To The Editor:
On March 20th an unsigned, unattributed diatribe in another local, monthly publication posed a series of rhetorical questions in an effort to disparage the leadership of the Board of Trustees and Mayor Wray in Sleepy Hollow. Over the past several years, as our team has won every single elective office, that publication has chosen not to acknowledge that fact or to publish any communication sent to them in response to repeated distortions of fact. I am therefore asking that The Hudson Independent publish this letter in an effort to set the record straight for our citizens by answering the questions posed by the anonymous author:
“Have current Mayor Ken Wray and his Board of Trustees claimed fault with the Village government they inherited eleven months ago?” Yes we did, which is why we organized and in three successive elections, swept. This was no “inheritance,” it was an affirmative decision by the electorate to make a substantive change.
“Did Wray uncover a Village that was financially unstable?” Yes, Mayor Wray and the Board of Trustees took over from an administration that was on a wasteful and out of control spending frenzy resulting in a decade of annual 9%-plus tax increases. Within four weeks of the new majority assuming office in 2008, the budget was frozen, the homestead tax rate was held steady (0% increase) and standard financial oversight controls were finally defined and implemented.
“Were there problems within the infrastructure that put residents at risk?” Yes, unfortunately also true; specifically an antiquated water system with less than 10 hours of emergency supply. The Mayor and Trustees have spent a considerable amount of time addressing the system problems and potential solutions, and has been actively meeting with representatives from Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, Congresswoman Lowey, and State Senator Stewart-Cousins to line up assistance in addressing this vital public health issue. In addition, Mayor Wray faced a situation where the former administration was apparently more concerned with building gazebos than actually maintaining the public parks of our community, an issue Mayor Wray and the current Board have finally begun to address.
“Were the administrative departments and personnel within Village Hall unprofessional and unresponsive to those they were hired to serve?” Sorrowfully, yes, again. This was most evident in the federal civil rights probe of our police department. This Board moved deliberately and with professional skill to replace the former police chief and begin the transformation of our PD into an accredited, superior department everyone can be proud of, most especially the fine men and women who make up the department.
“Did the freshman Mayor (and former Trustee) inherit a ‘back-room decision making’ mentality that excluded public input?” Absolutely yes, once again, a problem we have addressed through serious Board sub-committee empowerment and taking our deliberations out to the community through meetings held in various neighborhoods throughout the Village.
The other monthly publication repeats an old, discredited story that somehow GM and the Village are not talking. A little reporting would have revealed that in fact, the GM Site Sub-Committee of the Board has held meetings with GM continuously since the fall of 2008. In the current month alone (March, 2010), there have been four such meetings, with more planned. These facts have been stated in public and it is irresponsible to “report” something to the contrary.
Finally, the point of the diatribe in the other monthly publication was the apparent expectation that Mayor Wray or the Board would discuss personnel matters in public through an interview with the publication. Unlike the previous administration, this is not the manner in which we think professionals should conduct their civic responsibilities regarding personnel matters.

David Schroedel,
Village of Sleepy Hollow Trustee