Letters: Candidate Endorsements

Early and Murphy for trustees

I am very supportive of Marie Early’s bid to be one of our new trustees. Marie has volunteered numerous hours while working on the Zoning Board and assisting various other standing boards. She knows this village more than anyone I have met in the past 13 years that my wife and I have lived here. She is extremely passionate that she wants to be a vital part of the process of bettering while preserving the village’s history. Marie has the knowledge, experience and drive to get the job done in the seat of village trustee. Please join me with your vote for a better Village of Cold Spring.

I also believe that Fran is one of the village’s best choices for the office of trustee. First and foremost she has expressed her concern for how the governmental process has been and continues to be at a standstill on important issues, which either directly or indirectly affects us all. She has also expressed her interest in working with the remaining and to be elected “team,” which is again a plus in her column. She is intelligent, informed and has the heartfelt interest in getting the job done. Furthermore she has volunteered her time at the village office. She will definitely get my vote and I hope she gets yours also.

David Marion
Village of Cold Spring

Barney Molloy for mayor

I have been a very active senior when it comes to the Butterfield project. Since the Cold Spring Board of Trustees passed the project to the Planning Board with Barney Molloy at its helm, I have seen the MOST movement on the project. His team has seen that everything has been looked at, down to the very nitty-gritty, such as tree placement, bushes and flowers, and making sure that the “green space” on the property is not being touched.

I am amazed at all that goes into a project of this size and through many hours of my attendance … some being grueling but informative and I might add “not falling asleep” while doing it. “You can rest” in knowing Barney has your back! He is competent and intelligent and will be the one who will do Cold Spring proud. Please vote for Barney Molloy for mayor.

Donna Anderson
Garrison

VOTE for the team

VOTE for Change That Works for Cold Spring! Vision, Objectivity, Transparency and Effectiveness — what a great idea and that is exactly what I plan on in the next village election. I will be supporting Barney Molloy for mayor and Bob Ferris for trustee so things can happen in this village. Please join me and vote for Barney and Bob on March 18.

Cheryl Allen
Village of Cold Spring

Vote Molloy/Ferris

I am writing to encourage Cold Spring voters to get out and vote for Barney Molloy for Cold Spring Village mayor and Bob Ferris for trustee on the Cold Spring Village Board of Trustees, March 18. I greatly support Barney for mayor because I believe he can guide the board to bring forth all the best for our community. I have sat through many Planning Board meetings and have seen firsthand how he oversees the meetings with great expertise, intelligence, dignity and respect for his fellow board members as well as members of the community, especially including seniors and other Village Board members, all without any malice or negativity.

I have been so impressed how he has done everything possible to ensure that the Butterfield development will be the best that it can be. He has shown a lot of care and concern for the seniors of our community and listened intently to what is needed, not only for seniors and citizens now in the present, but for the future.

I am also greatly impressed with Barney’s running mate, Bob Ferris, running for trustee. Here we have another outstanding citizen who will bring to the table his great experience and knowledge, and success regarding the law enforcement, especially in the line of dealing with our problems here with drug trafficking in our area! I will feel very safe and secure knowing he is on our Village Board, especially since he is co-chair of the Haldane School District’s Safety Committee, which monitors and participates in reviewing issues of concern within the district!

Again I encourage you to vote for Barney Molloy for mayor and Bob Ferris for trustee, March 18. Their slogan is VOTE, which means Vision, Objective, Transparent, Effective. I believe all this is definitely true of these valuable men.

Shirley Norton
Village of Cold Spring

Former superintendent endorses Merandy

It’s been my preference to avoid injecting myself in political campaigns during my tenure as superintendent at Haldane. Now that I am retired from public life I feel compelled to sound in on the mayoral campaign of Dave Merandy, former school board president and trustee during my time in the district.

If I could vote in the local election I would vote for Dave Merandy. Let me cite a few reasons.

Concern for the public welfare. Dave cares deeply for his hometown. We may have disagreed from time to time on specific issues, but I always knew that Dave wanted what he felt was best for the school district.

