Politics & Government

New Castle Town Board Q&A: Adam Brodsky

Adam Brodsky is a Team New Castle candidate who is running for a council seat on the New Castle Town Board. His ticket has the Republican and Independence ballot lines, and there are two council seats up for election. This interview was edited for formatting:

Patch: Tell me about yourself?  

Brodsky: I along with my wife Cathy have lived almost entire lives in Northern Westchester. We have been residents of Chappaqua for nine years and have four beautiful children, a daughter who is thirteen, and three sons who are ten, seven, and three. They attend Seven Bridges Middle School, Westorchard Elementary School and a local nursery school. In fact my wife Cathy is even a proud graduate of the Horace Greeley High School. I am an attorney, serving as General Counsel for a New York City based commercial real estate company with a national portfolio of properties. Prior to my current position I was with the firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver and Jacobsen. In addition I am a former member of the Muhlenberg College Board of Trustees and am currently a public member of the Board of Directors of the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corp. I believe that our Government should be about collaboration and efficiency. I will bring my vast knowledge of business operations to reduce wasteful spending and work openly with our community to find the best solutions for the challenges we face. I am a graduate of Muhlenberg College (1995) and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (1998).

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Patch: Why should people vote for you next month? [this interview was done in October]

Brodsky: As we have said throughout our campaign our community truly needs a new approach. It has been over two decades that the Democrats have been in power. Our slate is bi-partisan and freethinking with no allegiances to one party. Rob Greenstein and Lisa Katz are registered Democrats, Stuart Miller is Republican and I am an Independent. We will put New Castle over any party and do what is best for our Town. We are all small business owners and attorneys who have vast experience to diligently tackle the issues we face. It’s time for some new voices to lead this Town.

Find out what's happening in Chappaqua-Mount Kiscowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We have seen the current administration and previous administrations make some terrible decisions regarding the location of the affordable housing development, conversion of the Chappaqua Crossing to retail development and failure to put in place a master plan for our community among many other missteps. We need vision to effectively grow our downtown and plan the future of our community in a consistent and thoughtful way.

It’s time to elect leaders who are independent, transparent in their actions and accountable to those they represent.

 

Patch: You indicated an opposition to the Chappaqua Crossing retail plan at a meeting of Team New Castle candidates earlier this month for the issue. How would you like to see the site developed?

Brodsky: As I have said all along, we first must closely examine and update the master plan for our Community. This truly is the roadmap forward for what, if any development, we would like to see and in what locations. During that process we can determine how Chappaqua Crossing may fit into the Town of New Castle. As an additional point, I think it is appropriate for owner of the property to fully and diligently pursue development of the approvals that it currently has in place. The housing market is much stronger and they should start construction on the previously approved housing units. It would also seem prudent to retrofit the outdated existing office space for another user. In my experience, newly retrofitted office space is must more conducive to leasing for prospective tenants.

Patch: If the town board approves rezoning and changing the master plan for the retail proposal before you take office, would you support repealing the changes?

Brodsky: I believe the residents surrounding Chappaqua Crossing plan on commencing litigation. If successful, the next Town Board may have the opportunity to reexamine the project. We then must closely look at Chappaqua Crossing during the master plan process.  

 

Patch: Your fellow Team New Castle candidate Rob Greenstein indicated recently at the Chappaqua Crossing meeting that he support restarting the town's litigation with developer Summit/Greenfield. Would you also support this?

Brodsky: I am deeply troubled with the way that litigation was handled. It is my understanding that even though the Town had the law on our side; we entered into a settlement that did not serve the interests of our community. The Town Board must lead the community and determine how it is developed not a developer. I would stand up for the rights of New Castle for self-determination with this site. That is a long winded way of saying that we should let the lawsuit run its’ course through the Court system.

 

Patch: Would you support either a repeal of Conifer Realty's affordable housing special permit or a planned Article 78 lawsuit from local opposition?

Brodsky: Let me start off by saying I truly support affordable housing for our community particularly affordable housing that is mixed with market rate housing. I believe the appropriate location for such type of housing, at least as a first step, is adjacent to Town Hall along Washington Avenue as proposed by Wally Toscano. His solution is elegant and incorporates the structures into a residential community and our downtown. I believe there are a number of substantial hurdles the Conifer project must clear prior to putting a shovel into the ground including some dealing with life safety issues. If these issues are resolved and the project in fact moves forward (which are substantial questions) I feel this location along the train track and parkway is not suitable for the children of our community to live. As such I would support whatever means are available to the Board to prevent it from going forward.

Patch: From what I have read, the town board's practice has been to interview volunteer board applicants in executive sessions, which are closed to the public. For example, I understand that was a contentious topic in a recent New Castle NOW story about the lack of a planning board appointee. In contrast, Mount Kisco's Village Board of Trustees does interviews in what are essentially ad-hoc work sessions, before regular meetings and before they're recorded. Would you support adopting that model, or do you feel the current model is superior?

