Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury
Located in Orange County, NY
It is with great sorrow that we say
goodbye to the Town of Woodbury Supervisor, John Burke
and send our heartfelt
thoughts to his family.
Woodbury has lost a great leader and friend.
We have been blessed to have had John working diligently all these years
to make Woodbury
a place that we can all be proud of, and all call home. We’ll miss you,
John.
The results of the June 17,
2014 proposition vote to move the Village of Woodbury elections to
November starting in 2015 are:
316 Yes 67% to
158 No 33%. Thank you to all that came out to vote in
favor of the move.
To the Editor,
Shame on the Mayor
This letter is in response to the letter to the Editor dated June 13, 2014, “Proposal to move village elections to November”. At the writing of this letter, the vote to move our village elections had not yet taken place, with no additional Photo News papers that will be published before the June 17th vote to move the elections to November. I do believe the letter written by Village of Woodbury Mayor Queenan is filled with gross misrepresentations of the truth, and needs to be corrected.
The cost of village elections are not paid by Republican or Democrat Parties, they are and will always be paid by taxpayers, shame on the Mayor. Moving the election eliminates having to pay for election inspectors for the June election and expenses for the November General election will be shared by both the Town and Village of Woodbury.
The Mayor attempted to confuse everyone with the 2006 village voter turnout numbers, shame on the Mayor. In fact more recent elections held in March of 2012 where voter turnout was 161 voters, 2.6% of registered voter participation, a decrease from the 367 voters, 5.8% participation in March of 2011, and in the June of 2013 election, the voter turnout was 280 voters, 4.3% of registered voter participation, indicating a serious voter turnout deficit, considering we are electing the people who determine our community’s zoning, and spending of our collected tax dollars. The average voter turnout for the last three Village of Woodbury elections is only 236 voters, 3.6%.
New York State Village law Article 9 and New York State Election law Article 15 and other applicable laws, allow Village Elections to be conducted on the General Election day in each November. The people of Woodbury have the right to decide if Village Elections are held in June or November as the law provides. The Mayor writes “It is important to mention that the petitioner is the Chairman of the Woodbury Republican Committee”, shame on the Mayor. He intentionally left out the fact that I filed the petitions to move the Village of Woodbury elections to November as the Chairman of the Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury, a nonpartisan citizens group made up of residents from throughout Woodbury.
The Mayor writes “It is all about control and nothing else”, shame on the Mayor. Thank you for letting us know why you only want only 3.6 percent, 236 of Woodbury residents to vote out of more than 6,800 registered voters, a good way for you to have control. It’s sad when those in public office stoop to deception on those they represent. Voters should not be deprived the best election opportunity possible. Not having the Village of Woodbury elections, on the November General Election day, is an injustice of representation!
Ralph Caruso
Chairman,
Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury
Vote to Move Village Election Day to November.
The Village of Woodbury Elections will be held on Tuesday, June
17th, from 12 noon to 9 p.m. and all voting will be at the Woodbury
Firehouse, 455 Route 32, Highland Mills, across from Saint Patrick’s
Church.
Members of the Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury feel that the
current village election held in June is inconvenient for many
registered voters because June is a hectic time with end of school year
activities. Holding elections at this time of year and starting them at
12 noon, may substantially reduce voter turnout.
In addition, we believe that holding the Village election on a day other
than the regular November election adds additional cost to the Village
budget that is not necessary. We believe making this change will give
voters a better opportunity for their voices to be heard and will save
the village money. We know that there will still be a cost to the
Village, but it will be less than the cost for a separate election.
When you vote this June 17th, there will be a proposition on the back of
the ballot to move future Village of Woodbury elections to the same day
that local, state and federal elections are held in November. If you are
not sure that you can get to the polls on that day, absentee ballot
applications are available from the village clerk or you can print one
from the Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury website,
www.preservewoodbury.org. Follow the directions and make sure that your
vote counts.
