Larchmont Gazette Interviews the Candidates:
Geoff Young

See Election 2003 for more on all the candidates.

by Paula Eisenberg & Judy Silberstein

(March 5, 2003 ) The last time Geoff Young ran for Village Trustee it was as a Republican. During a break from politics to focus on family matters, he became disaffected with Republican politics on a national level, and this led him to change parties and accept the nomination from the Larchmont Democrats. At the local level, he said, “The Village is ready for a change, for somebody who will listen. At 52, I’ve learned how to listen… Better governance comes through listening.”

He continued, “Candidates always talk about open government, but it’s not really open government..that’s too generic. It’s really about the process, involving people in the processes that affect their lives.”

He disagreed with the idea of hiring consultants, organizing studies, and only then bringing the public into the decision-making process. “I’d approach issues differently,” he said, getting the public involved earlier in the process of decision-making.

Young pointed out that, in this election, “All the candidates have deep roots in the community. But my roots are strong. I’ve been a homeowner in this community for over 20 years. I’ve served on many boards, I’ve served as a trustee. It’s not just residency, it’s time given to the community.” Pointing to his past experiences, he said, "The first year of Trusteeship is not an easy learning curve.”

Over the twelve years since he last served as a trustee, Young has seen many changes. “We’re more overcrowded. We are a community where we see side yards disappearing. There are more cars and bigger cars in our community.” Twelve years ago the board addressed the issue, but, “We again have a parking problem because the community has changed,” he commented. “I’ve heard lots of approaches, but I haven’t yet heard a solution.”

All candidates had an earlier opportunity to outline and comment on their top priorities. In addition, space and zoning will be of special concern to Young, if he is elected. He is particularly concerned with overbuilding, whether it be the size of houses or the space around the houses. “We have opportunities in Flint Park,” he said, “and in the streetscape.”

Young also would like to see an ordinance that would protect trees on private property. “We’re losing our shade trees, rapidly,” he said. “Scenic views in a community can’t be bought, but you can protect them. Can you keep it from being closed off without infringing on private property rights? Those are the kinds of issues we’re wrestling with.”

He would like to see Flint Park connected with the Town’s nature conservancy, and he wants all dumping in the park ended.

Young would also like to see development tied to “smart growth.” We don’t want to become another Scarsdale,” he declared. “Smart growth” is growth that is compatible with the environment, compatible with the community.”

Young feels the current moratorium on variances is ill-advised, because the Village has not yet identified the particular problems it wants to control. He pointed out, “A moratorium is really meant to help you write legislation, not to help you identify a problem.”

When asked to comment on inter-governmental cooperation, Young said, ”Washington is shifting spending burdens down to the states, and states shift them down to the towns. Towns need to cooperate more. More coordination in zoning and regional planning are key,” he said.

Young wants to explore more inter-governmental cooperation on services like the websites. He cited as a positive example the way the Town and Village share the services of Carmine deLuca, the Village treasurer.

All the candidates have been attending budget meetings in the Village. Commented Young, “I understand the Mayor sent a letter to all the departments, asking for a 10% budget cut from all of them. Any department’s budget is mostly labor contracts. These are locked-in costs.” He thinks the Mayor’s directive hits the budgets too hard, and that trustees should be prioritizing budget cuts.

Young was unable to comment on where cuts might be made, because he said the budget has not been made available to the public for study outside of meetings. “This is one of my problems with the process,” he commented. “The budget should have been available to look at and study, not just in the meetings.”

Young noted that the library is facing budget problems, and might have to close on Sundays to save money. Rather than shorten library hours, Young would like to see money saved in other ways, such as using volunteers for services like the Village website.

Back to Election Page

Interview with Anne McAndrews