By Jann Mirchandani, Candidate for Yorktown Town Supervisor
I’m running for Supervisor to bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to our town government. We need more transparency to ensure that the Town Board’s decisions are in the town’s best interest. And we deserve accountability when they are not.
I envision a Yorktown where we consciously and collaboratively strive to live up to our town motto: “Progress with Preservation”, where it is our mission, not just a slogan.
Progress demands a transition from fossil fuel to sustainable energy with all due haste. Preservation requires we protect our green space. How do we reconcile these competing goals? Solar energy is one solution.
Where land is already cleared, solar farms are great options for use of the land. Solar farms provide progress in transitioning to sustainable energy. Yet, cutting acres of trees in order to build solar farms fails to adhere to the principle of “preservation”. It is also unnecessary. Open space is readily available right over our heads. Rooftops and parking lots are prime real estate for such initiatives. Granite Knolls’ car canopy is a great start. What about the roof of the Albert A. Capellini Community Center? Let’s think bigger. Incentives for commercial building owners to add rooftop solar arrays offer the potential for mutually-beneficial public-private partnerships. And while we’re at it, let’s encourage more car canopies. A quick search on Pinterest (which is still a thing apparently) provides all manners of attractive solutions.
To make these types of projects viable, we need to do more than say that Yorktown is open for business. We must go out and court new investors. We need to build relationships with business incubator programs such as Launch 1000 and Ossining Innovates. We have to make our town’s bidding process more competitive, soliciting bids from veteran, minority, and women-owned businesses. We can also learn from neighboring communities like Peekskill and Cortlandt, which have benefitted from millions of dollars in DRI and similar grants.
None of this is easy, nor can we do it overnight. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.
I’ve run my own small business for over 20 years. I’ve served on nonprofit Boards for 30 years. I understand what it takes to take an idea and make it a reality. And I have the skills, temperament, and passion to do it. I look forward to working with Tom Marron, Steve Shaw, and Diana Quast to usher in A New Day For Yorktown.