Walter H. Judd a representative from Minnesota elected to the 78th
congress in 1943, said, “People often say that, in a democracy,
decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not
true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves
heard and who vote - a very different thing.” We believe that moving the
Village of Woodbury Election Day to November will make it easier for
Woodbury voters to make their voices heard, but only if you get out and
vote “Yes”, on the back of the ballot on June 17th from 12 noon to 9
p.m.
Steven E. Musich
Highland Mills, NY.
June 8, 2014
Vote for Woodbury’s Election Proposition
As a
Woodbury resident, you must realize that the village board controls
zoning, and zoning controls your quality of life and property value.
Last year, we only had about 280 voters at our village election. The low
voter turnout is directly related to holding an election during the
month of June when families are busy with exams, proms, graduations, and
sports.
The Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury created a petition and
collected more than twice as many signatures necessary to require the
village board to put the proposition on the ballot.
This proposition seeks to change the month of the annual village
election - from June to November. November is the same month as our
annual general election where thousands of Woodbury residents come out
to vote. Putting the village election in the same month, date, and time
as the general election will save us money and we will have a better
representation of public opinion. In addition, it would preclude any
“block voters” from impacting our election results.
This year Woodbury’s village election is being held at the Highland
Mills Fire House on Tuesday June 17 between the hours of 12:00 pm and
9:00 pm.
Please vote in favor of this proposition. Protect
Woodbury from “block” voting and also reduce election costs.
Carol Mullooly, Central Valley, NY
WOODBURY'S SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON ITS VILLAGE
May 2, 2014
Every so often there is a letter to the editor from an uninformed
resident who says that the formation of the Village of Woodbury was a
bad idea. I vehemently disagree with this position, as do the hundreds
of well-informed voters who turned out in the summer of 2006, voting
with more than a 4 to 1 margin, to create our village. The village has
numerous benefits with regard to water, sewer, planning and zoning. The
most important of these is zoning.
If you lived in Woodbury in 2005 you will recall that two developers
came before our Town Board requesting a change in zoning to allow for
many more homes than the current zoning allowed to be built on several
parcels of land. There was much discussion and even an Article 78
lawsuit by concerned citizens, but the developers won, and that housing
is now being built. It was shortly after this that the idea of forming
a village within our town for the purpose of protecting our zoning
became the talk.
What happened in 2005 can happen again, and it doesn't have to be
developers who want to build on our land.
If we did not have our village to protect Woodbury today, it might look
a lot different, as our village boundaries encompass almost all of the
Town of Woodbury's land (except for the Village of Harriman). Some
Woodbury residents who currently own quite a bit of property in Woodbury
might have had the ability to form their own village within Woodbury's
boundaries, thereby creating their own zoning laws. Some residents in
Monroe have already expressed interest in taking parts of their
neighbors' land and will not hesitate to take ours, too. Fortunately,
New York State law precludes creating a new village within a current
village's boundaries.
My feeling is that the Village of Woodbury has been a great success.
Take a look at Bloomingburg, Monroe and East Ramapo to see what happens
when citizens become apathetic or lax in protecting their zoning. We
must be proactive, not reactive. Just as in all walks of life, “Those
who fail to learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat
them.”
Woodbury's survival depends on its village!
Donald Siebold
Highland Mills
Thank you to those that signed the petition to move the annual Village election day from June to November.
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Letters to the editor for Monday, May 5, 2014 - Published 5/5/2014 in Opinion
In response to the "My View" April 18, "Village Elections": I find myself in accord with many aspects of the author, "Competition is rare, turnout is low," leaving very few voters to choose those who pass our local laws, zoning, set our property tax... Times-Herald Record.
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The next step is to get people to the polls on Tuesday, June 17, 2014. The polls open at 12 noon and close 9 p.m. All voting will be at the Woodbury Firehouse on Route 32. An absentee ballot may insure your vote being counted if you can not get back into Woodbury by 9 p.m. "Every vote counts, count every vote".
