In State of Town, Walter says Riverhead movie theater ‘extremely close’
Good evening. I want to thank you for attending my seventh State of the Town address. I especially want to thank Lion’s Club President, John Taggart and all those from Kiwanis and Rotary for attending this event. After a difficult campaign last year, it was humbling and gratifying to be reelected for another term as your Town Supervisor. It is exciting tonight to be given the opportunity to address so many of Riverhead’s leading voices and to discuss the future of our great Town.
My speech tonight will take several different twists and turns, there is much to be said. But, the underpinning of the “State of the Town” message, as always, is about where we have been and where we are going, as a town and as a people. In each “State of the Town” we outline our shared agenda, we measure our progress and we state our priorities —we look ahead, we remember and learn from our past.
But before I get to that, I want to talk about something different… I want to talk a little bit about joy and a bit about hope. I’m reminded of Matthew chapter 5 verses 13 through 16.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
This passage from the Bible is one of my favorites. Matthew confronts and reminds me of my time here as Supervisor—governing and working with the people of this great town.
Our residents, our business owners, our people truly are the salt of the earth and we should be proud of the fact that they have made this town a beacon of light that cannot be hidden. This Town is the epicenter for the entire east end. As stewards of this town we must protect this place and its people, so that it is not trampled underfoot.
Sometimes a song gets stuck in your head. It’s happened to all of us—And as I prepared for this speech, I went to bed and I was awakened early in the morning by a song. As I laid there in bed— awake, I kept singing the song in my head, but I could not figure out where this song was from. The next morning, I asked my son Timothy about the song that was taking over my sleep. Timothy listens to Christian music, and he told me that it was a song by Matthew West, entitled: “Do Something.” The lyrics of the song are as follows, let me now stick them in your head:
I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now
Thought, how’d we ever get so far down
How’s it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”
Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”
He said, “I did, I created you”
If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
It’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something.
As the song says, God said, “I created you.”
What does that mean? I believe it means—We are the vessel for change. As has been said, “let God’s will be done through you and I.” Too often we look to others to solve our problems. Some turn to the government to solve our problems. Some place blame. Some turn to addictive substances. Some turn to anger. Some turn within.
The answer however is right in front of us. If we want to shape our days, if we seek to make change, if we want to do something about the enormous array of the world’s ills, we need only to find the joy and goodness in the simplicity of doing God’s will. Matthew West sings about the power that God created in each and every one of us to do something positive to be an element of positive change in our lives, in our relationships, in our community and in our world. We cannot sit idly by and expect the world to change. We cannot do nothing. We must do something. We must be salt and light. We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
A town is made of bricks and mortar to be sure but our real strength is in our people— And I stand in awe, each day at the people of Riverhead—This town is amazingly generous: We stand up for the weak—we feed the poor. Each and every day the special strength of the people of Riverhead sings out loud— to each other, to our families, to our schools, to our community groups, to our institutions. Walk the riverfront one Friday afternoon —You’ll see Lighthouse Ministries giving food to the poor. Stop in the First Congregational Church on E. Main Street and help them feed those in need. Witness the programs run by Pastor Enrique Lebrun from United Methodist Church that are halting the scourge of addiction in its tracks. Witness the work of Sister Margaret Smyth of Spanish Apostolate—Here in Riverhead, we are generous of our time, we show our spirit, we build up, we don’t tear down. This is a selfless town.
One of the things that troubles me most, both personally and as Town Supervisor, is the treatment of the Latino community in Riverhead and in our nation. What is lost in the rhetoric is that these people are human beings with feeling and needs; just like all human beings created by God.
We cannot stand by and do nothing. Riverhead School District did something. When Riverhead School District was asked to take in some 200 Latino children that may have crossed the border illegally they did it and they did not complain. There were no protests; there was no wailing and gnashing of teeth, only a district ready to spring into action to aid displaced children. I am so proud of the Riverhead School District for taking these children in and educating them, with the respect and decency that all children deserve.
As a town and as a people, we did not cross the street, we did not look the other way. We comforted them and we served them the way God wants us to. I have such a profound respect for everybody involved in helping the less fortunate of this town. It is in them, more than Town government that you will find the goodness and greatness of Riverhead.
You see everybody is capable of making a difference. Everyone is capable of being the salt and the light. Everyone is capable of helping others and to promote justice.
Now I want to talk to you about a group that is about to change Riverhead for decades to come—The First Baptist Church and their amazing project the Community Life Center.
