decide, and that might be the most powerful thing we can do in this incredible country of ours.

To be chosen by the voters in a free an fair election is a gift that I hope to receive, and that Dagan and Trish hope to continue enjoying. It’s not for us to say your vote doesn’t count. It’s not for ANYONE to say that. In America, we all matter.

You’ll have your chance to make that clear to Meehan next year, when his current term on the Village Board expires. If he decides to run for re-election, I hope you’ll remember how he feels about your vote. I know I will.

On Monday (October 12th), I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the Journal News, along with my opponents Robert Morris and Irene Walsh. Members of the newspaper’s editorial staff asked us a number of questions about the village and our plans for the future of Suffern. Walsh, Morris, and I shared our views on issues including the Orange Avenue redevelopment, 287(g), and selling our water, and you can watch the footage here.

I thought it was a great display of the differences in who we are and what we stand for — until the end. After Irene and I made our closing statements, Bob decided to go negative and brought up the name Ryan Karben. What Bob said was, “We paid him (Karben) $25,000 for work that nobody can find any billings for — very questionable, at best.”

Sorry Bob, what’s “questionable” is you and your back-door attack. Let’s go over some facts:

1. By saying there are no billings, you question the honesty and credibility of the people who work in Village Hall who wrote the checks out. Bad move — those folks are top-shelf.
2. By saying there are no billings, you question the integrity of Dagan LaCorte, hinting that he might have had something to do with some under-the-table dealings — though you chose not to say his name.
3. By saying there are no billings, at the very least, you imply that you or another member of your campaign have tried to look at the paperwork, only to discover it was missing.

These are all cheap, underhanded tactics out of the old-school political playbook, but it’s this last one, in particular, that I want to challenge you on. I went in to Village Hall this morning and asked to see the billings in question. I don’t think it took five minutes before I had the copies in my hand. It wasn’t so hard, and I didn’t get any special treatment — ANYONE could have filed the same Freedom of Information request form and gotten the documents in question.

What is it, Bob? Did you make a mistake? Were you given some bad information? Or were you taking an ill-advised opportunity for a partisan political attack with no basis or merit — in effect, were you lying, in order to help you win? And if that’s the case, was this a planned attack by your campaign?

Election day is just three weeks away (November 3rd). I’ll let the people of Suffern decide what your motivations were.

I believe in the truth. It’s how I live my life, how I raise my children, and how I will do the job of Trustee if the people of the village of Suffern choose me for the position.

(And do I even have to point out that the root of the word “trustee” is TRUST?)

With the primary season behind us, it might seem like things are quiet now, but there’s been lots of work getting done, with the general election looming on November 3rd. I’ve been reaching out to a lot of people to find out what it is they want their village government to do for them, and I have to say, I’m impressed with some of the ideas people have given me.

This has been an incredibly important time for me, since this is my first-ever run for elective office. I don’t claim to have all the answers — and anyone that does probably deserves all kinds of scrutiny — but talking to so many fellow Suffern-ites has renewed my faith that by acting together, we can all move forward.

We’re never all going to agree on everything that happens, and that’s fine. The important thing is that we speak about the issues of the day in a civil, constructive manner, and that we all work together to solve them. By doing that, we will set an example for our children and our neighbors about how things should get done.

Civil, constructive dialogue is what I expect on October 19th, when a debate is held between my friend and running mate Dagan LaCorte and his Republican challenger, Jim Giannettino. The Suffern-based Ramapo Times is sponsoring the event at Village Hall, and people can submit “issues of interest” via  debate@internetworkmedia.com — there’s every chance that some of those “issues of interest” might form the basis of the questions that get asked at the debate.

Civil, constructive dialogue is also what I share with one of my opponents, Irene Walsh. I’ve known Irene for a few years, and I don’t think either one of us is interested in attacking the other one. (I’m leaving Irene’s fellow trustee candidate, Robert Morris, out of this, because I haven’t met the man, so I don’t know where he stands on this idea.)

November 3rd is just around the corner. The people of Suffern spoke loudly and clearly when they voted for me, Dagan, and Trish Abato in the Democratic primary last month. Our friends and neighbors chose the truth over mean-spirited political rhetoric — false claims didn’t resonate. Funny, isn’t it, how just putting the facts out there and letting people decide for themselves is an incredibly effective campaign strategy.

As we move forward, we will continue to spread our message of positive, progressive leadership for the future of Suffern.

We’re less than five weeks away from the Democratic primary here in Suffern, and some rather interesting developments have occurred in the campaign. While Dagan LaCorte is ready, willing, and able to face John Keegan in a debate, Keegan refuses to do so. When asked why, he’s given a number of reasons, none of which really ring true (he thinks Democrats debating Democrats hurts the party? Yeah, I guess PRESIDENT Barack Obama really suffered after going nose-to-nose with SECRETARY OF STATE Hillary Clinton last year).

