Vote for the Entire
Unite Sleepy Hollow Slate
on November 4th!

Reasons Unite Sleepy Hollow and Sleepy Hollow Dems/TAG are different:

Issue #1: Parking

Dems/TAG:

To help with parking needs on Beekman Avenue, Jared Rodriguez (our Village’s Parking Committee Chairperson) and his TAG teammates pushed through the purchase of 64-68 Beekman Avenue. This property is a vacant lot with no car access. This has lead to the following results:

1. Almost $1,000,000 of taxpayer dollars went to the purchase of a vacant lot with no car access.

2. Jared and TAG decreased Village revenue by removing that property from the Village tax roll.

3. Jared and the other TAG Trustees said the property would be used to help with
parking during the construction on Morse School, demonstrating a total lack of
understanding of construction time lines (Morse construction will likely be finished before construction on 64-68 Beekman begins) and choosing to ignore the reality that even if constructed, cars will not be able to enter the parking lot.

USH:

To help with parking needs on Beekman Avenue, the USH team has been in discussions with the Village of Sleepy Hollow Building Department on the construction of a parking garage on the current municipal lot across from Village Hall. The benefits: at least three times the parking spaces that a flat lot (like the conceptual one at 64-68 Beekman Avenue) can provide, and the Village already owns the property, so no tax revenue will be lost.

Issue #2: Development

Dems/TAG:

Jared Rodriguez broke with USH because he did not want to complete the East Parcel in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan. TAG continues to (falsely) believe that the Village cannot afford to invest in this community property and development has completely stalled under TAG’s leadership, despite knowing that the longer we wait to complete the project, the more expensive the project becomes.

USH:

Completion of the East Parcel is a necessary and a huge step towards enhancing the Village we all love.

The Sleepy Hollow Common will provide a green space accessible by all Village neighborhoods and a centralized location for Halloween activities to help with Halloween traffic management. Moreover, it will provide at least 400 overflow parking spaces, which are desperately needed during our busy Halloween season.

Critically, the Sleepy Hollow Common is an essential component of Sleepy Hollow’s climate action plan, with its sponge city, wetland plantings, and flood mitigation swales.

Although not as glamorous, the facts are that our current DPW building is crumbling. It needs to be replaced. The good news is that we have designs for a fully sustainable DPW building at the East Parcel, and once built, the Village can sell the piece of property on which the current DPW stands for a considerable amount of money and get that property back on the tax rolls!

Issue #3: Finances

Dems/TAG:

The TAG team has continued to show their lack of financial acumen while spouting the false narrative of a near bankrupt Sleepy Hollow despite our Village’s current Aa3 Bond rating. Their promises to deliver in a number of areas without either raising taxes or borrowing money highlights their penchant for political rhetoric.

USH:

Every year we get increased tax revenue from Edge. These are not funds we are waiting on. These are funds we are receiving every year, and these funds are growing.

Projects are costly. We have two choices. We can live without critical infrastructure and sought-after amenities, or we can invest in Sleepy Hollow. If, as TAG suggests, we save up enough money for the projects, then most of us won’t be here anymore to enjoy them. Our tax dollars will go to a future generation of residents who will use our money to purchase the infrastructure and amenities we wish we had. However, if (supplemented by grants and the sale of Village-owned properties) we finance those infrastructure and amenities projects now, then we will enjoy them while we live here, and the people who enjoy them in the future will also pay into the costs of their construction. The idea that Sleepy Hollow can’t afford additional debt is a fallacy. Click here to read our newsletter to understand why Sleepy Hollow can definitely afford the additional debt necessary to complete these necessary projects.

Unite Sleepy Hollow's Response to Dems/TAG’s Accusations on National Public Policy Issues:

Response #1: ICE

1. USH will do everything in its power to protect the rights of all Village residents
regardless of their immigration status.

2. Under USH leadership the SHPD will not provide assistance to ICE or its agents in connection with the execution of an administrative or civil warrant.

3. Under USH leadership the SHPD will provide assistance, if requested, to ICE and its agents in connection with the execution of a judicial warrant.

Read our full statement regarding ICE by clicking here!

Response #2: Pride

1. USH is committed to protecting the safety and equal rights of all LGBTQ+ individuals.

2. Listening to the community, USH participated in the drafting of Sleepy Hollow’s pride flag resolution. See Trustee Connell thanking USH’s Jim Husselbee here:

Response #3: Partisanship

In a world of stagnant, divisive, polarized politics, Unite Sleepy Hollow is proud to be non-partisan. With a 10 year combined make-up of 9 Democrats, 4 Republicans and 4 “Others” we stand by our commitment to support candidates from every affiliation.

Last year the USH team slate included 1 Republican, 1 Democrat, and 1 Independent. The year before, the USH slate included 2 Republicans and 2 Democrats. Next year, who knows? If you’re a Democrat who supports the USH platform, let’s talk about getting you on our team.

Ken Wray (Democrat) started USH to provide voters with the best slate of candidates regardless of political party affiliation. Ten years later, Unite Sleepy Hollow remains deeply committed to its founding principle and to completing the thoughtfully planned projects shaped by broad, non-partisan community input.