First Baptist Church has had a longstanding dream to build a Community Life Center, which, as I’ve said many times, “Is a YMCA on steroids.” This church and its people are willing to give of their time, their talent and their treasure. In achieving their goal, First Baptist is willing to dedicate 12 acres of their land for free. Let me say that again— for free. One more time, for free! This property, their property, will be dedicated to build a recreational facility that will not only take care of our youth, but our elderly and everyone in between.
First Baptist is an organization putting their money where their mouth is. First Baptist is holding fast to their dream. There are not many organizations that would be willing to dedicate $2 million worth of land to a project that has nothing to do with the specific mission of their church but, First Baptist is dedicated to doing that. First Baptist is creating a project that will be a touchstone for this town and our people. First Baptist knows—If not them, who? If not now, when? Salt and light.
I look forward to helping First Baptist to make the Community Life Center a reality. I look forward to adopting the zoning and moving them forward in the process to get this much-needed center of vitality built for all our people. I look forward to cutting the ribbon on the Community Life Center for the betterment of all Riverhead residents.
Just as individuals are working hard to change this town, so too is it time to change how we do business in Town Hall.
This year I will champion what I am calling “The 4/12 initiative.” 4/12 consists of two reforms that I would like to put forth this year. The first part of 4/12 is a call for term limits for town officials.
I have long been a strong supporter of term limits. I believe limiting the time officials serve in office brings with it, new perspectives and new ideas. I believe term limits will chip away at what sometimes seems like a permanent government in Town Hall. I believe term limits will make Town Hall more responsive and eliminate the lethargy that can sometimes affect a local government. I believe term limits will allow new voices to be heard and it will level the electoral playing field.
It is my belief that the State of New York would not be in the situation it’s in if we had term limits at the state Level. It is my belief that the federal government would not be in the situation it’s in, if there were federal term limits. If term limits would be proper for the federal government, the state government and have been enacted and are proper for the county form of government, than they are proper for the Town of Riverhead. That is why I have put forth legislation to create term limits for both the Town Supervisor and the Town Council limiting every official’s term of office to 12 years. A public hearing is scheduled for the first meeting in April to consider this legislation. I urge all to attend and I look forward to the Town Board adopting term limits. Government service should be about serving the people, not serving one’s self.
The second major initiative I have proposed, is putting forth legislation this year to create a four-year term for the office of Town Supervisor.
This four year term would also be tied to the 12 year cap on service. No Supervisor could serve more than three terms in office. The necessary public referendum on this initiative would be held in 2016, a year when there are no town candidates on the ballot. So, this legislation will not be clouded through the prism of particular candidates or campaigns. The decision to enact a four year term should not be a popularity contest centered on who currently holds or is running for the position.
I believe there are many reasons to support a four years term for future Supervisors. Consider that while the Town Supervisor is, by Town Law, the Town’s chief fiscal officer, the position of Town Supervisor is the only elected position in town government that is still a two year term.
That means that the office that is responsible for long-term policy planning, comprehensive budgeting and longer range administrative functions is constantly seen under the pressure and through the prism of re-election politics. Having served as your Supervisor for six years now, I can say that it is not smart policy to have the Town’s Chief Officer constantly on the campaign trail.
Believe me, this is not about making reelections easier, it is not about tilting future elections towards Republicans or Democrats or dare I say? A Conservative…It is about doing what’s right for Riverhead. It’s about giving a future Supervisor a bit of political breathing room to set forth a long-term plan. It’s about steering with your eyes on a fixed point ahead, not changing direction with every short-term twist and turn in the road.
The Town’s chief fiscal officer is weakened when the political reality is that every other elected official in Town Hall has a longer term in office and a safe seat to afford them the opportunity to make town government a constant political campaign. The people are not well served when any layer of government never gets to the people’s business because the campaigning never ends.
Whether it is me, or someone else, for all the Supervisors that will come in the future, I believe it makes sense for the Town’s Chief Officer to be able to take a longer term view shielded from constant re-election politics. Think about it, from an administrative standpoint, doing business as we do now, a Supervisor can only budget and govern for one year. After that first year you immediately start your reelection campaign.
This environment does not lend itself to good public policy decisions nor does it create sound financial budgets. Last year, I started running for reelection in February and did not stop until November 3. Unfortunately, if we are honest, very little gets done during an election year as political opponents from both sides of the aisle attempt to selfishly block positive change and reforms. This constant campaigning clearly does not serve the people.
If it makes sense for the Town Board and the Clerk and the Highway Superintendent and the Tax Receiver and the Assessors…it makes sense to afford a future Supervisor an opportunity to set about long range plans that must still pass muster with the Town Board, and more importantly the electorate.
