How well has Mayor Ken Bialo kept the lid on Larchmont property taxes during his 4 years?
Just ask the taxpayers in the City of Rye.

Under Mayor Ken Bialo, the cost of Larchmont’s terrific services has been a total tax increase over four years of 24% (incidentally, 2/3 of that total was due to huge STATE-MANDATED tax increases in employee pension and health care costs).  A comparable, very desirable place to live, the City of Rye, had a total tax increase of 44%.  Westchester County taxes rose 33%.  Increases in Scarsdale (22%) and the Town of Mamaroneck (26%) were comparable to Larchmont.

Mayor Ken Bialo has spent 4 years building consensus for a long list of accomplishments, including new streetscape, website, railroad station; Flint Park Expansion plans; update of 1968 zoning code; more sharing with other local municipalities; cleaner streets and stormwater.  The Mayor makes it happen -- over 97% of Board votes have been unanimous.

Do you want proven leadership you can trust?

• Mayor Ken Bialo stood up to the demands of the police union in 2004 for more benefits that could have cost Village taxpayers $1 to $2 million extra in present value dollars.                  
• Mayor Ken Bialo leads a lean, cost-effective professional Village Staff that works together.
• Mayor Ken Bialo led the way to use some of Larchmont’s $2 million-plus surplus to cushion the dramatically increased State pension costs.
• Mayor Ken Bialo led the way to Village borrowing in 2004 that was voted unanimously (Liz Noyer Feld and Marlene Kolbert voted yes), with highest Moody’s rating of the Village ever (AA-1), and at the lowest rate in memory (3.51%)

BUT – if you want more bureaucracy and even higher Village property taxes, vote for our opponents. 

• Liz Noyer Feld voted against this year’s Village budget because it was TOO LOW!  Who would have paid for that?  YOU.
• Liz Noyer Feld wants to hire a Village administrator for our 1 sq. mile.  Added cost --$200,000 or more?  Who will pay for that?  YOU.  Added bureaucracy?  Who will pay for that?  YOU.
• Liz Noyer Feld announced she wanted to give the police union more in the middle of the 2004 negotiations.  Now they have endorsed her in this election.  In 2004/05 police were paid $2.57 million for 26-27 officers.  You can do the math.  Who will pay for even more extras?  YOU.  And the firefighters union has endorsed her too – their contract is up next year.  Who will pay for that?  YOU. 

We say Keep Village Government Lean and Efficient, And KEEP THE LID ON OUR TAXES!

MAYOR KEN BIALO: A HISTORY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

Making Village Government Better:

• Instituted Saturday morning office hours to foster open and informal communications with residents
• Residents heard early at Board meetings, not at midnight
• Dozens of bi-partisan appointments to Village committees – new residents, those previously excluded
• Strong working relationship with other local Sound Shore Town/Village boards and leaders
• Instituted Board reforms, including requiring that a vote for a non-budget item over $5,000 must be on the public agenda; public airing of all important issues; no newsletter using taxpayer money during political campaigns
• Instituted a mid-fiscal year budget performance review
• Instituted new resident-friendly procedures in Village committees, commissions and boards
• Improved procedures in the Building Department
• Gave well-deserved recognition to Village staff and committee volunteers
• Hired separate, dedicated professional for fire inspections.

Tackling Tough Issues:

• Kept Village taxes as low as possible, in the face of drastic state pension fund increases, without sacrificing any Village services
• Continued the fight against budget-busting tax increases from the County
• Revised antiquated Zoning code, added bulky house regulations, strengthened Site Plan Review law
• Created Village Committee on the Issue of Open Space
• Improved coordination among the three land-use boards and with the Building Department
• Pressed successfully for County financing and help for sewer repairs to clean up Long Island Sound
• Negotiated current cable-TV agreement for the Village (and Town and Village of Mamaroneck), obtaining highest cable company funding per subscriber in County – recipient of LMC-TV’s Mary Anne Sullivan Award
• Working with the Quiet Skies Committee to reduce air traffic noise
• Recognized leader and strategist in the successful fight against IKEA

Improving Infrastructure and Community Quality of Life:

• Successful in obtaining more than 20 grants totaling over $1,000,000 for Police, Fire and Public Works Departments, and for environmental improvements and our parks
• Brought together many diverse constituencies to prepare plans for the once-in-a-lifetime expansion of Flint Park playing fields and new waterfront conservation area
• Encouraged and fostered creation of new “small-town” events, such as the Pet Parade and Outdoor Art Show, and supported Library’s creation of Big Trucks Day
• Instituted annual safety survey of Village trees with removal of dead trees a priority
• Planted approximately 250 new trees, with 80 more planned for 2006
• Launched first-ever engineering study of flooding in Pine Brook area
• Supported private-public partnership for improvements to playground in Flint, Addison and Palmer Avenue Parks
• New sidewalks, curbs, streetlights, trees, in the Boston Post Road business district
• Revised outdoor tables and chairs law to encourage more outdoor dining
• Successfully negotiated with Verizon to relocate its huge, unsightly fiber optic boxes
• Cleaner streets in both business districts, including Saturday afternoon

Trash pick-up

• Painted traffic light poles black to make them blend into the streetscape
• Village website revamped and modernized
• Improvements in stormwater management, including clean-up of stormwater runoff with new equipment for DPW, soon to be delivered
• Spruced up Larchmont Senior Center
• Pushed for specific commuter-friendly improvements (concession stand, air conditioning, larger waiting room) finally agreed to by Metro-North, and coordinated the reconstruction of the railroad station so as to minimize disruption
• Worked with Village residents to shape County plan for new Flint Avenue pump station and back-up generators on traffic islands
• Committed to acquisition of new Fire Department pumper truck
• Improvements to Pine Brook Park tee-ball field
• Oversaw completion of SSO project behind Flint Park and planning for improved landscaping
• Eliminated flooding on Addison Street
• Removed unnecessary telephone and sign poles to unclutter the streetscape
• Regulated hours of construction
• Supported Village Hall improvements, including replacement of boiler system, extensive renovation of Fire Department career staff facilities, installed new basement floor and new phone system
• Supported Opening of Saturday Farmer’s Market on railroad parking deck
• New traffic light system on Boston Post Road at Beach Avenue
• New trash enclosures
• Supported local merchants’ beautification efforts
• Joint Response Team with Mamaroneck Village as part of Emergency Preparedness plans
  

BUT THERE’S STILL MORE TO DO:

• Finish the Flint Park Playing Field Expansion and Waterfront Conservation Area
• Finish the renovations of Addison and Palmer Avenue Parks
• Continue to search for ways to share services among the Town and the Villages
• Extend streetscape improvements to the Palmer Avenue Business District
• Continue environmental improvements, including management and clean-up of stormwater and related problems, and dealing with flooding issues
• Complete the unfinished job of providing all-weather emergency shelter
• Continue to work to assure cable T.V. competition in the Village
• Re-assess the need for capital equipment and infrastructure improvements