Terence Guerriere Makes a Second Bid For a Seat on the White Plains Council
Terence Guerriere, a life-long resident of White Plains, and well-known citizen on the front lines of neighborhood activism, has once again obtained the endorsement of the Republican Party and is running on their line in a special election against Common Council appointee and incumbent Nadine Hunt-Robinson.
Facing a fully Democrat Council and a heavy Democrat voting block in White Plains, Guerriere says he is an independent voice for the people. He is also hoping his position on stopping the French American School of New York (FASNY) from developing the former Ridgeway Country Club will pull some needed votes from a formerly staunch Democrat base that is frustrated by what they consider to be a Common Council that is not responding to their neighborhood’s request to stop the FASNY development.
If the FASNY proposal does not go through, Guerriere expects that based on the site’s zoning of single-family residences on ¾-acre lots, with environmentally sensitive areas and required setbacks, there would be space for 40 to 50 new homes, which would add to the city’s tax roll, he said.
But FASNY is not the only development in White Plains Guerriere is sensitive to. He has seen how many neighborhoods are suffering through a transition as developers continue to press on the fringes. He sees White Plains at a crossroads. “I want to help White Plains meet those challenges and go in the right direction,” he explains.
At recent community debates, Guerriere has mentioned the Sunrise Detox Center that was threatening the Carhart neighborhood and the Salvation Army expansion on the outskirts of Fisher Hill and bordering the Highlands neighborhood.
“Development is wonderful if it is done correctly,” he says. “There must be cooperation among the developers, residents and the city. We must rely on the zoning ordinance and ensure that proper zoning is being followed so we can preserve our neighborhoods.”
Bothered by the many empty store fronts in the White Plains downtown district, Guerriere has a plan to bring more city residents out of the neighborhoods and into the shops by offering them free parking on weekday evenings and all day on the weekends at city-owned parking structures.
“This will encourage more people to head downtown and will ultimately add to more shopping and the city’s retail tax income,” he said.
Scoffing at the city’s current offer of $75 annually for a permit that allows residents to park in the evenings and on weekends in specified parking structures in the city, Guerriere maintains that even $75 is too much and the program not extensive enough.
Concerned that the city must live within its means, Guerriere would like to see public safety staffing return to former levels. He is worried that not enough police officers are available to police the outer neighborhoods when they are so busy handling the nighttime crowds on Mamaroneck Avenue.
Having lived in several of the White Plains neighborhood, including North Broadway and now Gedney, Guerriere has been involved as president and on the board of those respective neighborhood associations, which he feels gives him a perspective on many aspects of White Plains life.
He has also volunteered on the White Plains Planning Board, Capital Projects Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Budget Advisory Committee.
He is a business executive and attorney in the real estate and insurance industries, former educator, and former small business owner.
Guerriere says he is “committed to challenge the status quo on the Council and provide an independent voice for the people of White Plains. I will work hard to protect our neighborhoods and preserve the character of our entire city.”
