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Redistricting

Gun Violence, Redistricting Challenge and More Driving Chappaqua’s Kristen Browde in her Bid for State Assembly

March 22, 2020 by Grace Bennett

PHOTO BY CAROLYN SIMPSON, DOUBLEVISION PHOTOGRAPHERS

When Kristen Browde’s son Theo came home from Horace Greeley, where he’s a sophomore, and told her about a second mandatory lockdown drill, Browde said her decision was made up to run for state assembly in New York’s 93rd district. “This generation has grown up with the fear that their school could be next.”

Browde, who has sat on the Chappaqua School Board’s financial advisory committee for almost ten years, said one of the things the committee often has talked about is how to “harden” our schools, but her contention is that security measures inside schools are not nearly enough.

“It remains easier in New York, in spite of our SAFE Act and red flag laws and all the progress we have made, to buy a high powered weapon–a military style weapon–and ammunition, than it is to buy a pack of Sudafed–and that is just wrong.”

A former TV broadcaster, Browde cited experience that includes decades of effective lobbying in Albany as a national and local officer for and on behalf of The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (now SAG-AFTRA). She worked on legislation to ban the use of non-compete contracts that kept industry salaries low or stagnating.

“When I worked at Channel Five and Channel Four, the broadcast companies would put a non-compete clause into our contracts. This would say ‘even after you leave my station, you cannot go to work for anybody else in this market for a certain amount of time.’ The result of that was that the employee’s bargaining power was substantially reduced because you would have to sit out six months or even a year without a salary–and that is how they kept you where you were at a lower salary, too. “It took seven years to get it passed. Back then, the Republicans were controlling the state legislature.” Browde proudly stated that she finally helped pass the Broadcast Employees Freedom to Work Act.

“And now that the State Senate (a last bastion of the Republicans), has flipped, all of a sudden, bills that had been bottled up for years… were finally able to be brought to the floor and enacted into laws signed by Governor Cuomo.

“In recent years I have had the opportunity to build relationships with people like the Governor and with the leaders of both houses, in the course of working on these issues. I know who they are and who we need to work with to make changes happen.”

Gun violence prevention will be her top priority. “Every parent who puts their kid on a school bus in the morning wants one thing–to get that kid back at the end of the day. It is not just the kids that are growing up with this fear, parents are as well. We are having to spend huge sums of money on school security… But if we can protect just a little bit more and at no cost, we ought to be doing that… Do the background checks and do the positive identification. You don’t stop with the weapons; it’s about the ammunition too. Moms Demand Action has a tremendous legislative program, so does the Brady Campaign. Both have absolutely solid things that this legislation should be working on in the next session.”

Browde cited another critically important legislative task ahead: redistricting.

“We are going to have a census. It is almost certain that New York is going to lose a Congressional seat… Nita Lowey’s seat is a pretty safe Democratic seat. Sean Patrick Maloney’s is not. There are lines that are almost certainly going to be redrawn… We will need to protect the sanctity one person, one vote, rather than protect the sanctity of an individual politician. We have seen that in places like North Carolina what happens when you have tremendously gerrymandered districts that pack all the Democrats into one tiny little area: the Republicans, even though they are only 50% of the state, control 75-80% of the Congressional seats. We can’t let that happen anymore.”

The conversation veered into today’s antisemitism which hits close to home for Browde. “My father’s family fled Germany on Kristallnacht and his dad, my grandfather, didn’t get out, but his mom did.”

“Whether it is, anti-Jewish, anti-Black, anti-Hispanic, we have to use every single resource that is humanly possible to bring to bear to battle hate… That’s a conversation that we in New York can start. Frankly, we in New York have the biggest problem with it right now.

At this juncture, Peter Moses, Browde’s campaign advisor and a longtime journalist himself, pointed to Browde being “incisive, direct, and a listener” as key strengths during her media career. It’s that same skill set, he said, that helped her pass legislation in Albany.

“It is why (Westchester County Executive) George Latimer has her on a couple of committees. The fact that she’s really bright may have influenced him, but what keeps her there, what she keeps bringing to the table with all the new roles she takes on, is her ability to communicate and listen.”

Melding Career Strengths Toward Key Consensus Building

“I’ve gone from reporter to divorce lawyer, which I used to describe as combining the two least respected professions in America into one stellar career, Now I’m adding politician, so it’s a trifecta,” Browde chimed in with a smile.

