Green Leaf Community Group - George "Butch" Starkie as Farmingdale residents working together

Top Concerns

Learn more about each of these important issues below.

Click here to see some staggering numbers; what the developers received and what the Village will receive in return.

Lost Revenue

The village has failed to perform the required pro forma on multiple developments. Read more

Code Compliance

The codes were created as a win win win to redevelop and revitalize Main street. Read more

Over development

Time has come for a more balanced approach to future development led by a stronger leader. Read more

Water/Parking

Nobody knows what’s going on, we need transparency with the water system site. Read more

The current administration does not want public input. I agree Main Street looks great but what you don’t see is what we need to be concerned about!
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The codes were created as a win win to redevelop and revitalize Main Street while providing social amenities back to the Village. Developers have reaped millions of dollars while our residents received crumbs.
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What’s the rush, we should use the downtown Master Plan which runs until 2035.
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The current administration has given away the store to developers and residents have gotten shortchanged.
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The board voted to pass workforce housing during a meeting. They did not care what the residents thought.
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History

In 2008 when I was elected Mayor of the Village of Farmingdale, our Main Street was dying a slow death. There were 26 empty stores, nothing to speak of in the way of color or flowers, and there was this feeling of “Being Stuck” on what it would take to reinvent our once vibrant downtown.

It was pointed out by multiple experts that there was a good, better, best way to implement new codes and studies. We choose the BEST way and undertook a 3-year study funded by a $250,000.00 State grant. The key component of this study was community involvement. We had a robust, engaged committee of business owners, homeowners and other interested parties participate in the process.

This Master Plan document is still available for review on the Village website. All my questions and concerns for this campaign are based on the current Mayors disregard for the planning and new codes and laws generated from this document, that he himself voted to accept in 2011.

This question was asked during the planning process and can be found on page I-16 of final Master Plan.

“Who has approval over the Downtown Master Plan and could it be ignored by another administration? The Plan will be approved by the Village Board of Trustees as a guide for future development and planning within the Village’s downtown area over the next 25 years. As such it would be hard for another administration, especially with reminder from the public, to ignore such a guidebook that is based upon community input.”

This is why I am running. I can’t stand by as this Mayor has repeatedly ignored and trampled the will of the people.

Our Future

What could we have done with the Lost Revenue?

We could have purchased instead of borrowing for a payloader, ambulance, fire truck, DPW garage and equipment (approx. $1M). We will need a new water tower (approx. $5M).

People ask me, “Are you in favor of a theater?”

Yes, but on favorable terms to the village and its residents.

By not asking the developers to step up as they made millions and we settled for crumbs, it is difficult to know what could have been if we had them pay their fair share.

What I do know is this. Roads need to be repaved, new equipment is needed yearly, and additional parking needs to be developed by the railroad and downtown for our future. We can’t expect to keep going back to the residents who are overburdened as it is, looking for more revenue. It is imperative that we ask developers who profit from our Village today to pay their fair share.

We want a theater in our community. We must develop a plan where we can set this as a primary goal and work towards attaining it. The development of a theater was included within the Master Plan and it remains the missing link towards our total revitalization.

We need more greenspace and as land becomes more and more scarce, we can’t pass up opportunities to ask developers to step up and provide us that greenspace in exchange for bonus densities. If the board had followed the Master Plan, Main Street could have had a beautiful pocket park.

Don’t buy into this notion that only the current Mayor can secure grant money, or the wheels will somehow fall off if he isn’t in office. I have plenty of friends on both sides of the political aisle.

I will use all my talent and abilities to bring home the bacon to our special village. All I need from you is your vote to stop the giveaway and shed light on the issues that matter to all of us.

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