Gregory Letica for Mayor
leticaformayor@gmail.com
1- What is the most important issue facing the Village?
As always, the most critical issue is getting sand for the sound side beach. Everyone's property values are directly tied to a stable beach. The real estate market in Asharoken would crash, just as it did in 1992, if we were to lose a home. We must fight to keep the annual replacement rate of 15,000 cubic yards per year to the beach in force and be relentless in getting a full restoration as soon as possible. We deserve this, because our community is losing sand directly due to the presence of the power plant. Having been personally invited by the Army Corps of Engineers to come to their office in Manhattan to discuss our erosion problem, I have both the expertise and contacts needed to move forward to a solution.
2-How would you change the way the village is run?
As mayor I will bring an entirely new attitude to village hall. I consider everyone in this village to be my neighbor and I will treat everyone in this fashion. There will be no more prosecutions for cleaning out the tidal wetlands or intrusions into people's homes. I will immediately end the culture of bullying harassment and intimidation that has taken over our village government. I might not always agree with you, but I will never use my positions of power to exact revenge. That is a promise.
Secondly, our village is managed and run on a day to day basis by a non resident, village attorney. I will immediately restrict the role of the village attorney to legal issues and transfer all other tasks that he was doing to volunteer residents. This will save tens of thousands of dollars per year. No longer will the attorney be on the police boat on the 4th July, direct traffic, spackle village hall, supervise snow fence installation or do a myriad of other non legal duties. Asharoken will no longer be the attorneys personal cash cow. Previous administrations have built a seawall, added hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand to the beach and have received millions of dollars of federal and state aid with attorneys costing $15,000 per year. I will ask residents to contribute their engineering experience to supervise construction projects at no cost to the Village.
Thirdly, I will have an open and transparent government. Come to a board meeting of the present administration and you will never hear a discussion about any issue. Everything is decided in advance and simply rubber stamped in public. If I am elected, issues will be discussed in public, and resident input will be encouraged and respected. I will create an official Asharoken web site, which most villages already have. Our residents will have access to all documents and information that will be on the agenda at the next board meeting.
3-What do you think should be done with Village Hall?
There is no doubt that the structure is inadequate for the needs of Asharoken. It is unlikely that the building can be renovated so I foresee a new building. The village needs an affordable and functional structure. Solar electric and geothermal heating and cooling need to be an integral part of the design. Incorporating this into the design would save the village thousands of dollars. The present administration has designed a Taj Mahal which will cost close to $1,000,000 to build. In addition, by not using volunteer village residents over $20,000 of donations were squandered on this design. We need to re-evaluate the entire project, using our own talented people, at no cost to the village and move forward.
4-How would you handle the new police contract?
It is critical that the village retains its own police department. Our officers do a fabulous job keeping everyone safe and secure. As a four-time lead police contract negotiator, I am the most experienced person in Asharoken to negotiate a new contract. Asharoken must take care of our present officers and ensure that we are able maintain a police force for many years to come. A fair contract is essential to our village because 50% of our overall expenses are police salaries. Additionally, we must fairly compensate the rest of our terrific, loyal and talented village employees.
5-What makes you the right person for the job?
A combination of over 20 years of Village government experience and a great enthusiasm for the Asharoken lifestyle make me an ideal candidate for mayor. My motivation is simple, make Asharoken a better place to live. As mayor, I will return a tone of civility and community to village government. I will encourage new ideas, more volunteerism, and create a dynamic environment in which all of us can work together to bring out the best that Asharoken has to offer. We live in one of the most special and unique villages in the world. We deserve a mayor that never loses sight of this. I hope to have that opportunity. Thank you.
5 Important Questions
INTEGRITY. DEDICATION. INDEPENDENCE
Asharoken Integrity Party
