I have what my family and friends call a passion for local government. Good government. Efficient government. Transparent government.
It all started in 1970 when I moved to Yorktown from New York City, joined the Yorktown League of Women Voters and started attending Town Board meetings. It didn’t take very long before I realized the importance of town government.
Unlike Washington, DC, Albany or White Plains, it’s our local Yorktown government that directly impacts so many aspects of our daily lives: our roads, police, water, sewer and garbage services. It’s Yorktown that provides us with parks and recreational opportunities for all age groups, a library, museum and places to visit that remind us of our history. The value of our biggest financial asset, our home, is impacted by many of the decisions our elected officials make.
While raising three children and earning a Master’s of Public Administration degree from Pace University, I worked part time as a newspaper reporter covering Yorktown and later started my own communication consulting business and a niche book publishing business. But during most of those years, I kept an eye on what was happening in Town Hall.
In 2008, I started a web site, Citizens for an Informed Yorktown, ciyinfo.org, where I posted summaries of all Town Board and Planning Board meetings. Although I discontinued the blog in 2022, the original postings are still online as a historical record of town happenings; some issues keep recurring; they never disappear.
In 2010-2011, I had the honor of serving as your supervisor, and in 2015 as councilwoman, filling a vacant seat. From 2016 to August, 2024 when I was elected to fill a vacant seat on the Town Board, I participated in town government as a community advocate, speaking out on a variety issues of issues of concern to my fellow residents: development, including Underhill Farm; taxes, including tax breaks for developers; environmental issues, including clear cutting of trees, wetlands and solar; ethics reform; open and transparent government; sewers and other needed infrastructure upgrades. Beginning in 2023, I wrote a column on town issues for the Yorktown News.
My current term as councilwoman runs until December 31, 2027.