Uncontested Candidates Still Face Pressing Issues
By Stephen E. Lipken
Although Bronxville Republican candidates Mayor Mary C. Marvin and Trustee Robert S. Underhill are running for re-election on March 15 in Village Hall, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. with former Trustee Donald M. Gray (1992-1996), all uncontested, they still face severe issues, the least being legal means to cast and count ballots.
“The ‘old fashioned’ lever machines that we have used reliably for years are now illegal since they do not comply with standards of the Federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) which mandates that voting machines be ‘upgraded,”Mayor Marvin noted.
“Also outlawed just this past year is the use of traditional paper ballots to count votes in villages. Mired in confusion and illogic, the State has deemed these ballots illegal for a resident voting in person, but perfectly legal for absentee voting.
“However, the new electronic machines are owned by the County of Westchester and currently, the County Board of Elections would not allow villages to use them in the March elections.”
Meanwhile, the New York State Assembly has passed a bill for village voting machines that would solve these problems if the Governor signs the bill as expected.
In other pressing issues, “We were able to craft two straight budgets with zero percent tax increases but 2011 presents new challenges. Our State unfunded mandates are at an all time high…We are essentially at minimum staffing.”
“Our efforts to hold United Water’s feet to the fire on hydrant maintenance will be redoubled given the exorbitant 30 percent increase in rates granted by the Public Service Commission,” Marvin concluded.
© Shoreline Publishing 2011
629 Fifth Avenue, Suite 213, Pelham, NY 10803
Phone: 914-738-7869 Fax 914-738-7876
http://www.shorelinepub.com
prod@shorelinepub.com