I hope the residents will understand having a term of office for four years for our Town Supervisor makes sense, especially when the four-year term is limited to three consecutive terms or 12 years. Should I decide to run again in 2017, I would also be term limited so that I could not serve more than 12 years as Town Supervisor. The 4/12 initiative is an important step in making the office of Supervisor more efficient, more effective and more accountable.
Let us turn our attention to downtown Riverhead. As you’ve heard me say, so many times before, in 2010 downtown was a ghost town with an 80% vacancy rate. In the past six years, I am proud to say we’ve seen a rapid, positive transformation downtown. Gone is the defeatism of the old days. Working together, we have all contributed to downtown’s revival. The fine men and women of the Riverhead Police Department have set the template and made people feel safe downtown. This downtown revitalization is real and continues.
New businesses have opened, taken root and continue to prosper.. Last year, we watched the former Riverhead Project reopen as Sonoma Grill. What was once Athens Grill has re-opened as Mazi and garnered rave reviews. Several other restaurants and businesses have opened and it is inspiring to see the excitement and entertainment happening downtown from Suffolk Theater to the Long Island Aquarium. It is truly wonderful to see the people walking on the streets sipping sodas, eating ice cream and having a good time.
Developers have stepped up…This year rising up on West Main Street will be Peconic Crossing – 48 new art space apartments. Working with East End Arts Council, Peconic Crossing will be geared towards the artisans of Long Island. This project will bring a creativity and vitality to West Main Street that we have never seen before. Not to be outdone, developer Georgia Malone is back at it. With the fresh success of 30 West Main Street, and its 28 commercial units, under her belt, Ms. Malone purchased the former Allied Optical building and is in the process of transforming it from dated 1960s retail office building to a 21st century business center with touches of the turn of the century original architecture. This building will provide for 16 commercial units, that like 30 West Main Street counterpart, will share common office amenities such as conference rooms, breakrooms and lounges. West Main Street is on the move.
Where would we be if we did not discuss Shelly Gordon and East Main Street? I am confident that developer David Gallo’s transformative vision of East Main Street will finally add the finishing touches to the revitalization. In addition to Georgica Ventures, there are several different developers jockeying for position on the remaining few empty buildings on East Main Street. Perhaps the most amazing project is being brought to us by Joe Petrocelli who has re-built the Preston house across from the Aquarium. Another transformational project that will include a second hotel. There are very few downtowns across the country that have even one hotel and our downtown is slated to have two.
Recently, I was presently surprised when a successful business owner from Southampton told me that Riverhead is a threat to neighboring downtowns because businesses seek to relocate to Riverhead. While much progress has occurred downtown, we are not about to start resting on our laurels. Instead, we are emboldened to see the excitement on Main Street. It is wonderful to see so many people staking their claim in Riverhead. It is exhilarating to see people take a stand and say I am going to do something.
So, I and the entire Riverhead Town Board have to remain vigilant to make certain that not only businesses in downtown be successful and thrive, but that all business districts in the town thrive, including Route 58. I don’t want to be an alarmist about box stores, however I think everybody can figure out that there may be a time when the era of box stores is over. Just about everything you can purchase in a box store, you can order on your iPhone. Route 58 must remain alive and profitable, and to that end, working with Councilwoman Jodi Giglio I am happy to say that we are extremely close to landing our first multi-screen movie theater in the former Walmart building on the East side of Route 58. This has been a long, arduous process. I think we are within a year of having a groundbreaking that would bring Riverhead its first movie theater in a long, long time. I cannot wait till we see a movie marque here in Riverhead again.
We will need this type of creativity, where we work with developers and landowners on solutions, that will keep Route 58 alive and prosperous. In the future, we will carefully study our zoning code on Route 58 to ensure that vital thoroughfare remains a thriving business district.
Beyond Route 58 and Main Street, we focus our attention to the quieter hamlets of the town. Back in 2011, Riverhead undertook the first of what will be a series of updates to the Town’s master plan when it completed the Wading River Corridor Study. It is now time to move east and undertake a Main Road corridor study, from Route 105 east to the Riverhead/Southold town border. My staff and I, along with newly elected Councilman Tim Hubbard, have been working on a proposal to present to the Town Board that would undertake a comprehensive corridor study of the Main Road similar to that which was undertaken in Wading River.
It is not our intent to change any of the APZ zoning, nor to change any of the residential zoning. Instead we seek to revisit the commercial zoning in the hamlets of Aquebogue and Jamesport in an effort to see if the original intent of our 2003 master plan is being met and to see if we need to more comprehensively codify an update to that master plan.
