Mohegan Lake Man Announces Bid to Run for Yorktown Supervisor
The executive director of a non-profit organization that recently filed a federal lawsuit claiming Yorktown Town Hall was discriminatory against individuals with disabilities has announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for Yorktown Supervisor.
Melvyn Tanzman, a 26-year resident of Mohegan Lake who has never held elected office, said he plans to run an issues-centered campaign against incumbent Supervisor Michael Grace that addresses the concerns of the entire community, maintaining developers and “big business interests” should not be more influential than residents.
“I want to bring ethics, transparency, and accountability back to Yorktown governance. I won’t agree with everybody but I will endeavor to listen and learn as well as to speak and teach,” Tanzman said. “There are a lot of people fired up and wanting to become involved. Yorktown should draw on their knowledge and enthusiasm to help build and improve our communities. I’m a big fan of collaboration.”
Tanzman has served as executive director of Westchester Disabled On the Move, Inc. since 1999. He previously worked for 13 years as a director for the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association. Tanzman described himself as an administrator who is skilled in team building, budget development and management, public and governmental relations, and organizational planning.
He contended many members of the Yorktown Town Board have a “my way or the highway” approach instead of seeking consensus on issues.
“I just believe you can’t design and implement policy from an ivory tower,” Tanzman said. “As a participant at town meetings, I am appalled by the lack of civility, disregard and disrespect shown to the public by the council majority.”
Grace, a Republican, was first elected in 2011, ousting then-Supervisor Susan Siegel. He was reelected in 2013 and 2015, fending off challenges from former Councilman Nick Bianco and current Councilman Vishnu Patel, who is the lone Democrat on the Town Board.
An attorney with a law office located directly across the street from Town Hall, Grace met with the Yorktown Republican Committee earlier this month to seek their endorsement to run for a fourth two-year term.
Tanzman said some of the issues he would like to focus on are taxpayer burdens, affordable housing, and environmental and development concerns as outlined in the town’s Comprehensive Plan.
“The town spent a lot of time and money developing this plan and sometimes I wonder how much attention is paid to it by the board when making critical decisions,” he said.
In the lawsuit filed by Westchester Disabled On the Move in December, the organization is seeking more handicapped parking spaces in front of Town Hall and an elevator that would provide disabled residents access to government offices on the second floor.
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/
