2009-2010 Riverhead Republican Platform

Section I Taxes and Spending

A.First and foremost, we promote and practice fiscal responsibility in budgeting the services and operations of our Town Government recognizing the severe economic challenges facing the taxpayers in our Town.

B.We strongly believe that Riverhead has a spending problem. We endorse cutting spending and thereby reducing taxes.

C.We strongly favor a review of all Town budget lines with the intent to eliminate most if not all discretionary spending thereby reducing our tax burden.

D.We strongly favor a mandatory cap (rate of inflation) on all town spending. By placing a cap on all budget spending we will achieve the goal in stabilizing spending—thereby stabilizing taxation.

E.Every Town Department will be held accountable and responsible to “Belt Tighten” just as our hardworking Riverhead taxpayers do around their kitchen tables. Town Board and Supervisor oversight will ensure that every department must learn to live within the approved budget.

F.Any mandatory cap on the Town Budget will only allow for inflation.

G.Any mandatory cap on the Town Budget will also allow for “emergency funding” should it be needed by our Police and/or Highway departments.

H.Until and unless the current housing value crisis ends, we strongly oppose any real property revaluation in the Town of Riverhead.

Section II Quality of Life Issues

A.We believe that every man, woman and child deserves the right to live, work and play in complete safety anywhere in the Town of Riverhead. As such, we give NO QUARTER to any wrong-doer.

B.Improve our quality of life and strengthen our community so that our children can grow up in a town where their hopes and dreams can come true.

C.We believe that every man, woman and child deserves the right to live in a town where the needs of the local community and/or neighborhood is in balance with the environment and the local economy.

D.Whether a person was born and raised in Riverhead or moved to Riverhead, our rural, country lifestyle must be protected and enhanced.

E.We strongly adhere to the principle of maintaining a local Riverhead Police Department, rather than Riverhead Town being absorbed into the Suffolk County Police Department. Our local police officers prove their worth and earn our respect every day.

F.We must promote and encourage our senior citizens to remain active participants in our community. Enhancing our senior programs to take advantage of their knowledge, real life experiences and dedication is an essential part of securing a better future for all who live in Riverhead.

G.Every effort must be undertaken to enhance, improve and create recreational opportunities for our youth, seniors and families.

H.As Riverhead grows, we must ensure a balance in growth. This is especially true when it comes to traffic management. We hereby pledge our support to work with every level of government to act immediately on possible solutions to the well-known traffic “nightmares” within our borders. Enough has been spent on studies…it is time for ACTION!

I. Above all we must be the champion of the Riverhead Taxpayers honoring the rights of property owners, promoting sensible environmentally balanced growth, making every penny count in spending our precious tax dollars on Town services that will achieve the goal of making Riverhead a wonderful and affordable place to live, work and raise a family.

J.We strongly support a rental law with stiff penalties for landlords of overcrowded sub-standard housing. These so-called “eye-sores” have no place in Riverhead.

Section III The Environment

A.First and foremost, we must always remember that Riverhead’s most endangered species is the hard-working taxpayer.

B.Promote balanced growth while protecting the environment and our rural way of life that will lead to property tax stability and job creation for our community.

C.The Environment is the economy! Our open spaces, woodlands, our shore/river fronts and our farmland are our greatest natural resources. We must strike a balance between the environment and the economy.

D.We endorse the continuing nationally acclaimed Farmland Acquisition Program and the Community Preservation Program.

E.Keen oversight and fiscally prudent management must be achieved in the continuing saga at the town landfill. Due to the current Supervisor’s total mismanagement, costs of closing [the state mandated closing] our landfill will be paid on the backs of taxpayers from now through the next several decades.

F.We strongly support and are dedicated to only encouraging and attracting environmentally compatible businesses to our Town.

G.West Main Street River front! A Blighted Area thanks to the Rivers Act! We support a reasonable and environmentally sensible revision of the Scenic Rivers and Wildlife Law along the West Main Street Peconic River corridor that has doomed this corridor as a blighted liability to our Town.

Section IV Government Services

A.Promote an effective, responsible and responsive government whose elected officials and leaders conduct themselves professionally, ethically, morally and respond to those whom they come in contact with fairness and respect.

B.We need to establish, review and improve our Town processes thereby enabling constituents and businesses to implement their plans compliant to Town codes in a reasonable time frame.

C.Recognize and respect the dedication of our Public Employees in our Town whom are charged with the task of providing the essential services of our town government. It is time to restore mutual respect and cooperation between the town leaders and public servants.

D.We are “Reagan” Republicans who believe that the government that governs least—governs best. We do not believe in growing government for the sake of economic growth.

E.We believe in a NEW attitude---we believe in applying old-fashioned common sense, and good judgment in all of our decision making that effect the future of our town.

F.We believe a renewed “Can-do” attitude is contagious and can positively affect every neighborhood, every hamlet in Riverhead. We call it “Fresh Air for Riverhead”….and we think it begins at Town hall.

G.Promote and encourage individual initiatives that promotes opportunity, economic growth and affluence in our community

Section V The Future

A.EPCAL

We are pledged and committed to growing the tax base at EPCAL not a tax LOSS at EPCAL.

We will fast track all businesses through the governmental approval process at EPCAL to encourage tax base growth and job creation. This is a special economic development zone that was gifted to Riverhead by the Federal government to create economic opportunities. We need local government to be a partner and facilitator of business not a procrastinator and obstacle to progress.

We will demand from the State Government and the DEC that previous agreements pertaining to the development of EPCAL be honored to lift the unreasonable environmental restrictions that have stopped the Rail Spur project from immediately going forward. The Rail Spur will offer businesses in EPCAL environmentally sound and cost effective access to the property to assist them in competing in the current economic climate.

We will never entertain Pie in the Sky schemes for EPCAL, only projects that have a sound business plan that will fit into the character and goals of our economic plan for our community.

We are committed to working aggressively and fully with the Federal, State and County economic development agencies to produce jobs, jobs and more jobs.