Only Keegan knows the real reason why he won’t stand up in front of you, the voters of Suffern, to make the case for a third term in office. I won’t speculate or call him names,  as some others have done. But keep this in mind — this is the same John Keegan who many people feel got to be mayor because of his performance in a debate four years ago.

Actually, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone following the campaign this year. While Dagan, Trish, and I have been going around the village to meet voters, listen to their concerns, and lay out our vision, Keegan and his running mates have been conspicuous by their silence — that is, except for the monthly Village Board meetings.

In that supposedly non-political setting, with the camera rolling, members of Keegan’s family have tried to embarrass Dagan, while themselves complaining about how “political” things have gotten. And yet the mayor felt it necessary to go after a leading member of the community this week because he didn’t like what the man was saying (the man, who I won’t name here, had the nerve to get up during the public participation section of the Village Board meeting and ask the mayor, in the nicest possible way, to agree to a debate with Dagan).

No one should be surprised by any of this. We’ve run an open campaign, aimed at moving Suffern forward, while the mayor and his crew stay mum. We thought that kind of politics was dead and buried, but it seems Keegan and co. didn’t get the memo.

Who will you vote for — our progressive, pro-active team, or people stuck in the past?

As we hit the unofficial start of the season, I want to take a minute to wish each and every one of you an amazing summer. It’s going to be a busy one around here, keeping my wife and children happy while also doing what I have to for the election, but I’m looking forward to it all.

We start the season on Monday (May 25th) with Suffern’s annual Memorial Day Parade. It should kick off at 10:30 a.m. in the “A” parking lot, at the foot of Lafayette Avenue. The veterans  and assorted Scouts (both girls and boys) will march to the soldier’s monument on Washington Avenue, just outside Sacred Heart Church, for some brief words about the meaning of Memorial Day.

As a Cub Scout Den Leader, I know the kids really get a lot out of the event, and it would mean the world to them (and to the former members of the armed services) to have their neighbors lining the street along the parade route. If it’s at all possible, please come out and lend your support.

I hope to see you on Monday at the parade, and then all summer long.

The Village of Suffern recently saw one of its personnel issues come to a conclusion, one that made the front page of the Journal News. The person in question is no longer on the village payroll and is no longer advising the village.

Regardless of your position on the matter, and there were enough voices on both sides to keep this issue in the spotlight for many months, we can all agree on one thing — it’s over.

Now, can we get down to the substantive issues that face us as Suffern moves forward? While we have gone public with several initiatives and ideas that are meant to aid village residents and to demonstrate our readiness and commitment to moving Suffern forward, all we’ve heard from our opponents are attacks levelled against us because of the personnel matter that’s now been settled.

They’ve offered nothing in the way of ideas or solutions. Is that by design, or do they really have nothing to offer except negativity and sloganeering?

As we head toward the primary in September, Dagan, Trish, and I are out there every day, trying to make life better for the people of Suffern. What have our opponents done for you lately?

“Suffern looking at solar-powered Village Hall,” says the headline on a recent article from the Journal News. Interesting, isn’t it, that the story came out AFTER I shared with all of you the news that we (Dagan, Trish, and I) are actively investigating the use of solar and wind to help power Suffern.

Coincidence? You decide.

According to the calendar, today (April 22nd) is Earth Day. It’s a great idea, to have people celebrate the planet, and hopefully, many of us will pledge to treat our home better by behaving better. None of us is perfect, of course, and the goal should be to do the best we can from day to day. But we can always do more.

In that regard, Dagan, Trish, and I are looking at ways to make Suffern the greenest place in the Lower Hudson Valley. For starters, we’re actively checking out solar and wind power opportunities that can significantly lower our municipal electric bill. There are a lot of ways to implement these kind of solutions, but we think we can do it at no cost to village residents. That’s right — we can save money and improve our environmental stance, and we can do so without raising taxes one penny. Does that sound like a win-win-win situation? We think so, and we’re confident you will, too.

A lot of people will tell you that environmental solutions are too expensive, that it takes far too long to recoup the initial outlay. To those folks, we say pay attention — it CAN be done, it HAS TO BE done, and it WILL be done. Remember, we plan to accomplish this goal without spending any of your money. It’s always easy to do good when it doesn’t cost anything. isn’t it?

Another thing we can do is look at hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles for village use. Mayor Keegan continues to ride around in a large gas-guzzler — as a matter of fact, it’s the SECOND vehicle that we, as village taxpayers, have bought for him since he took office. Whether it was appropriate or not for him to change out of his first car is a conversation we’ll have another time, but the fact that he didn’t make a better environmental choice should tell you a lot about his priorities.

