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Letters to the Editor: Mayor Asks for Public Support

January 09, 2009

To the Editor:

Almost two years ago, village residents elected me to represent them as Mayor of Cornwall-on-Hudson.  I sought the position because I realized that the village was living beyond its means.  We were saddled with eight and a half million dollars of debt and poised to begin projects that were ill-conceived, poorly planned, and unnecessary.  But with the ongoing support of residents and greater involvement of the Village Board, I believe that we are in a better position to face old problems and address the challenges of the next two years.  

Village debt has been reduced by close to two million dollars and department heads are starting to realize that the money they spend should be treated like it belongs to the residents who write their paychecks.  The days of competing with larger municipalities are over and we can no longer grow services and equipment faster than our ability to pay for it.  We have not taken on any new debt in the past two years that could not be absorbed in departmental budgets.

Village residents have grown accustomed to a high level of services but understand the problems we face.  They realize that short of raising taxes, we must cut back on services.  As I prepared next year's budget, I was painfully aware of the bigger economic problems that affect us.  Income will be less and expenses will be greater.  And we cannot ignore the fact that some of our neighbors are living on less and feeling the burden of taxes beyond the village's control.

Many of us  live in Cornwall-on-Hudson because we feel removed from problems that face other communities.  Violent crime and overdevelopment are non-existent.  But the village has resources that are the envy of surrounding communities - a bucolic village center, three sources of drinking water, a riverfront park, and acres of open space.  We need to remind ourselves that they could easily be lost without proper oversight.   

I remain determined to continue the job I started two years ago as village mayor and trust that residents will do their part and continue to support my efforts.

Thank you for your interest in and coverage of the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson.

Sincerely,
Joseph J. Gross


Comments:

Good job Joe! Just wish you would take a look at recycling pick-up every other week opposed to twice a month with a third week in some months we find it difficult as a family finding room to store such quantities of recyclables


posted by john buescher on 01/09/09 at 9:20 PM

Now Steve, is that the proper way to complain by filling our landfills with items that could be used again? Yes, there is a need for some tweaking in garbage collections and I believe the board is continuing to look into the matter but for now there are two recycling refuse bins at dpw in which can be used.


posted by john buescher on 01/12/09 at 6:59 AM

Wow, Joe, you must be doing a heckuva job when the debate centers around whether recyclables need to be picked up 24 instead of 26 times a year!

I'd like to see something meaningful done about the traffic and deforestation threat that the deer overpopulation represents.

And don't stop fighting to cut costs. Everybody's got to make do with less these days. No exceptions.


posted by Jon Chase on 01/12/09 at 12:59 PM

... I meant 26 instead of 24 ...


posted by Jon Chase on 01/12/09 at 1:00 PM

The central reason why recycling is so important is that the village pays little or no cost for dumping versus a pound rate for landfill and of course the prospects of reusing is important for all of us.


posted by john buescher on 01/12/09 at 3:58 PM

Great job, Mayor Gross! The $2MM debt reduction in 2 years is quite an achievement! Ignore the recyclers and keep up the good work and open government.


posted by William Cumming on 01/12/09 at 7:16 PM

Max Bialystock,

LOL Friends with Zero Mostel I assume. Maybe Madoff too. Funny that you picked that nanme.


posted by P W on 01/20/09 at 7:44 PM

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