Abzun Looks to Take Next Step to Lead Mt. Kisco into the Future

When Lisa Abzun was appointed to the Mount Kisco Village Board in December 2021 and named deputy mayor to fill a vacancy, then ran last fall for a full two-year term on the board, the mayor’s seat wasn’t on her radar screen.

But with the February announcement by Mayor Gina Picinich that she would not seek a fourth term, the opportunity for Abzun to take her service to the next level presented itself.

“I like working for the village, I like being a representative of the village in this capacity and I really care about the people who live in our town and I care about the issues that face our town, and although they’re not always easy…I enjoy the complexity and I enjoy the work,” said Abzun, a lifelong Mount Kisco resident who founded the village’s 5K Run and has chaired or co-chaired the Arts Council.

She is taking on Thomas Luzio, a former longtime prosecutor, in the Democratic mayoral primary. The winner will face former mayor Michael Cindrich in November, who is running on an independent line.

For a small village, there are no shortage of issues facing Mount Kisco in this election cycle. One key issue for Abzun is ensuring pedestrian safety, given the large amounts of sidewalks and crossings, and maintaining and improving the condition of the roads.

Abzun, the co-owner of a landscape company and a non-practicing attorney, said a challenge for the village is that most of the major thoroughfares are controlled by the state. In April, she met with Lance McMillan, regional director for the state Department of Transportation (DOT), to discuss the launch of a traffic study that will be done with involvement from Westchester County starting later this year.

While the study is completed, Abzun said the village has already begun improvements on streets within its jurisdiction, such as repainting crosswalks and lines on South Moger Avenue. For village-owned roads, the municipality continues with its phased 10-year plan of improving each of its streets on a rotating basis.

Key areas of focus for state roads will be enhancing crosswalks where there are no traffic signals, such as the crossing on Main Street by the old post office and near the Main Street opening to Leonard Park.

Furthermore, the village plans to launch a campaign about safety and distracted driving.

“This is something that we’re going to do and see if that can be another layer, an educational layer,” Abzun said.

Mount Kisco’s contract with the county police has been a success, but Abzun said she will continue to press for continued focus on community policing and for officers interested in interacting with the community.

“Our goal is to have the officers really interested in doing community work,” Abzun said. “This has taken time to figure out and understand who’s interested and who’s good at it.”

The issue that likely spawned the primary was the village’s exploration of using a piece of Leonard Park to relocate a proposed cell tower. Abzun said no one on the Village Board was eager to site another cell tower whether near residences or in the park. Despite those in the village who believe there is sufficient coverage, they are wrong, she said.

In the 21^st century, telecommunications infrastructure is just as critical as sewer and water infrastructure, especially for the business community, emergency services and seniors. Abzun said working with experts on how and where to include infrastructure, including 5G, is crucial.

“We need the service, but also understanding we need to protect certain locations in the future,” she said.

Abzun is excited for the future of the downtown, particularly when the village’s streetscape, including on South Moger Avenue, is completed by next year.

The village has a good mix of small independently-owned businesses and the larger chains, which helps attract visitors. Although there are always some vacancies with so much commercial space in the village, the downtown is otherwise doing well, she said.

Abzun said she would consider developing the South Moger or North Moger parking lots, but questions whether the village would need ground-floor retail. The issue is creating additional housing, particularly keeping residents here who don’t have a lot of wealth.

“I’m dedicated to thinking about how do we create housing that is dignified, gives dignity to the people who are living there and is a really good fit for our village,” Abzun said.

Working on diversity, equity and inclusion will also be a focus for Abzun to include programs for all to feel welcome.

“I come in with a willingness to arrive at ideas and solutions that are good for our entire community in order to help it thrive,” she said.