Politics & Government

Walsh and Belmont at Odds Over MTA Project

Harrison's supervisor candidates discussed the proposed MTA project and other aspects of the the town's future during Tuesday evening's candidate forum.

Incumbent Supervisor Joan Walsh (D) has hitched much of her hopes for the development of Harrison's downtown to a proposed MTA project that promises to bring apartments and storefronts to the train station parking lot on Halstead Avenue.

But challenger Ron Belmont (R, C, I) expressed some of his doubts about the project Tuesday, creating one of the more critical differences in opinion between the two candidates to date.

During his closing statement during Tuesday's League of Women Voters debate in Harrison, Belmont cast some doubt over the project, predicting that it wouldn't be complete for six or seven years and adding that he has concerns that only two bidders have submitted request for proposals to the town to date. Belmont also said he needs to see more from the MTA before he hitches the future of the downtown area to the project.

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"Before we go to bed with the MTA, they've got to clean up their act," Belmont said.

Walsh said she expects the project to be completed well before Belmont's timeline and said she is confident as ever that the project will bring the promised improvements to the downtown.

Find out what's happening in Harrisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rather than focusing on the MTA project, Belmont said he would prefer to bring back in-house aesthetic improvements, like fixing sidewalks and planting flowers in Harrison's downtown business district to draw businesses to the area.

The stretch of businesses near the intersection of Halstead and Harrison Avenues has been littered with for-rent signs in recent years.

"It's not very enticing for businesses," Belmont said.

Walsh said that the 20 percent cut to Harrison's employee base under her administration is part of the reason flowers and other aesthetics no longer exist downtown. She said those cuts were used to reduce spending and taxes over the last four years, a cornerstone of her administration.

"Ninety-nine percent of my focus has been on expenses money and spending," Walsh said.

Throughout the evening Walsh, who is seeking her third term in office, stressed her work with stabilizing Harrison's spending and bringing finances under control. In her opening statement she made it clear that controlled spending will be a key part of her next term as well.

"It's all about the money," she said. "The debts we were in, the economy that we have, I have spent the entire four years now improving trying to improve our fiscal situation."

Belmont leaned on his resume with the Harrison Recreation Department, touting his department as one of the best in New York State and one that brings up the community's prestige to people considering a move to Harrison.

He said he plans to do the same with the rest of the town if elected.

"That's what I want to do with our town's image—bring it up here," he said, holding his hand above his head.

Other issues included Harrison's real estate situation, and how to draw people into the town in the future. Walsh stressed positives, including Money Magazine naming Harrison one of the 100 best small towns to live in this year. Belmont, meanwhile, said he still has concerns over negative headlines that he says have tarnished the town's name during the Walsh administration.

The candidates also discussed current negotiations with local labor unions that have stalled over the last year. Walsh said the town is inching closer to a deal that would save the town a substantial amount of money moving forward, Belmont said he believes that good-faith negotiations under his administration will result in new contracts with all of Harrison's unions.

Voters will choose the town's next supervisor on Nov. 8.


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