Skaneateles Lake used to be the second cleanest body of water in the United States, but that rank has fallen due to invasive species and toxic algal blooms. That breaks my heart. Also, this lake is the water supply for nearly 200,000 people, including those living in the City of Syracuse. If we move to ban poisons like glyphosate (found in Round-Up and Tru-Green) in the watershed; if we work together to assess the adjacent land around the lake and plant trees and rain gardens to decrease runoff; and if we stop granting permits and variances that add more impermeable surface around the lake, and honestly address the impact of farming and its effect on nutrient loading our water, we can save this lake and protect its water for future generations. I believe we can heal our political divides as we heal our water.
Transparent government.
When our current mayor broke environmental law in 2017 and further polluted Skaneateles Lake even after our first toxic algal bloom, more than 1,000 people asked him to resign on a petition, which is more than twice the number of votes he was elected with. Then, he proceeded to break constitutional law to illegally silence critics, until the ACLU reprimanded him. My opponent was a Village Trustee through all of this, and she chose to side with the law-breaking mayor instead of siding with her constituents. Enough is enough. It is time to put integrity and honesty back into our government.
Lower taxes.
Yes, we can lower taxes. Our construction projects in Skaneateles are outsourced and the tax burden is passed on to future generations. We spend tax payer money on misguided projects like the uninviting concrete park in front of Village Hall. As mayor, I would plant trees in that concrete park. I would also slash the sidewalk tax that my opponent levied on you.
Infrastructure.
In 2020, the Village put a sidewalk on the wrong side of the street. The construction on East Lake Street took nearly a year. Now, my opponent as a Trustee has voted to sue the Town of Skaneateles for nearly $2,000,000 for water infrastructure. I also know there are many Skaneateles residents who are frustrated by the way the Village has handled construction issues such as drainage in their developments. And now, the current administration is stonewalling its constituents in an attempt to shirk its responsibility for poor management decisions it has made in the past. Should I be mayor, the buck would stop with me.
Accessibility.
Simply put, within my first year in office, all shops, restaurants, and businesses within the Village would be fully accessible to people with differences in mobility, period. I’m not sure why this hasn’t been done.
Equality and togetherness.
We must prove to our surrounding communities that Skaneateles is an open and welcoming community. I stand against racism, and I am an ally of the LGBTQIA community. I spearheaded the movement for the Skaneateles Village Board to fly the rainbow pride flag at Village Hall for the first time in history, and started the local tradition of the Rainbow Corridors, when businesses in the Village band together and fly rainbow flags on their storefronts each Pride Month. I did this because strong gay-straight alliances decrease suicide rates and improve mental health in communities. Not to mention, Rainbow Corridors brings a great deal of business to our local Village restaurants and shops. We should be finding ways to work together and help the most vulnerable amongst us. It’s time for us all to treat each other like good neighbors.
Covid-19
This pandemic is one of the deadliest events in US history. We must continue to take it seriously. Wearing a mask while in public is the least we can do to show respect for the health and safety of others in our community. The fact that the governmental response to this pandemic has been politicized irks me personally. I was a freshman at NYU when I saw firsthand the deaths of thousands of Americans when the planes hit the towers. Now, this pandemic has claimed the lives of over 500,000 Americans. We should be protecting each other and valuing each other’s lives.