“As a divorce lawyer, you are dealing with people who at one point said they love each other and now can’t see eye to eye about anything and you are trying to bring them together to a settlement that they can both live with. When you are doing a job of a legislator, or let’s say, someone who is trying to persuade other legislators to come over to your side, you are doing the same thing. People who want the same thin–which is the best for the people of the state of New York.”

“I’m also trying to figure out what the other person really needs, because frankly, while I don’t agree with the policy positions espoused by most Republicans, the fact is I don’t think they are bad people. I just think they have a different view of what is best…there are common points and if we can get together on those common points, then that is fine.

Browde reminded me too that “the sticking point right now is not the Republicans. In Albany today, Democrats control all three houses, the two houses of the legislature and the Governor’s mansion, which are the three critical points of power in Albany. The problem is that the Democrats in the Assembly often can’t reach an agreement. I’m pretty good at getting Democrats together… and have worked with people across the party, from the extreme left to the more conservative members of the party… and we got bills through and we got bills signed.”

“It is less about policy differences than effectiveness,” said Browde. “What I have shown is that first off, I don’t stop. I don’t stop. I am good at bringing people together who don’t start agreeing… the only effective way to work in a legislative setting is to build coalitions.”

Browde shared her optimism in the challenge to win the seat with “approximately 90,000 registered voters stretched out from Harrison and White Plains up to the Connecticut line.”

“I am not Michael Bloomberg, I am not self-financing, so we are doing the same thing that everybody else is which is raising money through various Democratic Party channels: “People get fired up about my campaign–they’re visiting us at KristenForNY93.com. People are energized about the political process in general right now. The June 23rd primary is the focus right this minute, and then it is off to November!”

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: 93rd Assembly seat, albany, broadcaster, Consensus building, gun violence, Kristen Browde, lobbying, Redistricting, The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

Update On Redistricting Downtown Chappaqua

March 22, 2020 by Amy Kelley

Several merchants are in favor of a change in zoning but note that many customers still travel by car so ample parking is a necessity

People like to live in places that have walkable downtowns. But the reality is that online shopping has impacted many local merchants significantly, and if the hamlet of Chappaqua is going to thrive, town planning must ensure the area is kept vibrant as it faces modern pressures.

The Town of New Castle has had a new comprehensive plan since 2017, and many of the action items provided for in the plan are now underway. One of these is the adoption of a new type of zoning code, which may happen this fall. The code, Sabrina D. Charney Hull, director of planning for the Town of New Castle, said, aims to provide a framework for making many positive changes to the hamlet of Chappaqua that residents have requested.

“I’ve been working for the town for seven years and part of my job is to update the town’s comprehensive plan,” Charney Hull said. The last comprehensive plan New Castle had was completed in 1989 but was never formally adopted. It’s a tremendous undertaking, and the time had come to move forward with creating a new one.”

Merchants hope these apartments on Bedford Road will bring in more foot traffic to downtown

“My responsibility was to update the Comprehensive Plan in an efficient and timely manner,” Charney Hull said. In 2014, New Castle contracted with the Pace Land Use Law Center to canvass the community with a survey, to find out what residents wanted for their town. There were also public meetings and other means of outreach. “You name it, we did it,” Charney Hull said.

Diverse Housing Stock Needed

Overall the feedback indicated, besides other things, that New Castle residents wanted a revitalization of the town’s hamlets, including a walkable, livable, eco-sustainable downtown Chappaqua. Residents indicated that while they highly valued open spaces and their single-family neighborhoods, they also wanted a greater diversity of housing stock to provide more options for residents to downsize once they had raised their families, and to enable more young people to live in Chappaqua. This is particularly important for town services dependent on volunteers, like the fire department and ambulance corps. “There’s a record low in volunteering because there’s no population to volunteer,” Charney Hull explained.

These responses and more were incorporated into the town’s 2017 comprehensive plan, which aims to recognize and respond to the many changes that have taken place that impact the town since the last plan. Among these are the internet, which has changed shopping habits drastically. Merchants need more foot traffic to overcome online competition.

Additionally, “as millenials’ (the younger generation’s) economic self-sufficiency increased and the baby boomers (older generation’s) age, these populations are becoming more interested in amenities, housing, services and entertainment options that are accessible without a personal vehicle or through public transit. Also, there is a trend to introduce “healthy living” and “active lifestyles” into everyday actions” (plannewcastle.us/abouttheplan). New Castle residents want to create a “diversity of housing,” Charney Hull said.

