As your Councilwoman, Beth will:
Work to lower taxes and ensure the City’s fiscal stability with new, more cost effective means to provide quality services. Managing City government costs, while providing services efficiently is a year-round process, not just at budget time. I will ensure that the City’s Management and Budget Committee is reinvigorated and meets at least monthly, allowing for in-depth analysis of the fiscal challenges facing the City and proposals for more efficient government. With Common Council and citizen membership, this Committee can play an important role in multi-year planning, and analyzing and advocating proposals for streamlining administrative structures, functional consolidation, shared services with the City School District, and productivity improvements through increased computerization, among many other initiatives.
Preserve the integrity of our residential neighborhoods. White Plains residents benefit from the convenience of a thriving downtown that offers shopping, dining, entertainment and employment. But White Plains is also a city of neighborhoods. There is no reason why downtown development should encroach on our beautiful and diverse residential communities. Through their neighborhood associations and the Comprehensive Plan process, White Plains citizens have time and again emphasized the importance of preserving our neighborhoods and I will be a staunch advocate for the same.
Connect with White Plains’ neighborhood associations and community and civic groups. Being a 25 year resident of White Plains, where my husband and I have raised our family, and having been involved in numerous community organizations; I know the importance of considering input and experiences from all sectors of our community. I look forward to continuing this dialogue and incorporating these perspectives into initiatives and policies which benefit our City.
Partner with the White Plains Public Schools to benefit all City residents. The City and School District share more than a tax base. They both play an important role in maintaining the attractiveness and vitality of our City. I support enhanced communication between the City and School District and exploring ways that both can work together to ensure cost effective delivery of services through economies of scale and coordination.
Ensure open access to City Government decision-making. Having been past-president of the League of Women Voters of White Plains, I believe in the importance of open and transparent decision-making in government. While the City already televises its monthly Common Council meetings, much deliberation of issues is done in work sessions and committee meetings. I favor the televising and/or live-streaming of additional city government meetings so citizens can better understand and be involved in their government. Access to key City employees should also be improved through enhanced phone mail and email availability.
Explore creative ways to preserve and protect our open spaces. As a mature suburb, open space and recreational areas are local treasures. Once developed, these community resources are gone forever. I will work with citizens to protect these community assets which are important for the well-being of our residents and the attractiveness of our community. I will explore creative ways to finance investment in these resources, whether through alternative forms of service delivery or accessing grants from the county or other levels of government.