US Army Veteran Running For Supervisor

I very much appreciate the opportunity to write a blog post here on A Better Greenburgh. I hope that my opponent also submits a post to explain why he is running again this year.

I'm running for Greenburgh town supervisor, because I believe that if we empower our residents with information and if we give them more meaningful ways to participate in our town's decision-making processes, then we can make tremendous progress on the biggest challenges facing our town (rising taxes, lack of long-term financial planning, and what might come as a surprise to many - rising poverty in Greenburgh, now near 5%).

“Transparency” and “greater voice” sound like they’re just some political talking points, but I have walked this talk since 2006. I believe that at the local level, leaders should focus on governing and not politics. That means placing a greater emphasis on better process (through transparency and greater voice) which will create better decisions on all issues across the board.

I am a US Army veteran, open government advocate, husband, and father of two. I was born and raised in Greenburgh and I returned to Greenburgh to raise my family. I graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 2001, graduated from the US Army Ranger School, earned the rank of captain, and served as an infantry officer in Iraq from 2004-2005.

During the five years when I lived in Washington, DC, I mobilized 1500 non-profit professionals, researchers, and government leaders in support of the federal government’s Open Government Initiative. I hosted conferences in partnership with the US Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Treasury, Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, and NASA.

My family and I lived on Market Street in Charlottesville, Virginia where the clashes between the alt-right rally and counter protestors turned deadly. In New York many people think that racial tension is just a southern problem. That is absolutely not true. We have very important bridges to build between our communities here in Greenburgh.

We are one of the 10 largest towns in New York State, yet we lack a strong town identity.  Having lived in both Hastings and Edgemont, I know that many people who live in Greenburgh do not even know they live in Greenburgh. Without more residents involved in decision-making, we cannot solve town-wide problems.

I spoke with 2000+ residents over the past 2 months when gathering petition signatures to get on the ballot. I am in listening mode and I would like to meet with you and your neighborhood association to hear what changes you would like to see. In the coming months, I will write more in-depth posts on the issues here on ABG.

To join the campaign, please sign up for the weekly newsletter on our website: https://www.greenburgh.us or contact me at lucas@greenburgh.us.  Thank you for your consideration, and I’ll see you around town!