The plan also recognizes modern post-9/11 security and disaster/emergency preparedness concerns, as well as modern concerns for environmental stewardship. When the town board adopted the comprehensive plan, the town hall held a full house of supportive residents, Charney Hull said.

Foot Traffic Needed Downtown

When looking to create opportunities for more diverse housing stock, it made sense to look at downtown Chappaqua–it has a train station, it’s connected to town sewer and water. The infrastructure is there, and that’s where merchants need foot traffic.

In neighboring Mount Kisco, efforts are also underway to revitalize the downtown, but there, the village has decided to work with a master developer, while Chappaqua has decided to approach change by considering moving to form-based zoning.

One of “active actions” provided for in the plan is a revision of the zoning code. “Right now we have zoning that’s called Euclidean zoning,” Charney Hull explained. “You zone by use–houses in one area, businesses in another, industrial uses in another area.” That’s how it has been since the 1920s, when that type of zoning was needed for health and safety reasons. However, the kind of zoning now proposed is called form-based zoning.

“We know the existing zoning isn’t conducive to today’s commercial market and we also know we don’t have enough feet on the street,” Charney Hull said. “When creating a walkable, livable environment, the first step is to look at your zoning.”

Defining a Form-Based Code

A form-based code is “a land-development regulation that fosters predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form (rather than separation of uses) as the organizing principle for the code,” according to the Form-Based Codes Institute. That means that residential and commercial uses may coexist in the same area, while attention is paid to the architectural harmony of the buildings, and how they relate to public spaces such as sidewalks, no matter what they contain. (Of course, Charney Hull pointed out that in downtown Chappaqua, there will be allowable uses–not all uses will be allowed.) Charney Hull said that anyone developing a property in the Chappaqua downtown area will have seven or eight architectural templates they can draw from, which will describe how the detailing on windows, trim boards and so on, should be.

Charney Hull said response from business and property owners in the hamlet has been “very positive.” That’s because “right now it’s not economically viable to re-develop,” Charney Hull explained. “Our existing code at 2-3 stories is not developable.” An expert hired by the town determined that the numbers don’t work–developers won’t be motivated under the existing code. If the proposed new zoning code is adopted in the fall, buildings on Greeley Avenue and lower King Street can be built to four stories.

Merchants Weigh In

Of course, one major part of this plan of action is that there be no net loss of existing parking. “It would be good for the businesses,” Angelo Tradito, owner of the Old Stone Trattoria on King Street, said of the proposed zoning code. “I think it’s better for the town to have more mixed-use… it’ll bring new people to Chappaqua.” While Tradito’s business is on the west side of King Street, farther from the train station and Greeley Avenue, he said he does get some foot traffic currently.

“Not a lot, but some,” Tradito said. There are apartments behind the building housing his restaurant, and a new building going up across the street that Tradito said may bring more pedestrians to his place in the future. However, currently most of his patrons come by car.

Trish Kallman, owner of hip-kid in the heart of downtown Chappaqua, notes that she is in favor of changing the zoning. “I’m for it as long as it’s respectful of the look and feel of the town. I get that people want the beautiful bucolic downtown feel. But it’s not very vibrant right now.”

Kallman said that a change in zoning would benefit people who live in Chappaqua as well as the merchants. “As long as certain things are protected,” she said. “You don’t want it to look like a city.” Patrons of hip-kid generally come by car at this point, although Kallman said it would be nice if new zoning resulted in more downtown residents who could shop there.

Christine Meyer, owner of Wags & Whiskers, is less optimistic about potential future foot traffic if the zoning changes. Meyer’s business is located on the west end of King St, across from Walgreens. Most of her customers come by car. But Meyer did say more foot traffic would “absolutely” be a good thing for the hamlet.

“It’s up to the individual property owners,” Charney Hull said, to determine when existing properties are re-developed under a new code, should it be adopted. It will likely be up for a vote by the town board as soon as the fall. “The community is spearheading this,” Charney Hull pointed out. “It’s what they have asked for, and the town board has been supportive of this process throughout.”

Filed Under: Cover Stories Tagged With: Chappaqua, Comprehensive Plan, diversity, Downtown Chappaqua, hamlet, lifestyles, merchants, public transert, Redistricting, Town Planning, walkable downtowns

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