I am delighted to seek re-election as Trustee in the Village Pelham Manor. First elected in 2018, I am proudly Pelham Manor’s Deputy Mayor and our Police Commissioner. I work closely with residents, administrative officers and law enforcement. Local municipal service is a rewarding extension of my commitment to our residents, and it would be my honor to serve for two more years.
I was born in the Bronx to Irish immigrants who taught me the value of community. My husband, Tom, and I moved to Pelham Manor in 1997 because we knew we had found our home. We raised six children here, all of whom attended Pelham Public Schools. My extensive record of local community service includes tenures with PACT, Prospect Hill’s Site-Based Council and the Girl Scouts. I have also held leadership positions with the Pelham Little League Board, rising to Treasurer and Vice President, and I served as a Town Recreation Commissioner for 14 years, with two years as Chair. My vision of a Recreational Basketball League is now a successful reality, featuring enrollment of over 500 children. Finally, I served on the Pelham Booster Club for 11 years, becoming Treasurer and Co-President.
As Trustee, I remain dedicated to protecting our safety, while promoting vibrancy in the Village we love. My record demonstrates an ongoing commitment to providing premier local services in a fiscally responsible manner. Pelham Manor continues to operate debt free, a rarity among municipalities in our region. We also repeatedly earn an excellent fiscal stress score from the State Comptroller, and we remain compliant with New York State’s Tax Cap law. With an eye toward enhancing local charm, I enthusiastically supported Local Law 1 of 2025, which expanded allowed business uses in the Four Corners retail district. I cherish our shared spaces, and I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief as the Village salvaged our historic Police Booth, following tree damage!
As Police Commissioner, I am delighted to report that the Pelham Manor Police Department (PMPD) is highly trained, responsive and community based. Under my leadership, we recently launched the Road Safety Starts with You campaign. This initiative strengthens our ongoing pedestrian and traffic safety efforts through direct resident outreach. Programs have included in-person lectures from AAA, school presentations, a Village-Wide survey and on-site meetings with retained traffic professionals. I helped to secure crossing assistance for school children at the intersections of Wolfs Lane and Iden Avenue and Pelhamdale Avenue and Black Street. This follows my support for a crossing guard at Four Corners and the red-light camera enforcement program there (the first such program for a village in New York State). The PMPD continues its focus on the DARE program in our schools, helping children to make healthy life choices. I am always honored to attend recognition ceremonies for our younger residents! Notably, AAA again awarded the PMPD a Bronze Award through its Community Traffic Safety Awards Program.
Utilizing our 2023 Village-Wide Drainage Infrastructure Assessment as a guide, Pelham Manor continues to implement effective water mitigation measures. Our large-scale stormwater improvement project on Highbrook Avenue doubled the size of the infrastructure pipes in that area, providing significant relief in that watershed. Efforts are also underway for projects to augment the drain at Monroe Street and to install a bioretention basin at the Esplanade median near Ely Avenue. Importantly, Pelham Manor advances much of its drainage infrastructure work through our successful in-house grant writing program. Through collaboration with municipal neighbors that control receiving systems downstream, Pelham Manor has truly facilitated a regional approach to water management.
I remain committed to environmental sustainability and resilience, attending seminars and workshops. Pelham Manor manages a robust, cost-effective recycling and reuse program, recycling over 77% of our trash. We also operate an industry-leading organic waste recycling program using a public-private partnership (PPP). Under this PPP, the Village supplies residents with free compost and will deliver it to residents. It is truly gratifying to participate in Compost Awareness Week on an annual basis. In recent years, we reduced the days of week and hours of operation available for gasoline-powered leaf blowers, and we regularly participate in NYPA’s Tree Power Program. For each tree that we purchase through this program, the Power Authority provides us with another one at no charge! Since 2021, Pelham Manor has planted over 300 trees in our tiny Village that spans just over one square mile. We carefully select native species and varieties that consume large quantities of water, using a creative approach to water remediation. You will often see me assisting Village workers and local non-profit organizations as we partner on these green campaigns.
Accessibility is central to my approach to governance, and I enthusiastically support the Village’s comprehensive communication platform. I am here for every resident. I humbly ask you to vote for my running mate, Zoning Board of Appeals Member Joseph Liberatore, and me, on November 3 so that we can continue our work on your behalf.