Noam Bramson: Strong Environmental
Record
( August 7, 2002 ) I am proud to have a very strong
environmental record. On the New Rochelle City Council,
I have worked to protect open space, expand parkland,
establish controls on run-off, improve hiking trails,
upgrade our sewage and stormwater infrastructure, support
smart growth initiatives like Avalon, and fund habitat
restoration projects. I am also pleased to have worked
for ten years with Congresswoman Lowey, who has been
such a leader in the fight to protect Long Island Sound.
Mr. Tocci’s latest attacks have the air of desperation
about them. He is clearly distorting the truth in order
to distract voters from his right-wing record on gun
control, civil rights, and reproductive freedom, as
well as his failure to deliver adequate state aid to
our district.
Here are the facts:
On Davids Island, I supported New Rochelle’s
Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, the first municipal
document to establish strict controls on development
on Davids Island, and the first also to express a clear
preference for ferry access. This was a major step forward.
Subsequently, I voted for and strongly supported the
sale of Davids Island to the County for the establishment
of a park, with full public access and no vehicular
bridge. By contrast, Mr. Tocci publicly threatened to
block this sale and floated the outrageous suggestion
that a winery be established on Davids Island.
On IKEA, I expressed clear concerns about the traffic
and environmental impact of the mega-store and would
have opposed the project had it come to a final vote
before the City Council. Mr. Tocci’s contribution
to the IKEA debate consisted of a single letter sent
on the eve of the release of IKEA’s Draft EIS.
Even worse, it is Mr. Tocci’s chronic failure
to deliver adequate State aid to New Rochelle and his
imposition of a property tax cap that creates an unhealthy
dependence on new development in the city. Many of the
most prominent leaders in the fight against IKEA have
endorsed my candidacy, including Mamaroneck Town Council
Members Judy Myers, Ernest Odierna, Nancy Seligson,
and Phyllis Wittner, Larchmont Mayors Cheryl Lewy and
Miriam Curnin, and Mamaroneck Mayor Debbie Chapin.
As our State Assemblyman, I would fight for genuine
regional planning, stricter controls on pollution, and
real investments in Long Island Sound. Unlike Mr. Tocci,
I will be a leader on these priorities and will work
in partnership with local officials to improve our environment
and quality of life.
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