Tough negotiator and good steward of public monies. Community leadership is a balance between affordability and spending for the public good. Dave is frugal by nature. He “gets it” and understands the financial climate post–“Great Recession.”

Growing as a leader. Dave initially entered school politics from the perspective of the “critic.” I need to go on the record by acknowledging that I consider Dave Merandy to be a friend even though we rarely socialize. He is smart, trustworthy, insightful, and forthright. Over time I saw Dave grow as a leader. He evaluates both sides of an issue and his final decision is always about what is best for the general community.

In conclusion, working at Haldane has been the greatest source of professional joy in my lifetime. Dave Merandy became involved in school governance during an important transitional period. So much was accomplished with capital improvements, financial stewardship, and instructional achievement with him at the helm. I believe that he will bring the same level of passionate leadership to the village that he loves.

Mark Villanti
Former Haldane School Superintendent

Haldane board president backs Merandy

As someone who appreciates citizen engagement I’m happy to see the village has an excellent pool of candidates for our upcoming election on March 18. No matter the outcome, each individual should be complimented for stepping up — thank you.

I do want to comment on one candidate, specifically, and my insight comes from working side by side with him over the course of many years. Dave Merandy and I crossed paths back in 2004 when I first ran for the Haldane Board of Education. As crazy as it sounds, Haldane (back then) had a lot of the same political undercurrents as we see in the village today: a public entity that seems to generate headlines but not always in the most favorable light.

Dave was one of the many who rose above the status quo and petty dynamics to set an example for a transparent, cooperative system of public governance. Dave was one of the original members of the Haldane Grounds Committee in 2006, which laid the groundwork for the successful turf project. Dave was an active board member who helped oversee the construction of the high school annex building and fought relentlessly to protect the district from potential low-bid cost overruns.

When Dave took the helm as board president he set the tone for an open and honest form of governance. If a mistake was made, his approach was to acknowledge it, fix it and move on. It was refreshing to work in that environment. Dave was a longtime member of the negotiations committee and was able to navigate the complexity of the process with favorable outcomes. Dave’s most noteworthy accomplishment was leading the BOE in the hiring process of Mark Villanti, Haldane’s recently retired superintendent.

Dave and I did bang heads on occasion and his sense of “passion” has the potential to trigger lively discussions, to say the least. But I will say that “passion” was what made him effective, and those of us who worked with him always took a second look at issues because he had no agenda. He just plain cared about Haldane and its community. He’s a thinker, an excellent judge of character and, frankly, a good guy. He’ll push the people he works with but, ultimately, isn’t that what we want in our elected leadership?

I encourage you to support Dave Merandy for Cold Spring mayor.

Joe Curto
Village of Cold Spring

Vote for Molloy/Ferris

I am asking my fellow village voters to join me in voting for Barney Molloy for mayor and Bob Ferris for trustee in the Cold Spring Village election on March 18, 2015.

Barney Molloy’s far-reaching experience in civic affairs, nonprofit agencies and governmental positions has honed terrific organizational and management skills. Barney Molloy has repeatedly exhibited these skills during his tenure as the chairman of the Cold Spring Planning Board and with the several other volunteer committees in which he has devoted much time and effort. Also, Barney’s 18 years in private sector work at MetLife/State Street, as a business financial planner, will bode well for our village, as we face numerous and varied future budgeting issues and constraints.

Bob Ferris has made a career of service to our country, town, county and, of course, our village. Service in the U.S. Army, being town dog control officer, a 32-year career with the Sheriff’s Department and volunteering to serve on the village parking committee and the Haldane safety committee have all helped to develop Bob’s philosophy of “Let’s Get the Job Done!” Bob Ferris is especially concerned about the tax burdens facing our village taxpayer and will, therefore, work diligently to make certain we get the “biggest bang for our buck.”

Barney Molloy and Bob Ferris have the professional backgrounds and governmental experiences and proven records, along with a willingness to work with all, regardless of differing viewpoints and philosophies, to lead our dearly beloved and unique village during present and future difficulties.

Once again, please join me in voting for Barney Molloy for mayor, Bob Ferris for trustee on March 18.

Bill Mazzuca
Village of Cold Spring