In addition, we have met with the owners of the former Froelich property in Jamesport to discuss their future development plans. One of the things to come out of those discussions is the need for an assisted living facility to be built somewhere within the Town of Riverhead. The former Froehlich property has 10 acres of business zoning and the owners of that property, in concert with several of our civic associations, have reached out to myself and Councilman Hubbard to discuss the possibility of creating a zoning district to allow for the construction of an assisted living facility in a walkable community.
While many residents have expressed concern about allowing these 10 acres to be built as a new commercial district, an assisted living facility concept may very well fit nicely into the hamlet of Jamesport. It may be that a less intensive use would be more appropriate for Jamesport and it could provide jobs and commerce for the hamlets of Mattituck, Jamesport and Aquebogue.
The argument for the assisted living concept is buttressed by the fact that the property’s new owners would be willing to sell the development rights of the remaining farmland they own to the County of Suffolk to ensure that the remaining tract would stay forever farmed.
As in Wading River, the Town Board will be working with residents, civic associations and businesses in the corridor to come up with an update of the Town’s master plan for Main Road. Neighbors working alongside neighbors, for the positive benefit of the town.
Which takes us to EPCAL. As I have said many times, the single most important item that the Town of Riverhead has been working on in the past five years, has been the subdivision and redevelopment of the former Grumman facility. It was my hope that the subdivision would have been completed by the close of 2015— Fortunately, or unfortunately, that has not happened. In March 2015, my staff and I, began conversations with the company known as Luminati Aerospace. When we were first approached by Ray Maynard from Skydive Long Island about the possibility of bringing the aerospace industry back to Calverton, I was skeptical. After six-months of intensive, behind the scenes talks, Riverhead was able to successfully attract Luminati Aerospace to EPCAL. I am proud to say that this year, the aerospace industry has begun anew in Riverhead.
During our six-months of conversations, it became clear to me as well as other board members that the subdivision, as proposed, might not completely work for Luminati Aerospace. That certain aspects of our pre-Luminati plan might in fact tie the hands of this exciting new venture. In an odd way, Riverhead was fortunate that the subdivision was not complete, so that we could make adjustments to the impact statement that will allow Luminati Aerospace to operate and thrive at EPCAL for years to come.
It is exciting to see the aerospace industry back, not only for Riverhead, but Long Island, as a whole. While I cannot discuss many of the details of what Luminati Aerospace is planning, suffice it to say if even a quarter of their plans come true, the aerospace industry will be firmly rooted in Riverhead at EPCAL.
So it is with great pleasure, that I announce tonight, that the final environmental impact statement is now complete and the finding statements have been delivered to the Town Board. Today, we are in a position to finish the subdivision with an amazing anchor tenant, the kind we have been dreaming about for the past 20 years. The town’s vision of a high tech industrial manufacturing park utilizing the runways as they were intended to be used, is now a reality.
I want to thank the Town Board for their support of this project. I specifically, want to thank Mr. Daniel Preston for his vision and his willingness to take a chance on Riverhead. We will not disappoint.
Finally, let us discuss Riverhead’s financial picture. As I’ve stated so many times, there are only three ways to fix our finances: The first, is to save as much as we can…And, to that end, Riverhead has cut its workforce by 10% during my administration. The second, is to grow as much as we can. In that regard, we have seen the town’s tax base, especially along Route 58, experience exponential growth, making us one of the fastest-growing towns from a commercial standpoint on all of Long Island. Finally, the third way government can improve its finances is to raise taxes. However, this administration remains steadfast against tax increases.I’m proud and pleased to report that the town spending over the seven budgets I have presided over has seen an average annual increase of about 1%, which is half the rate of inflation.
For Riverhead, the last six years have been a race to grow our economy fast enough to overtake the drawdown in the town’s general fund reserves that are being used to pay off the town’s landfill debt—Because those two lines have not yet met, accordingly, the Town had no choice but to pierce the tax by 2% in our 2016 budget. While I am a huge supporter of the concept of the New York State tax cap, unfortunately, the tax cap does not completely work for a municipality without the attendant mandate relief from New York State.
We have maintained a prudent course, we have pruned staff, we have cut costs, we have grown our economy, we have done everything within our power to stay within the tax cap—Yet, Albany and Suffolk County continue to push unfunded mandates down the line to the town level of government. The old adage is true, it runs downhill.
As disconcerting as it was to have to pierce the tax cap by 2% last year, I’m very pleased to announce that the town’s general fund budget is finally balanced. Which means that in 2016, for the first time in an awfully long time, the revenues coming in are equal to the revenues going out. I am also optimistic that a 2017 balanced budget is with in our reach.
Riverhead has not incurred any additional debt over these past six years. We have pared down and paid as we went, so 2017 will see approximately $500,000 of debt service coming off the backs of the Riverhead taxpayers. That decrease in debt load will help us towards staying within the forecast 0% 2017 tax cap.
