Not surprising, Deer Park mayoral candidates differ on Vehe Farm
The contest for Deer Park village president, between incumbent President Scott Gifford and Trustee Bob Kellermann, is less about different perspectives on a problem and more about how well things are running already.
Kellermann sees problems - no less than he did when elected to the board two years ago.
He believes the money the village has spent on the purchase and refurbishment of the Vehe Farm as both village hall and community center has been a drain on other, more necessary services like road maintenance.
Kellermann would like the village to move away from the deficit spending he says has been the practice for the past seven years, establish a five-year business plan and seek public input on the use of the barn.
"If it was designed to be a community center, it should be a community center," Kellermann said.
Gifford said the "deficit spending" Kellermann refers to depends on one's point of view.
He doesn't deny that the project was done using reserves, and that some further cost was incurred when the original contractor proved incapable of finishing the job.
But Gifford said it seemed wiser to him and his fellow board members at the time to use reserves for a one-time project like the barn refurbishment. He believes the reason other municipalities get into trouble spending reserves is that they use them for ongoing expenses.
On the contrary, Gifford said, the barn project is now finished and a reserve balance of $1.4 million is expected in 2010 - even with the current recession.
"A lot of communities wish they were in that position," Gifford said.
The village's reserves have never dipped below $1 million even during the barn project, but with it finished, sales tax revenue from the Deer Park Town Center and other businesses should boost them even higher, he added.
But another point of contention between Gifford and Kellermann is whether the barn project is truly finished.
Kellermann said there is further work to the outbuildings on the site which has still not been addressed and which will continue to cost the village.
Gifford said the entire village board is aware that negotiations are being worked out for a volunteer agency to refurbish those buildings, such as a chicken coop, at no further cost to the village.
But even if these projects weren't finished immediately, they would not reduce the intended function of the barn itself, Gifford said.
Kellermann argues that Gifford and the majority of the current board are overlooking ongoing flaws in the barn, and are content to go on making decisions without proper information from their contractors and consultants.
"The current administration feels that if they don't address an issue, it will go away," Kellermann said.
The two men also disagree over the financial outlook ahead.
Gifford said Kellermann is being unrealistic in what he wants to spend on road improvements in the current recession. Gifford believes these kinds of ongoing expenses are exactly what reserves should not be lost on.
But Kellermann said actual numbers are showing the Deer Park area is not being as severely affected by a downturn in sales tax revenue as national statistics suggest.
Each candidate is running with a slate of non-incumbent trustee candidates. Gifford is running with Joyce Trost Beattie, William Koutsis and William Michael, while Kellermann believes his board majority would be provided by John Lahr, Keith Olson and Dale Sands.