Candidate – White Plains Mayor – Thomas M. Roach Jr.
Thomas M. Roach Jr.
Party: Democratic, Working Families, Independence
Tom Roach has been Mayor of White Plains for seven years. He was elected to the Common Council in 2001. He became acting mayor in February 2011, won a special election shortly thereafter, and was re-elected in 2013.
After a significant win in the September Democratic primary, Roach said he is gratified by the show of support he received in the election. “People in White Plains feel like they are part of the whole community. As mayor, I have worked to find common ground among the different neighborhoods. I have tried to enhance that during my campaign. When the election is over I want to have a positive environment so I can work with everyone.”
Roach takes pride in the success of White Plains, not only its economic success, but in the connectivity residents feel. In his travels around the city he is told that people are happy with the direction the city is taking. “I have received positive feedback in all the neighborhoods and at the schools,” he said.
“We have a very different city now than we did seven years ago. We are a regional leader on the environment. Our economy is thriving. Businesses are flocking to our downtown and we just achieved our lowest downtown office vacancy rate in more than a decade. We’re committed to progressive values, and the principle that everyone is welcome here. We have implemented strong community policing and have low crime rates. We were one of the first cities in the state to embrace body cameras. I worked with New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office to develop guidance for municipalities regarding President Trump’s Executive Orders on immigration. We’ve invested in our city while improving our fiscal outlook. We’ve stayed under the property tax cap every year I’ve been mayor and our bond rating has improved to AA1 Stable. We’ve opened new parks and upgraded playgrounds and facilities like Ebersole Ice Rink. We keep our infrastructure in good shape and have expanded programming offered by the Rec and Parks Dept., Youth Bureau and Library, as well as the events offered in the downtown.”
Roach disagrees with comments that White Plains is not family-friendly, advising that much of that criticism is aimed at the downtown. Being family friendly includes keeping neighborhoods safe, paving roads and bringing programs out into the neighborhoods as well as into the downtown, and by building playgrounds and enhancing public parks and programs.
Roach believes in building upon the assets and strengths the city has right now. “We’ve worked hard to invest in the qualities that attract people and employers to our city. One of the biggest of those is our downtown transit hub – and by investing there, we’re moving away from some of the mistakes of the urban renewal period to make sure we have an active, attractive street life in our entire downtown area and that we are pedestrian and bicycle friendly. We are a city where you can live minutes away from the train and minutes away from a bustling, suburban downtown, and still have all the amenities of suburban life. In many ways, we have the best of both worlds and we are going to preserve and enhance that.”
On the fiscal front, Roach and the current Common Council are careful about how they spend money in White Plains. Roach works with other entities including the County and School District to see where services can be shared and costs cut. “We’ve stayed under the tax cap every year I’ve been mayor. We could not have stayed under the tax cap if we were not vigilant throughout the year in monitoring the budget. And we will continue that policy when we talk about affordability in housing. We must remember that taxes are a large component of the cost of housing,” Roach said.
New companies committed to moving to the city will add over 1,000 workers to the downtown, each one a new customer for local businesses.
As an avid environmentalist, Roach believes, “We have a responsibility to our children to leave the planet a better place than we found it. White Plains isn’t just working towards sustainability – we’re the regional leader on the issue. During my tenure as Mayor, we capped the Gedney Way Landfill, are phasing out dirty #4 and #6 home heating oils, added textile recycling to the Gedney Recycling Yard, and streamlined the solar power approval process. I also spearheaded complete streets legislation and sustainable transportation efforts such as creating the first dedicated bike lanes in the county and establishing a network of electric vehicle charging stations in municipally owned parking structures. We turned the long-held dream of Bryant-Mamaroneck Park into reality and will soon be done converting all of White Plains’ streetlights to LED. We have pledged to do our share to uphold the Paris Climate Accord and are working every day to increase the use of renewable energy.”
As a candidate, Roach says it is not what he intends to do, but what he has already done that he is proud of.
