Incumbent Gilbert Looks to Fend Off Challenge from Slater
Yorktown Supervisor
Yorktown Supervisor Ilan Gilbert is proud of what he feels he has accomplished in his first term in office and he’s hopeful of getting voter approval on November 5 to serve another two years.
“I’m not sitting on my hands. I have a lot of vision,” Gilbert said. “I am enthused in what I have accomplished. I hope people perceive me as a calming influence. I believe I’m measured in what I do, and I try to keep the town civil.”
Gilbert, 63, a Yorktown resident since 1991, worked as a court attorney/referee for 35 years before retiring in 2017. He served five years as a Yorktown Town Justice and spent 12 years as a member and chairman of the Yorktown Conservation Board.
Challenging Gilbert is Republican Matt Slater, 33, a lifelong Yorktown resident, former chief of staff for State Senator Terrence Murphy and currently a project administrator for the Westchester County Board of Elections.
A former soccer player and track runner at Yorktown High School, Slater said he wasn’t planning to run for elected office but felt compelled this year to give it a shot.
“I do not feel the town is going in the right direction. I felt it was time to stand up,” said Slater, the married father of two young children. “I think the town is really searching for its soul again. Yorktown is a great community. I believe in all the potential of this town.”
Gilbert said he has fostered transparency and open government by televising work sessions and moving the often lively Courtesy of the Floor portion of Town Board meetings to the beginning.
When he took office, Gilbert said he was saddled with many projects that were neglected by the previous administration, such as replacing roofs at Town Hall, the Police Department and the Courthouse, replacing the failing air conditioning system at the Police Department, refurbishing several tennis courts, replacing three sewer pump stations, installing generators at Town Hall and the Highway Garage and purchasing needed equipment.
There were also some pressing matters dealing with the Lowe’s project and the ring road to the Jefferson Valley Mall that he believed were “mishandled” and required him to intervene.
Slater accused Gilbert of stopping the mall from expanding and preventing other projects from advancing.
“They haven’t done anything. You haven’t seen the ball move down the field,” Slater said. “It shouldn’t be a Democratic idea or a Republican idea. I just don’t think there’s confidence that if you bring something to Town Hall anything will happen. They need to know they have a partner in government.”
Gilbert said he created the Economic & Business Revitalization Committee with a diverse group of members to provide innovative ideas to boost the business community, including a proposal for branding and actively marketing Yorktown.
“It’s certainly not my intention to hold business up,” Gilbert stressed. “This is someone (Slater) with no administrative experience or leadership experience who can make claims that are unsubstantiated.”
Both candidates support updating the town’s Comprehensive Plan, which is 10 years old. Slater opposes the 150-unit rental project being considered in Jefferson Valley, while Gilbert expressed several concerns about it, stressing it was “not a done deal” as some residents have charged.
“For me it’s a no-go,” Slater remarked. “With a Comp Plan, we need to see if and what rental units make sense.”
“It’s a project we can’t lawfully comment on,” Gilbert said. “I agree with many of the concerns. Are the concerns valid? I have seniors telling me they need more (housing) options.”
Slater said the Ethics Board needed to be revamped and the Parks and Recreation Commission should be restructured. He said no elected official, such as the current town clerk, or department head should be allowed to be on the commission.
“That’s a conflict,” he said. “There are issues with the management of our parks. It has nothing to do with our employees.”
In addition, within his first 30 days in office, Slater said he would have a Climate Smart Community Task Force in place.
Gilbert said he was successful in getting the town an additional $4.15 million from Enbridge in conjunction with the gas pipeline that was constructed through Yorktown near Granite Knolls Park. He also directed the town attorney to initiate action against delinquent taxpayers for the first time since 2013, resulting in the collection of approximately $400,00 to date.
He said he would like to see Yorktown Stage used more often, perhaps by showing movies there.
“I am on the right track in moving Yorktown in the right direction,” Gilbert said.
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/