Eric Zinger For Greenburgh Town Council

Dear Greenburgh,

My name is Eric Zinger and I am asking for your vote for Greenburgh Town Council at the 6/25 Greenburgh Democratic Party Primary Election. Let me introduce myself to those of you who may not know me. I was born in East Meadow (Long Island) and attended the University of Maryland where I graduated with a degree in Finance in 2006. I returned to New York, spending a few years in Manhattan, before moving to Hartsdale in 2013 with my wife Megan to purchase a home and start our family. We live there now with my son and daughter and you will see us walking our dog Pete around the neighborhood. I work for a Financial Technology company in our Treasury department and I hold the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

I have been an active member in my community since moving to Hartsdale. Some of you may know me from my role as President of the Hartsdale Neighbors Association (HNA). HNA has recently led initiatives that have included successfully advocating to close down illegal massage parlors in Hartsdale and leading the citizen’s movement to revitalize the Four Corners intersection. What I am most proud of in my time with HNA is our work to get people more involved in the community. HNA members have been appointed to several important local Town and Municipal Boards and we now have a Hartsdale that is more informed and engaged than at any point in recent memory. As we have seen in the past year of the Blue Wave, a new generation of political leadership is emerging in the Democratic Party and I want to bring that fresh energy to our Town.

I have been attending Town Board meetings for years and I know firsthand the problems that Greenburgh residents face in working with the Town. It is important that we have someone on the Town Council who has a financial background in order to help guide the Town in the new uncharted era of capped SALT deductions. Now more than ever, we depend on our local governments to respond to the needs of the community.

I have many specific ideas and policies that I think Greenburgh residents could benefit from. Here are some of the many ideas that I would work to implement in my time as Councilman:

1. Controlling property tax growth in the new, uncharted era of the SALT deduction cap; in my first two years I will only vote for budgets that hold the property tax rate flat. Greenburgh residents need tax relief while the town assesses the impact of the SALT deduction cap. This is possible with the right combination of fiscal discipline and planning.
2. Hiring a Business Development officer whose focus will be attracting business to Greenburgh, helping new and existing businesses navigate our regulatory landscape, and applying for grants to help bring jobs and development to our Town. We need to expand the property tax base by encouraging (not frustrating) responsible development;
3. Term limits are a vital reform that would encourage public participation in our town government. The lack of term limits gives rise to an insular culture that makes politicians complacent and reluctant to tackle tough issues. I am calling for 12-year Term limits for all elected Greenburgh officials.
4. Increasing Community Involvement- Our residents are our greatest asset. Greenburgh is a place filled with educated professionals in a wide variety of fields. We need to get people more involved in local government. We do that by respecting them and their time. Resolutions should be posted in detail online 24 hours prior to any vote and Public Comment should be prioritized at Town Board meetings to occur earlier in the agenda.
5. Edgemont Incorporation- As many people are aware, Edgemont is trying to become the 7th village in the Town of Greenburgh. I believe that Unincorporated Greenburgh is much stronger united, and hope that Edgemont does not incorporate into a village. Edgemont represents 17% of the population of Unincorporated Greenburgh and 27% of the tax revenues. If Edgemont were to incorporate, we would have to take a hard look at every aspect of Town Government to see what is most necessary to preserve. It is hard to see a future with an Incorporated Edgemont that does not result in some combination of service cuts and tax increases. I am running because I want to repair the relationship between the Town and the Edgemont community. I believe eventually, there will be a vote on incorporation and when that vote happens, I hope Edgemont residents choose not to incorporate.

I believe that civic engagement has never been more important than it is now.

If you have questions on these or any other topics, please email me at eric@ericzinger.com. You can also go to my website www.ericzinger.com or my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/EricZingerForGreenburghTownCouncil/. Thank you for your time and make sure to get out and vote!

Eric Zinger