These past few years has been a very difficult time for all municipalities throughout New York State. Riverhead is not alone in reducing its reserve funds to stay within the tax cap. Municipalities all across New York State are spending down their reserves in the same way. Here in Riverhead, our huge landfill debt has given us very little budget slack so we have had the unfortunate result of being placed on the New York State Comptroller’s Economic Stress list. This would not be the case if the State of New York provided mandate relief or provided municipalities their proportionate share of State aid, an issue I intend to speak out on, on behalf of Riverhead and municipalities across New York State.
We have worked hard to promote businesses along the Route 58 corridor. If the Town of Riverhead was able to capture even a portion of the sales tax leaving its borders there would be no need for general fund taxes.
Ever watchful of our finances, this year Riverhead has hired a new financial advisor CPA Capital Market Advisors. This firm is going to complete a five-year detailed budget plan. The firm will also undertake a comprehensive review of all departments to ensure that all departments are working to their maximum efficiency. This report will be compiled into a comprehensive document that will be sent to the credit agency Moody’s. We are hopeful that after presenting a five-year comprehensive financial plan we will be able to improve upon our already good credit rating, which would allow for the refinancing of debt at lower rates.
With the town’s general fund budget balanced, the final piece of the puzzle is the balancing our Community Preservation Fund. Last year we drafted a comprehensive change to New York State’s local finance law that would enable the Town of Riverhead to refinance its CPF debt out over the 20 year proposed extension of the Community Preservation Program. Assemblyman Fred Thiele, along with Senator Kenneth LaValle, passed legislation that was signed into law to extend the CPF program an additional 20 years. The Riverhead amendment to the local finance law is a follow-on to the extension of the CPF program. The local finance amendment passed the Senate last year, but was not introduced into the Assembly on time for passage in 2015. We are confident that this legislation will pass both chambers this year and be signed into law. Once this legislation is in place, we will be able to refinance and extend the CPF debt in a way that would reduce our principal and interest payment from $5.7 million a year to $2.5 million dollars a year, bringing the debt service in the line with the anticipated $2.5 million in annual revenue. When this is accomplished, Riverhead’s budget will truly be balanced.
Here in Riverhead, I am proud to say we are blessed with intelligent, innovative department heads. Over the years we have merged the building and planning department, which reduced staff and saved money. We merged the sanitation department into the engineering department, which again saved money…And this year, will see the merger of the town’s recreation department and senior department under the guidance of Ray Coyne and Judy Doll. The merger of those two departments will not only enable us to reduce staff and save money, but it will also allow us to expand recreation and senior programs. More exciting still, is that we will be able to run intergenerational programs that will allow all generations of Riverhead to work, play, and recreate together. I want to thank, Judy Doll and Ray Coyne who planted the seeds of hope for this new intergenerational department of their own initiative creating a new department, springing to life for the benefit of the residents. That initiative and innovation is what I mean when I say we are the vessel for change, that it is up to us to bring about the change God wants to see.
All around us, good things are happening in Riverhead. In Town Hall to be sure, but more importantly in our homes and our churches. Within our businesses and our civic organizations, in our schools and at kitchen tables all across our great town, there is a feeling that we have turned the corner and that we are on the move forward. 2016 will be a year where we continue to build upon our success. In this new ear, the salt and the light shall meet and I know that together we can all be counted upon to “do something.”
I want to take a moment to thank my partners on the Riverhead Town Board, Councilman James Wooten, Councilwoman Jodi Giglio, Councilman Timothy Hubbard and Councilman John Dunleavy. Being an elected official is not always easy, however it is always rewarding and I know with the four council members standing at my side Riverhead, as a team, we will accomplish amazing things in 2016.
I want to thank my staff: Heidi, Jill, Carol and Larry for always standing by me. I know I may not be the easiest person to work with but you have made my job so much easier and I am truly blessed by having people of your caliber standing with me.
Finally I want to thank the members of my family was Zachary, Timothy and Gregory and especially my wife Cathleen for allowing me to serve as Town Supervisor. I could not do the job without the full blessing and support of my family and it is through their love and support and faith that we continue to make this town the greatest town in Suffolk County.
Things will not always be easy, but I am reminded of a quote from American journalist and humorist Kin Hubbard, “There is no failure except in no longer trying. There is no defeat except from within, no really insurmountable barrier save our own inherent weakness of purpose.”
All the glory and honor go to God. I thank the Father for placing me back in this position. I ask that you the residents and business owners of Riverhead pray for me that I may honor God by and in my service to this town.
