The televised debate between Democratic incumbent Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman and his Republican challenger Lee Tu last weekend was almost a replay of their confrontation at the Manhasset League of Women Voters candidates forum last Tuesday night.
Kaiman touted his administration’s accomplishments over the past eight years while Tu attacked Kaiman’s record, focusing on rising taxes in the town. Tu repeatedly recalling the building department scandal that produced five convictions of town officials for malfeasance five years ago.
Kaiman pointed to Project Independence, the program that provides senior citizens assistance to enable them to continue living in their own homes, and a record of governance that he said has conserved resources while maintaining services.
“We have looked to make sure that we do more with less. We don’t want to defund government. We’re making sure we use our resources wisely,” Kaiman said during the debate carried on Cablevision’s News 12 service.
The town supervisor said his administration had succeeded in securing $60 million in grants from over past eight years.
“The key for us to make sure we continue to operate in a fiscally responsible manner,” he said.
Tu said the town is the most indebted town government in the state, and reiterated his allegation that its payroll is top-heavy with patronage jobs.
“We want to cut patronage. We have the highest patronage in the history of our town,” Tu said.
Kaiman said the town’s debt service is at 12 percent of its debt ceiling and said Tu is trying to “scare” voters.
“We’re doing as good as any government in the USA. Look at what the numbers are. They’re nowhere near where he says they are,” Kaiman said, noting that town taxes for individual residents have only risen $3 or $4 per year on average.
Tu said town taxes have risen 40 percent during Kaiman’s administration.
“The facts are in the budget. The fact is that all of our taxes are going to debt service,” said Tu, an accountant who works as director of administration at Cornick, Garber & Sandler in Manhattan.
Repeating what has become a kind of mantra in his campaign, Tu revisited the topic of the town’s building department several times.
“The problem is we have a broken building department,” Tu said.
He said that it now takes six to nine months to obtain building permits.
“That stops jobs,” he said.
Kaiman building department standards have improved in response to concerns expressed by the town’s residents.
“If someone wants to build something, they have to go by the rules,” he said.
The two candidates clashed once more over the town’s proposed acquisition of the 10-acre Roslyn Country Club tract, which includes a pool and tennis courts in a state of disrepair.
“We would like to make sure that pool reopens so the residents can use it.
The goal for the town is preserve that 10 acres of open space,” Kaiman said.
He repeated his assertion that user fees for pool would cover cost, and that the town’s experience with its other pool facilities confirm that the project can be a viable one.
“The other pools we run give us an idea of our cost. If we can’t make it work, we’re not going to do it,” Kaiman said.
Tu said that based on a cost of $2,000 for membership – more than half of what Kaiman has said membership fees would be – the town would need 1,500 or 1,700 residents to join for the facility to break even.
“That’s going to be impossible,” Tu said. “They want the rest of our town to pay for our facility. Most of the residents won’t be able to use it. That’s exclusionary.”
Asked about the concept of conserving resources by combining school districts, neither candidate endorsed the idea.
Tu said it is necessary to look at combining services, but noted that residents vote on the budgets that school boards draft.
“I do like small local government,” he said
Kaiman pointed to the town’s efforts at economic efficiency through forging inter-municipal purchasing agreements with villages and school districts
In his summation at the end of the half-hour debate, Kaiman pointed to praise his administration’s record has received.
“We have done so much and been recognized by so many private and governmental entities,” he said. “Independent municipal financial analysts have recognized our fiscal prudence.”
Tu said the November election was an opportunity for town residents to get the town “back on the right track.”
“The problems of our town are serious mismanagement issues. We cannot afford two more years of the current administration,” Tu said.
