MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE THE TOWN
- Continue to invest wisely in the town’s infrastructure, including roads, bridges, sidewalks, public spaces and buildings.
- Improve Gardiner’s recreational facilities and programs including Majestic Park, Gardiner Park/Riverbend Trails, and public trail maintenance, upgrades and improvements.
- Collaborate with local organizations to improve the availability and affordability of housing and community resources for seniors and other members of our community.
- Preserve and protect drinking water, wetlands, and watercourses.
- Ensure the long-term viability of the town’s sewer system.
- Support the library as the town’s social and cultural center.
- Improve the appearance of the town and public spaces to attract public events that bring revenue to Gardiner.
- Address speeding on Gardiner’s roads, noise control, abandoned buildings, and littering.
CONTINUE TO EXERCISE FINANCIAL DISCIPLINE
- Develop responsible budgets based on the needs of the community.
- Limit the tax burden on Gardiner property owners.
- Employ expert resources to secure grants and donations to help fund important programs.
- Encourage business development in the Hamlet and in the industrial park to increase the revenue base by establishing an Economic Development Committee.
PRESERVE GARDINER’S RURAL CHARACTER AND OPEN SPACE
- Preserve the small-town nature of Gardiner.
- Update zoning code to be consistent with the 2022 Comprehensive Plan.
- Advance Gardiner’s Open Space Plan.
- Support established policies that protect the Shawangunk Ridge as a natural and community resource.
- Respect sensitive ecological systems and seek Silver Certification from the NYS DEC in collaboration with Climate Smart Gardiner.
- Improve Gardiner’s resiliency in the face of climate change by protecting biodiversity, avoiding habitat loss, and the spread of invasive species.
- Support efforts to reduce the government and community’s carbon footprint, while reducing town expenditures. Attract users of electric vehicles to come to Gardiner.
- Support Community Choice Aggregation, seek green sources of electricity, and seek other ways to reduce Gardiner’s carbon footprint.
CONTINUE AND ENHANCE EFFICIENT, GOOD GOVERNMENT
- Continue to ensure open, inclusive government by encouraging participation by all members of the Gardiner community in town meetings and activities.
- Encourage the community to serve on town organizations, including the Town Board, the Planning Board, the ZBA, the ECC, Parks and Rec Commission and the Open Space Commission.
- Promote a greater balance on the Planning Board between development and conservation interests and diversity of viewpoints.
- Encourage the development of Task Forces to address community needs, such as Earth Day cleanup, littering, maintenance of community property, etc.
- Work more closely with the Library to build and strengthen community.
- Promote efforts to maintain fairness in property assessments.
SUPPORT OUR DEMOCRATIC VALUES
- Encourage active engagement in our civic life and political institutions to shore up our cherished democracy that is under attack from the radical right.
- Actively oppose discrimination due to race, religion, national origin, disability, language, gender or gender identity, age, and sexual orientation.
- Show unwavering allegiance to women’s equality and reproductive rights.
- Repeal the Title X domestic gag rule and restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides vital preventive and reproductive health care for millions of people, especially low-income people, and people of color, and LGBTQ+ people, including in underserved areas.
- Demand fair and humane treatment for immigrants and those seeking asylum.
- Ensure access to Universal Health Care.
- Demonstrate active opposition to racism and white supremacy.
- Address income inequality through a higher minimum wage and improved collective bargaining rights.
- Build a clean energy economy that ensures environmental justice and protects public lands and water.
- Pass common-sense gun regulation to prevent rampant gun violence.