Applications must be mailed back to:
Village of Woodbury
PO Box 546
Central Valley, NY 10917
Applications must be mailed back seven days before the election,
or hand-delivered to the village clerk by the day before the
election.
Please read all the instructions on page 2 of the, "Absentee Ballot
Application".
For more information call the Woodbury Village Clerk at 845 928-7558
or 928-2869 x7.
Military or overseas voters do not use this application, you can
use the Federal Postcard Application.
For more information about military / overseas voting, contact; Orange
County Board of Elections, 845 291-2444.
VOTE TO MOVE VILLAGE VOTING DAY, RESULT GREATER VOTING OPPORTUNITY! 3/13/2014
“Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury” is mounting a petition drive to move the Village of Woodbury Elections voting day. All signatures gathered will be presented to the Village of Woodbury Mayor and Board of Trustees to place a Proposition on the Ballot this June 2014 to Change the Village of Woodbury Village Elections from June to November each year. Presently, there are Woodbury residents and organization members circulating petitions, gathering signatures of Village of Woodbury voters, to meet requirements needed for such a vote by the people of Woodbury.
The petition includes the following;
To the Mayor and Board of Trustees of this Village of Woodbury, County of Orange, State of New York.
We the undersigned, Village of Woodbury duly qualified electors, respectfully petition the Village of Woodbury, Village Mayor and Board of Trustees to place a proposition on this June 2014 Village General Election ballot, for approval or rejection as provided by New York State Village law Article 9 and New York State Election law Article 15 and any other applicable laws, to conduct the Village of Woodbury General Elections in each November General Election for the election of the Mayor and Trustees, and not in the Month of June each year.
Elections have previously been held in March then moved to June thinking it would be more favorable and increase voter turnout. Subsequent elections were held, and voter turnout in June of 2012 was 161 voters, a 2.6% registered voter participation which was a decreased from the 367 voters 5.8% voter participation in March of 2011, and in the June of 2013 election the voter turned out was 280 electors, a 4.3% registered voter participation, a serious voter turnout deficient, when electing the people who determine our community’s zoning, and spending of our collected tax dollars. The average voter turnout for the last three Village of Woodbury elections is only 236 voters, 3.6%. On January 10, 2013 a formal request was made to the Village of Woodbury’s Mayor and Board of Trustees to pass a Board motion to move the election from June to November. February 28, 2013 the Village Mayor and Board of Trustees voted not to move the election from June to the November General Election.
The people of Woodbury want to decide if Village Elections are held in June or November, and want the opportunity to vote yes or no this June 2014 Village General Election, as the law provides.
We believe moving our Village Elections to the November General Elections will enfranchise our over 6,500 registered voters in the Village of Woodbury to vote, thus giving future elections results a more representative government.
We further believe consolidating Village Elections into the November General Elections will make our elections more convenient for our village voters, and also present a cost savings to the village taxpayers, by eliminating the expense of a separate Election Day for Village Elections.
We acknowledge and make reference to other villages in the State of New York that already have their elections held on the November General Election day. They include but are not limited to the villages of; Chester, Sloatsburg, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Mamaroneck, Mt. Kisco, Suffern, and Haverstraw to identify a few.
Our organization, “Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury”, was established in 2005, and is made up of people from throughout Woodbury. Our mission is to foster Quality of Community Life in Woodbury, through participation and disseminating information, working to preserve the character of Woodbury and its natural environment, continuing the semi-rural and suburban balance, ease traffic congestion, limit and abate noise and air pollution, along with supporting Woodbury’s historic, cultural and architectural integrity, and protecting resident services and utilities resources.
For additional information e-mail: preservationofwoodbury@yahoo.com, if you would care to speak with someone, or would like to take part in the signature gathering process, you can call me at 845-928-2059.
We thank you in advance for your consideration.
Ralph Caruso, Chairman, Citizens for the Preservation of Woodbury.
If you would like to
help or donate to the C.F.T.P.O.W.,
e-mail us.
Thank you residents of Woodbury.
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Change the Village of Woodbury Elections from June to November
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