Recycling is great. Changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs is great. Carrying reusable bags back and forth to the supermarket is great. As Suffern residents, we can all have a positive impact on our environment just by doing these small, local things.

Dagan, Trish, and I are ready to have Suffern demonstrate to everyone that hard working, progressive leadership with a will to move forward and solve problems can get things done and make a difference.

The above quote could easily apply to so many things going on around here. But for this entry, instead of just looking at the issues here in the village, we’re going to start with something just beyond the Suffern border.

As anyone who’s driven on Montebello Road knows, the Montebello Park estate is in the process of being turned into a 55-and-older residential complex under the name Rio Vista Of Montebello. While I’m sure everything will be gorgeous when it’s finished, I can’t help but be saddened by the condition of the property right now. What seemed like a small forest worth of old-growth trees has been chopped down, and the land is as bare as any picture of the Dust Bowl from the last century.

This is where the headline quote comes in. I drive past the site twice every day, as I take my daughter to and from her daycare center. Without fail, as we drive past the Rio Vista land, my daughter says, “That’s a big mess, daddy!”

Did I mention that she’s two years old? If she “gets it,” why can’t some of our elected leaders?

I can tell you, without any hesitation, that I’m opposed to this kind of dramatic clear-cutting and over-development within the Suffern boundaries. In fact, that’s how I first got involved in village politics — by opposing the development of the “Schwartz property” along Memorial Drive, which would have been disastrous for the Horton baseball field, the adjacent children’s park, and the village swimming pool, not to mention the harm it would have caused the people who live in the area (and I’m proud to be one of those people).

Contrast that with the actions of Mayor John Keegan, who supported the Schwartz property development. Maybe he won’t tell you, but he was perfectly happy to see about 25 houses built on that land — regardless of the proximity to the river, the location within the flood plain, the condition of Memorial Drive, and a host of other problems.

Again, I will vote against this kind of over-reaching, ill-conceived building, while the mayor supports it.

Who would YOU rather have representing you on the village board?

When you allow people to become leaders in your community, you are placing your trust in those leaders that they will conduct their business in the best interests of the public at large. That also means those leaders will NOT, in the course of their duties, behave in a manner that is blatantly partisan, acting without regard for what is right or wrong.

No one is perfect, everyone can and will make a mistake. But having said that, some of the leadership here in our wonderful village of Suffern has taken things to new lows. If you were present at the most recent Village Board meeting, you know what I’m talking about. If not, consider yourself lucky — the meeting ran for more than three hours, during which some of this nonsense was in full view.

Suffern has a Parking Authority, which does a great and necessary job. But did you know that (at least) one person who sits on the Village Board recently wanted to shut the Parking Authority down? Less than two weeks ago, that board member was vocal in his desire to see an end to the Parking Authority, for reasons no one will ever quite understand. Did he think there was a real benefit to Suffern moving forward without the Parking Authority? Was it political? Was it personal? I guess we’ll never know, since that same person “saw the light” before last week’s Village Board meeting and made a point to go on record with his support for the continued operations of the Parking Authority — while his fellow board members simply voted “yes” to have the Parking Authority charter extended. Odd, to say the least.

(And as a footnote to this subject, that same board member decided to publicly question Village Attorney Terry Rice as to whether the Parking Authority should be extended for 10 years. The board member was convinced the charter had only run for five-year increments in the past — even though the last such decision was made in 1998, I believe.)

While this display wasn’t necessarily one of Suffern’s best moments, the real fun and games were still to come. During the night, it became clear that some people on the board were withholding information from other members, with the Orange Avenue redevelopment project at the center of things. Regardless of your personal opinion about Orange Avenue, I think everyone can agree that having board members intentionally work at cross purposes doesn’t help anyone, and it hurts the village as a whole. (When asked, the mayor even admitted to participating in this kind of behavior.)

You know what? It’s completely unacceptable. I understand there’s an election this year, which has kind of split the Village Board. But in no way, shape, or form does that allow members of the board to unilaterally act in a manner that will bring harm to other elected officials, simply to retain power.

If you weren’t at the Village Board meeting last week, you missed quite a set of performances. While some members of the board were exposed for acting in an unsuitable fashion, others were busy doing the important work of the village. A clear distinction has emerged between the sides in the upcoming election — some people would prefer to keep things as they are, even though the old ways don’t work. The people of Suffern are demanding that the village move forward, and Dagan LaCorte, Trish Abato, and I will do just that, if you honor us with your vote.

It’s your choice as a Suffern resident — do you want the past, or the future?