MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE THE TOWN
- Invest wisely in the town’s infrastructure, including roads, bridges, sidewalks, public spaces and buildings.
- Work collaboratively with local organizations with goals consistent with Gardiner’s 2022 Comprehensive Plan.
- Improve and expand Gardiner’s recreational facilities and programs such as those in Majestic Park, Gardiner Park/Riverbend Trails, and the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.
- Work with local organizations and Ulster County agencies to improve the availability of social service resources and the affordability of housing.
- Improve Emergency Medical Services in terms of both scope and speed of delivery.
- Preserve, protect, and provide for growth opportunities in the availability of potable water.
- Ensure the long-term viability of the town’s sewer system.
- Support the library as the town’s social, cultural, and education center.
- Address quality of life issues such as noise, speeding, littering, and abandoned or derelict buildings as the need arises.
- Ensure that Town Code regulations are enforced equitably, as prescribed, without fear or favor.
- Ensure fairness in the governance of property assessment for tax purposes.
CONTINUE TO EXERCISE FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE
- Develop responsible budgets based on the needs of the community.
- Minimize the tax burden on Gardiner residents.
- Employ expert resources to assist in obtaining grants and donations to help fund important programs and infrastructure needs.
- Encourage business development in the hamlets and the industrial park to create jobs, increase tax revenue, and for the convenience of Gardiner residents.
PRESERVE GARDINER’S RURAL CHARACTER AND OPEN SPACE
- Preserve the scenic and small-town nature of Gardiner.
- Update and maintain the Zoning Code as needed to ensure consistency with Gardiner’s Comprehensive Plan.
- Advance Gardiner’s Open Space Plan through the use of conservation easements and by promoting smart growth.
- Support established policies that protect the Shawangunk Ridge as a unique environmental resource and source of community pride.
- Pursue Gold Certification from the NYS DEC through the excellent work of the Climate Smart Gardiner Task Force.
- Improve Gardiner’s resiliency against climate change by protecting biodiversity, and by avoiding habitat loss and the spread of invasive species.
- Support efforts to reduce the Town’s carbon footprint, while reducing town expenditures.
- Monitor the Community Choice Aggregation program to ensure it is meeting the needs of Gardiner residents while promoting access to green sources of electricity.
CONTINUE AND ENHANCE EFFICIENT, GOOD GOVERNMENT
- Continue to ensure open, inclusive government by facilitating participation by all members of the Gardiner community in town meetings and activities.
- Respect and adhere to property rights in accordance with applicable laws.
- Encourage community members to serve on town boards, commissions, committees and task forces, such as the Town Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Environmental Conservation Commission, Parks and Recreation Committee, Community Preservation Advisory Board, Climate Smart, and Housing Smart, and ensure all are properly staffed.
- Support planning that balances development and conservation practices in new development.
- Encourage additional Town task forces and ad-hoc committees to address community needs, such as the Drinking Water Protection Committee, and a Hamlet Sewer Task Force, etc.
- Work closely with the Library to build and strengthen community.
SUPPORT OUR DEMOCRATIC VALUES
- Encourage active engagement in our civic life and political institutions.
- Actively engage in efforts to counter the gutting of essential services, and participate in the national fight to preserve constitutional rights, democracy, healthcare, civil rights, Social Security, the Postal Service, national parks, and libraries.
- Seek areas in which the GDC can work cooperatively with the local Republican Committee and politically independent residents.
- Practice diplomacy and encourage cooperation with other political parties where we agree on issues and can effectively improve the lives of Ulster County residents, particularly on such issues as food banks and pantries, local veteran services, and other local impacts resulting from the elimination of federal funding.
- Actively oppose discrimination due to race, religion, national origin, disability, language, gender or gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and marital status.
- Demonstrate active opposition to racism and discrimination in any and all forms.
- Support allegiance to women’s equality and reproductive rights.
- Support the civil rights of people of color, disabled persons, and the LGBTQ+ community.
- Support efforts promoting humane treatment and due process for immigrants and those seeking asylum.
- Promote universal health care.
- Build a clean energy economy that ensures environmental justice and protects public lands and water.
- Support common-sense gun regulation.