Brodsky: This question goes to one of our slates core values, which is transparency. To the fullest extent possible our local government should be open and forthcoming as to its actions and processes. I think it is a fantastic idea to open such a session to the Town as a whole. As you may have heard, I had applied to fill the vacancy on the current Planning Board a number of months ago. I was in fact interviewed in a closed session and received no feedback from the Board. I eventually withdrew my application out of frustration. To my knowledge, this seat has still not been filled. We should be welcoming any resident of our community who stands up to serve rather than closing them out of the process. This is in fact one of the reasons I decided to run for Town Board.

 

Patch: What changes would you like to see for downtown Chappaqua and downtown Millwood if you are elected?

Brodsky: As we have discussed during the campaign any analysis of the downtown must start with the master plan. I would hope that we could closely examine updating our downtown zoning to allow for three and four story structures downtown to increase the utilization of the real estate and increase the activity downtown. This would increase the value of the properties and the tax base. I think we should also look closely at consolidating the commuter lot into some type of parking structure. This would free up much needed land for other uses such as retail or housing. Increasing the activity downtown and critical mass will give it vibrancy and activity during the day and at night.

Patch: The town board is currently considering participation in a multi-municipal property revaluation effort. Would you support having New Castle participate?

Brodsky: I think we must look at this issue from the perspective of fairness and efficiency. The current system in which informed residents protest their taxes and others who are less informed do not is not a fair or efficient means to equalize the tax burden across the Town. If other municipalities are exploring their options and costs savings, I am happy to consider it.

 

Patch: What is your position on the potential acquisition of the Twin Oaks Swim and Tennis Club property? If you support the town buying it, what use would you like to see on it?

Brodsky: I do not support buying this property. It is located in the least accessible location for a majority of the Town and we do not need further obligations as a community. The property should be sold to a private developer and used for single-family homes. This will add to our tax base.

 

Patch: What is your position on The Spa at New Castle, which is the proposed mix of condos, hotel rooms, spa and restaurant for the former Legionaries of Christ site off of Route 128?

Brodsky: This type of commercial development that adds to our tax base with limited additional car traffic sounds very interesting. It will also add some level prestige to our community. However, we must first look at how their plan fits into the master plan. We must also examine the impacts of the views of the neighbors and the capacity of the site to support such a large septic system. I look forward to having an open dialogue.

Patch: Do you support extending Westchester County's sewer district to downtown Millwood? If so, what measures would you take to persuade county officials and lawmakers to approve it?

Brodsky: I think it would be fantastic if Millwood could have that opportunity however the challenges are great. It is my understanding that the Chappaqua Crossing, Yeshiva, Riverwoods and Random Farms are part of the Croton Watershed and as such a significant portion of the work is being paid for by the City of New York. I know that the lack of sewers in downtown Millwood has limited the development potential of that area. The cost to install access to sewers is extremely costly and it would be a difficult burden to finance.  

 

Patch: What do you think of the town board's current relationship with the Chappaqua school board, as well as the school boards of its other overlapping school districts? What changes, if any, would you like to see for relations?

Brodsky: Many people moved to New Castle for our amazing school district. The schools give our children a world-class education and increase real estate values. Under that lens, we should do everything in our power to work in collaboration with our school board and overlapping school districts. Chappaqua’s School budget is almost five times the town budget and I would love to explore what joint savings we can achieve in purchasing power by working together. I would also like to have a number of joint meetings annually with the School Board and have open lines of communication particularly on issues we both face with New York State mandates.

  

Patch: Do you anticipate a time in the next two years when the town board may to vote to override the property tax levy cap?

Brodsky: It is most definitely not something I would like to do, but we need to see how State spending mandates affect our budget. Every year that goes by, we have less money to provide the services our residents expect while maintaining the pensions and benefits for our current and former employees. We will need to make some tough choices in the future to get our spending in line and reduce our tax liability as residents. I can promise that any decisions that are made will be open, transparent and incorporate our residents in the discussion.

 

Patch: What do you think of the master plan update process as it's arranged now? What changes, if there were any, would you make to it?

Brodsky: It is hard to have a review and update of the master plan when the Town has removed the two most important developments in New Castle (Chappaqua Crossing and Hunts Place affordable housing) from the process. I think Sabrina Charney has worked on similar project in other Towns but she has clearly not been given the proper mandate from the Board. We need an all-encompassing plan looking at all properties and all issues to have a proper road map for the future. It’s been over two decades since we have updated our master plan and we need to take a step back, have a thorough process and then move on from there.

Patch: Some online media comments, such as in this New Castle NOW story or on Facebook, have noted that your family owns what is referred to as the Bistro Maxime site and that it has been neglected. What is your reaction? 

Brodsky: I do not own the property at 136 North Greeley Avenue. It is owned by my Father-in-law and has been for many decades. He is responsible for its upkeep and maintenance. What I can tell you is that over the years he has had number of false starts with the Town and been unable to construct a viable project on the site. I believe he is open minded to any new idea for the property or even a sale.

Patch: How can your professional experience help you on the town board?

Brodsky: I am an attorney, serving as General Counsel for a New York City based commercial real estate company with a national portfolio of properties. The reason I am asking for the support of the community in this important election is based on my experience in the world of law and real estate development. I have been involved in projects all over the Country and have seen unique and creative paths forward for the challenges we face. I would like to apply my experiences in the creation of a master plan and promotion of our downtowns, the hearts of our Community.


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