Duo Makes Write-in Campaign for Mt. Kisco Village Board

Two Mount Kisco men who are dissatisfied with the governance of the current village board of trustees are running a write-in election campaign.

Patric Kilkenny is running for mayor against incumbent Michael Cindrich, while Don Holohan is seeking a trustee seat. Two trustees seats are up for election and they are held by George Griffin and Anthony Markus, who are running on a Democratic ticket with Cindrich and also have support from the Independence Party.

Kilkenny used to perform administrative work in the legal profession while Holohan has a local business, BDW Roofing.

The write-in duo have several complaints with the current board, particularly over the ongoing review for whether to consolidate the police department with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety, as well as the village's ownership of several properties.

In a recent blog post on Patch, Kilkenny writes the following: "If we do things the way that they’ve always been done, then things will remain the way that they always have been – logical, no?  And that, at this point, means a continued decline not only in the quality of our lives, but the safety of our lives.  The current Village Board [all Democrats] are trying to eliminate, disband, reorganize, use whatever phrase you want;  the substitution of the Mount Kisco Police Department with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety."

Kilkenny would also like to revisit an arbitration award granted to the police department, which was made after the police benevolent association (PBA) and the village could not agree on a new contract. The PBA appealed the award but its appeal was denied, according to Cindrich.

Kilkenny would like to see Mount Kisco sell its real estate holdings and feels that the village should not be a landlord.

Currently, the village owns properties such as the old post office on Route 117, which is leased by Village Attorney Whitney Singleton's law firm, and the former ambulance corps building by the train station, which is leased by Mario's, a pizzeria. Recently, the village agreed to purchase more than six acres of Boys & Girls Club property for $600,000 for mostly recreation and municipal usage, with the funding paid for with a reserve that's only for open space usage. Kilkenny is critical of this deal as well.

Additionally, Kilkenny would like to boost the manpower of the police department with part-time supplemental help. 

Kilkenny, who shows up to board meetings and speaks during the public comment period, has had an adversarial relationship with the village. In April he filed a federal lawsuit against the Mount Kisco Housing Authority, naming it as part of the village, over a dispute he had with counting some of his earnings as income for purposes of his lease in his public housing building residence on Carpenter Avenue. 

In his original lawsuit, Kilkenny wrote that he received income through a Trial Work Period (TRP), which is meant to serve as a supplement to disability income. He claimed that Habitat Management, which manages the property, contended that it was not exempt from income calculation for his rent, and that he was being asked to pay a "retro" rent as part of a new lease. He also argued that he was given a month-to-month lease, which was improper because it had to be annual instead.

With the initial disputes no longer in contention, Kilkenny filed an amended lawsuit in May, asking for the court to rule on statutes relevant to housing.  He agreed to drop the lawsuit in early October. 

Cindrich Defends Record, Blasts Opposition

In an interview, Cindrich accused the other side of fear mongering, defended his record and that what is being said is not accurate.

On the issue of police consolidation with the county, Cindrich stated that no contract or formal proposal has been submitted. However, based on what has been discussed so far, the mayor explained that if there is a deal then Mount Kisco would see service the same or better, and would have a set number of police on patrol exclusively in the village. A county police detective division would also use part of the current police station, he explained. The idea would not involve, for example, a county officer on patrol on the Saw Mill River Parkway simply incorporating village patrol into a watch, he explained, nor would it be a "random" patrol.

County police patrol would also be for 24 hours a day and seven days a week, he explained. Once a proposal is given, Cindrich says residents and the PBA will be asked for input. 

Continued study of consolidation also received backing in a recent letter from the PBA president, Joseph Spinelli.

Spinelli wrote the following in an Oct 17 letter to Village Manager James Palmer: "The Mount Kisco PBA recognizes the benefits of and continues our support of the exploration of a potential full consolidation with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety." 

Cindrich wrote to Patch: "Until a formal proposal is offered to the Village of Mount Kisco by Westchester County it is counter productive to speculate on the merits of 
the proposal. The sensationalism, fear mongering and misrepresentations 
currently permeating our community are counter productive to good 
government. I have an obligation to my community to explore every option 
available to control costs and provide the excellent services Mount Kisco 
residents deserve."

On the issue of properties, Cindrich stated that there were sites that were previously not on the tax rolls and that the village is making revenue from leases. He also explained that there are properties that would be hard to sell, such as the former post office, former ambulance corps site and a site on Kisco Avenue that was radioactively contaminated.

In the case of the old post office, the mayor notes that it was vacant for about a decade and that the first tenant, Terrapin, had financial difficulty. The property was also unsuccessfully marketed for a new tenant, he explained, and that Singleton, who is on the village's ethics board, recused himself from a deliberation in connection with his firm's interest. One problem is the desirability of that site, the mayor explained, is its lack of sufficient parking.

Cindrich also touts the fact that Mount Kisco acquired land near the watershed of Byram Lake, which is the village's water supply, and supports the Boys & Girls Club land buy because it means adding green space.