Cindrich Seeks Eighth Term in Mount Kisco Mayoral Election

For the first time in more than a decade longtime Mount Kisco Mayor Michael Cindrich has a race on his hands.

Cindrich, who is on five ballot lines including the Democratic and Republican Party columns, is running against first-time candidate Gina Picinich, who is on the independent 4MK line. He said he wasn’t surprised at the challenge given the political landscape.

Though the village has hurdles to overcome, it has much going for it, such as beautiful properties, a walkability that few communities can match and a growing array of restaurants.

Cindrich, 70, who has been mayor for 14 years, said he has ideas about filling the empty downtown commercial buildings and has met with potential business owners. The village has hosted meetings with property owners and merchants to speak about “changing the dynamics of retail” to combat the growth of online shopping, he said.

To be successful, retailers need to provide services or products that aren’t available online, he said.

“Retailing is so difficult right now,” Cindrich said.

Cindrich said he met with Friedland Properties, the owner of some of the most visible downtown vacancies. The real estate firm is being “very selective” in the tenants it chooses, he said.

Still, about 30 new establishments have opened in Mount Kisco over the past 18 months, particularly on East Main Street, Cindrich said. He acknowledged disappointment that Modell’s was not allowed to occupy all 22,000 square feet of the former Borders bookstore space.

Cindrich said he supported a public/private partnership to hire Buxton, a retail store recruiter, but failed to get the needed support on the board. He has also called for the creation of a Business Improvement District (BID), which would pay for maintenance and upkeep of the business district’s common areas.

To revitalize downtown, a key solution is the creation of transit orientated development, Cindrich said. Under the concept, housing would be created near the Metro-North station, which would help generate additional commercial activity, he said. It could be attractive to young, two-income couples who work in Manhattan but who often cannot afford to live there.

Revising Mount Kisco’s Comprehensive Plan, which has been recently launched, should change zoning for some portions of the village with significant occupancy issues, the mayor said.

To attract shoppers, the village has free parking in the North Moger Avenue lot on Saturdays and on Sundays in all village-owned lots, Cindrich said. There is also free parking in the Blackeby lot on Thursdays.

The mayor, a supporter of the proposed 129-unit senior housing complex on village-owned property at 270 Kisco Ave., said he was upset with what has transpired with the process. In March, the board unanimously approved entering an option agreement with the developer, but has failed to sign a contract

There have been public hearings for 10 years on various iterations of the project, and it took three years for the village board to rezone the parcel, Cindrich said. There is a plateau on Kisco Mountain that is suitable for the structure, he said.

A notice of claim has been filed threatening the village with a lawsuit by HFZ Capital, the applicant for the proposal. If the project fails to come to fruition, there will be great financial loss to Mount Kisco between the loss of revenue from the property’s sale as well as costly litigation, Cindrich said. He said HFZ has increased its offer to $5 million for the land.

“I consider it an $8 million mistake that somebody in the future is going to have to pay,” he said.

The village’s finances are strong and taxes have never exceeded the state-mandated cap since its inception. Trustees have budgeted conservatively, having avoided overestimating revenues, Cindrich said. Currently, Mount Kisco’s capital reserves stand at well over $11 million.

Cindrich touted how the 2015 police consolidation has benefited Mount Kisco, not only saving the county about $1.2 million annually the first two years but providing a higher level of service for its residents and business owners.

“We have more police officers on patrol than we’ve ever had in the history of Mount Kisco and we have more specialized units standing at the ready,” he said. “We’ve introduced a component of community policing that is really benefiting the community.”

Cindrich said he has good relationships with elected officials from both major parties, including Republican County Executive Rob Astorino and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“I consider that one of my attributes; party lines mean nothing to me,” Cindrich said.