Briefing Book: Fall Preview Issue

Written by J.D. Piro
Thursday, 02 September 2010 00:00

You see it in the leaves that are beginning to turn just the slightest shades of yellow and orange here in Vista. You feel it in the cooler weather. You hear it in the cars taking students off to college. And you realize it when you pick up your mail and there’s a ton of political advertising in it.

Yes, fall is on its way, and with it, Lewisboro enters another political season. For political junkies and normal people, these are, respectively, the best and worst of times. What do you have to look forward to (or dread) in Election 2010? Here at Briefing Book, we break it down for you in our very first “Fall Preview Issue” (apologies to Entertainment Weekly):

The Economy. President Obama’s much-heralded “Summer of Recovery” was a bigger flop than “Sex and the City 2.” Unemployment is near 10%, the housing market is moribund, a huge tax increase is looming in 2011, and economic growth is practically non-existent. All this is bad news for Democrats, who will have to defend President Obama’s lackluster job performance. But at least he had a great vacation.

The School Board. The Katonah-Lewisboro board of education will try again to put together a school budget in the midst of the worst economy in decades. An added wrinkle is that school Superintendent Dr. Robert Roelle will step down in February 2011. This means two things. First, he’ll be reduced to collecting just one paycheck from the taxpayers. Second, he’ll be proposing a budget he won’t be around to defend. So who’s looking out for you? Oh, right, the school board — feel better now?

Here’s the fall betting line:

Will School Board President Michael Gordon buckle again in a rematch with teachers’ union president Sandy Grebinar? Pick the teachers’ union to win that one.

Will the newly tenured Assistant Superintendent Michael Jumper squeeze the fat out of the school budget or aim for another out-of the-mainstream tax-and-spend increase? Despite May’s ballot box brush-back, bet on another tone-deaf, low single-digits property tax hike. Hey, someone’s gotta pay for tenure!

Will the staff at Briefing Book attend even one school board meeting this fall or just set the DVR and zip through a four-hour snooze-a-thon in 15 minutes? Pick the DVR to sweep.

The Town Board. This fall, town Supervisor Charles Duffy will present his first town budget since defeating Democratic Town Supervisor Ed Brancati. If Mr. Duffy balances the town government’s budget without raising taxes, he becomes the odds-on favorite to be the first town supervisor to win re-election in almost 20 years. But what if Mr. Duffy proposes a tax increase? Back in the 2009 campaign, we called Mr. Duffy “an empty spreadsheet” and a “balanced budget liberal” who would “raise taxes to make the numbers add up.” This is his chance to prove us wrong.

The Republicans also need to reclaim the mantle of homeowner rights. In the face of increasingly vocal and effective attacks from environmental activists, they need a solid program of common-sense reforms to the town’s land use laws.

Will Mr. Duffy hoist a banner of bold colors or cower behind a flag of pale pastels? Will the Republicans put their conservative beliefs into practice? Will the Democrats, led by Town Board member Dan Welsh, recover their footing? Stay tuned.

A November to Remember? Republicans and Democrats square off in intra-party battles before battling each other in the fall classic. It looks to be the “Year of the Women” for the GOP. In the race for the 40th State Senate District, Somers Town Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy vies with Assemblyman Greg Ball for the GOP nomination. Here at Briefing Book, we prefer Ms. Murphy, whose campaign has focused on capping property taxes, cutting state spending, and creating jobs.

In the race against liberal Democrat Rep. John Hall, we endorse Dr. Nan Hayworth, the Mount Kisco ophthalmologist, for the Republican nod. With this race rated a “toss-up” by most observers, Mr. Hall has gone to court in what insiders tell us will be a futile attempt to knock Dr. Hayworth off the Independence Party line.

Keep your eyes on these two races, dear reader. Their outcomes — and your vote — might determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the New York state Senate. Enjoy the rest of the summer and try to stay cool this Labor Day! July was so hot that the “Tea Party” decided to change its name to the “Iced Tea Party.”

Well, it was funny when David Letterman said it.