Both Biz Owner and Resident, Lynn Miller Takes Aim for Trustee

March 8, 2016 Examiner Media

As a Main Street shop owner and Cold Spring resident, Lynn Miller understands issues facing both segments of the village.

“I’m invested personally because I own property here and I pay property taxes and I’m also invested in Main Street,” Miller said. “Our business overall contributes to the character of Cold Spring.”

Tourism and how Cold Spring can handle the influx of visitors weekly is one issue Miller is focused on. Miller pointed out that the tourism has grown in the years since she’s lived and worked in the village and while tourism helps her stay in business, it can indeed lead to consequences for the village at large. Traffic congestion, lack of parking, trash removal, and infrastructure wear-and-tear are all side effects of the massive amount of visitors each weekend and summer.

“A lot of people believe that more tourism benefits Cold Spring,” she said. “It doesn’t benefit Cold Spring at all, it hurts Cold Spring considerably.”

She would like to find ways for tourism to work better for the entire village by identifying non-tax revenue sources.

Metered parking is “low hanging fruit” for the village to bring in revenue, she said and another possibility is the riverside property that could generate income. Additionally, seeking film shoot permits to take place in the village at a worthy price and putting in place guidelines that won’t hurt businesses is another idea, Miller mentioned.

She also thinks Putnam County should assist the village more, citing Cold Spring only received $7,500 that went toward garbage cans this year.

Another subject that Miller believes is important is the grant for sidewalks on Main Street. She pointed out how the sidewalks need repairs because many visitors stumble and the sidewalks are not disability compliant. Work is expected to start this spring, she said, and her hope is to get that done at an accelerated rate.

Upgrades to dams and water sources in the village have been allowed to languish, Miller said, and she would like to see renewed attention toward repairs. Getting an answer from New York State has been a struggle and would require “constant attention and constant prodding.”

When evaluating the current village board, Miller said they’ve been doing great, putting out several fires. Because of the immense focus on the Butterfield redevelopment the past several years, other issues were shoved aside, Miller said, but are now getting the needed attention. She particularly brought up Mayor Dave Merandy, and Trustees Marie Early and Fran Murphy for making “amazing progress.”

Miller has been the owner of Go-Go Pops for six years and has lived in the village for a dozen. She was appointed to the village board six yeas ago to serve a year before she lost in a bid for reelection. Miller has worked as a freelance food stylist and recipe developer, basically preparing food to be filmed or photographed. She was on boards to develop the comprehensive plan and the local waterfront revitalization strategy for a short time.

Miller stressed how accessible she is. Her business is open six days each week and her door is always open to hear about different views and concerns in the village, even from residents that don’t agree with her.

She believes the role of a trustee is to collaborate and find ways to “disagree without being disagreeable.”

“We get a lot more done if we commit to collaboration, not compromise,” Miller said.