Fleming Vies for Fourth Term as Kent Supervisor vs Kreps
By Abby Luby
Kent Supervisor Maureen Fleming (D,C,LBT,SAM,Common Sense) is looking to serve another two years as she goes up against Richard Kreps (R,I).
Maureen Fleming
After serving as the Town of Kent Supervisor for six years, Fleming wants to accomplish much more. One of those goals is to create a place giving residents more opportunities to come together. “The Town of Kent doesn’t have a traditional Main Street where residents can meet and greet each other. I believe we need a recreation center where young, old and everyone in the middle can gather for meetings, games, activities, exercise or just to enjoy each other’s company. I would love to get funding for this project and see it become a reality.” Fleming said she spearheaded the Town of Kent Winter Fest, the annual Independence Day celebration, the Recreation Department’s Backyard Olympics, and a Kent Library event which offers an evening of free music outside at Arts on the Lake that ends with fireworks.
Fleming has always considered herself a fiscal conservative and one of her specific goals going forward is to keep taxes as low as possible while improving the town’s infrastructure.
“While county and school taxes increase every year (this year’s increase in the Carmel Central School District was 2.6%), in Kent we have kept town taxes even. This is a relief to many of our residents who struggle to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table,” Fleming said.
She pointed out that many of her accomplishments happened without raising town taxes. “We have achieved a lot in the Town of Kent during my tenure including significant equipment purchases for the Highway Department, Lake Carmel Park District, Parks and Recreation Department and the Lake Carmel Sanitation Department.” Fleming highlighted other important realized goals including negotiating two rounds of four-year contracts with town employee labor unions, securing grants to reconstruct the Nichols Street Causeway, funding major paving projects and the purchase of equipment and construction of an all-abilities playground. Fleming cited her other achievements that included revamping meeting procedures to allow unlimited public participation. “Very recently concerned citizens spoke for about an hour on an issue that was not on the town board agenda and they were able to do so without a time limit.” During Fleming’s tenure she was able to make important amendments to the town code; the town website was improved to be more user friendly and informative.
Fleming didn’t say she personally opposes the controversial truck stop that is part of the proposed new development, Kent Country Square, on a hill overlooking Route 52. The project would include a truck stop, truck wash and truck repair, two hotels, an indoor waterpark, a restaurant and a convention center. If the plan is approved, it would mean blasting 54 acres of rock to mine down 180 feet. A movement has steadily grown opposing the truck stop. After Fleming attended a recent meeting at the Carmel VFW Hall to hear a large group of residents speak out against the truck stop, she contacted the attorney for the project and asked him if his client would consider removing this element from the project.
“The attorney told me that the owner is looking at different configurations,” she explained. “I believe most residents would find the other parts of this project more acceptable without the truck stop. There are still many questions to be answered before any action is taken by the Planning Board. This is a long process that concerns issues such as groundwater concerns, pollution, noise, light, traffic and quality of life.” Fleming said residents will continue to be heard. “Everyone wants what’s best for the town and for our residents. When this project was first brought to the town board there was excitement about the tax revenue to be generated as well as the number of jobs that a project of this magnitude could bring to the town.”
Recently U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D) of New York visited the abandoned Kent Arsenic Mine near Gipsy Trail Road where for decades toxic arsenic has seeped into the soil and water. Schumer and Fleming wanted to draw attention to the inactivity on the part of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) who has yet to place the mine on the top of the list for a federally-funded clean-up. When asked if the town could be more pro-active on the arsenic mine clean-up Fleming said, “I appreciate the Senator’s efforts to put this issue into the spotlight and perhaps hasten a resolution for the families and homeowners affected. At this point it is in the hands of the EPA. I have facilitated forums for residents to meet with federal, state and local agencies so that they could have all their questions answered in one setting. We will continue to assist in any way possible.”
Fleming believes that by working with the Economic Development Corporation and the Carmel-Kent Chamber of Commerce, more businesses can be encouraged to come to Kent. “Many new businesses have opened their doors in my tenure and I hope they continue to come here. Kent is a wonderful place.” Fleming said she supports the town to become a “Climate Smart Town.”
Public service is what keeps Fleming’s ‘door always open.’ “I value our residents and their input. I am always there for them and take my responsibility seriously. It is an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of Kent. I love this town!”
Rick Kreps
Kreps is running for Town of Kent Supervisor because he wants to lower taxes through responsible growth. He believes that enhancing the infrastructure will invite more businesses. “If I’m elected, I want to encourage the town’s many boards to treat constituents with respect,” he said.
Currently Kreps is the Vice President of Operations of the Croker Fire Drill Corporation which oversees all field operations. He is retired from the NYPD Emergency Services Unit and has been a Kent resident since 1983.
For 20 years, Kreps volunteered as a School Board trustee on the Carmel Central School District Board and the Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES. Many of those years he led the boards as president or chairperson.
Kreps supports encouraging responsible growth in the Town of Kent. “Bringing health care companies to our town that could have physicians, labs and X-ray departments would not only be convenient for our residents, but it will add to local job growth and lower taxes,” he explained.
Keeping infrastructure up to date will also attract business, Kreps said. “We should ensure that the state and county continue to update our roads and maintain and upgrade our parks. We need to work with legislative and private partnerships to get needed grants.” He added that the town of Kent should certainly work towards being a climate smart town. “All towns should be smart about our environment and climate. However, we should be smart and not overregulate.” As supervisor, Kreps said he’d like to create a recreation facility for all Kent residents. “It would be a place for the young and for our seniors.”
While supporting responsible growth, the Route 52 truck stop is the part of the project that Kreps considers “not responsible in its present form” because he opposes the truck stop at the proposed location. “The right type of hotel and conference center would be appropriate,” he said.
Kreps admitted he hadn’t fully researched the arsenic mine issue. “I first need to do my homework, yet I can see the dangers it presents to our citizens,” he explained. “We should be proactive and have discussions about it at our board meetings. It should not take a photo op by a US Senator (Schumer) to begin the conversation.” He said he supports aggressively moving forward to resolve the problem. “The town needs to keep up the pressure. As a school board trustee I went to Albany and Washington D.C. to lobby for our issues.”
Kreps said he believes he is a desirable candidate because of his dedication to public service. “I have been a volunteer in our town and have assisted in helping to make programs better for all the citizens of the Town of Kent.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/