The burning local political question on almost no-ones’ mind is -- if the town supervisor, Rod Winchell, loses the Republican primary to former Walden Mayor Brian Maher, will the supervisor make it a three way race in the general election by using his Conservative and Independence Party lines? In the general election, the third candidate would be Dennis Leahy, Mayor of Maybrook. Would this provide an opening for Democrat Leahy to win?

For a moment let’s take our hats off to those neighbors who have decided to run for local office. For a change, it’s nice to have a choice. It is not easy to expose yourself to the gruesomeness of the American political process. I am hoping this newspaper can organize some meaningful debates, perhaps even during the primary stage.

I will pull a Hillary and give the questions to the candidates in advance of the debate. Let’s try these:

• Given that the Land Master court decision threw out the Town’s Master Plan, will you be writing a new Master Plan for the town and what process will you use to accomplish the task?

• Do you think it is important to protect open space in the town and, if so, how will the Master Plan, town zoning, and town policy accomplish this?

• Do you believe the proposed large warehouse projects on Rte. 416 and 17K pose significant adverse impacts on the town? If not, why not? Is so, how will you help prevent, or mitigate, such impacts?

• Now that Benedict Farm House in the Town’s Benedict Farm Park has been thoroughly gutted, what plans do you have for rehabilitation?

• An inter-municipal agreement has been proposed whereby the town will transfer to the Village of Walden $200,000.00 in funds, plus new zero-turn mowing equipment; in exchange, the village will mow the parks and organizing the use of the ball fields. In your view, given that the town spends less than $30,000 mowing the parks, is this a favorable proposal for the town?

• If you are not in favor of this agreement, do you believe the town should take the lead in upkeep of its own parks? Should there be a town park’s department?

• Are you aware that during the Hayes Administration an endangered species was discovered in Benedict Farm Park and, with the agreement of the DEC, the utility ball field was allowed to be built near the site of the nesting area of the endangered species -- the sedge wren? Are you aware that part of the condition for allowing this construction to proceed was that the town would mow the central swale of the park in three-year intervals, 1/3rd each year, to ensure the diversity of habitat needed for the sedge wren and other song birds to thrive? Will you re-implement this mowing policy?

• Are you in favor of getting a second engineering opinion on the condition of the highway department’s barn before tearing it down?

• Do you know the definition of a junkyard? Should junkyards be allowed in the town?

• Do you agree with Orange County Planner David Church that a comprehensive review of the Tin Brook watershed might be in order and that the town should consider adopting a stream corridor and aquifer protection overlay for the Tin Brook?

• Given that the Sailfish Project, the Maple Avenue Solar Farm, the BHT auto recovery project with over 4,000 inoperable cars, and the proposed power-grid storage facility on 17K, will all impact the Tin Brook, what immediate steps do you recommend for protection of the stream and our downstream neighbors in Walden?

• What changes do you propose for the town’s solar law?

• Should large power-grid battery storage facilities be regulated by the town? Are they allowed in all zoning districts? Should they be?

• What changes do you recommend for the town’s water and sewage districts?

• Do you believe religious owned properties not directly engaged in a religious use be subject to property tax?

• Do you believe every person entering town hall should be subjected to a metal detector?

• Do you believe data (name, purpose of visit, department(s) visited) of every citizen entering town hall should be collected by the police department and given to the police chief and/or town supervisor for review, as is being done today?

• In your view, has the Town of Montgomery become an urban setting?

• Does the town use herbicides along town roads as a maintenance regimen?
What chemicals are used? Would you curtail this practice?

• Will you work to install a solar field on the town dump?

Thank you, and no, thank you!