Grace Proud of Six-Year Record as Yorktown Supervisor
Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace believes his record of accomplishments during his six-year administration speaks for itself.
“I am very proud of my record as town supervisor. We have accomplished a lot,” Grace said. “Of all the things we accomplished over my tenure it is difficult to point to one of which I am most proud. All are so interconnected and integral to each other. The fiscal health of the town, the planning/zoning decisions and the investment in public infrastructure all feed each other to make Yorktown a desirable place for continued commercial development and a great place to live.”
Grace, a Republican, was first elected in 2011 receiving 38% of the votes in a three-way race. In 2013, he defeated former Councilman Nick Bianco, and two years ago, he outlasted Councilman Vishnu Patel. Prior to being supervisor, Grace served many years as town attorney. As supervisor, a full-time position with a salary of $121,328, Grace has continued to work full-time as a land use attorney, with his offices located directly across the street from Town Hall in the Grace Building.
“It has not been difficult to juggle my duties as supervisor and maintain my private practice. It has been the beat of the drum over the last six years by my political opposition that it is not possible to do both,” Grace said. “This time they have made it a central point of their oppositional campaign. As to possible conflicts, I have been supervisor for almost six years while practicing law privately and have not had any conflicts in that regard.”
“Being supervisor is truly a 24/7 vocation. I am very happy to be able to serve the town which I call home,” Grace said. “In the past I served the town as town attorney and to a degree was witness to the many opportunities I believe went wasted. Now as town supervisor I can work towards a vision for the town.”
Grace declared Yorktown to be in “great financial health,” noting the tax levy has remained flat over his six years in office, with two consecutive years of tax decreases.
“We haven’t increased taxes while reducing the town’s long-term debt by over 30%, or at a rate of two million dollars per year and increasing the unrestricted available fund balance fivefold,” he explained. “This means more funds for much needed infrastructure. We have completed a long list of capital projects on time and under budget. We have made record investment in paving and are on track to budgeting close to a million dollars a year to allow that progress to continue.”
In terms of notable developments, Grace mentioned ground being broken for Lowe’s on Route 202 and the Granite Knolls recreational complex on Stoney Street. He also is eager to see the Depot Square project on Front Street, which would involve the relocation of the Highway Department and Parks Department, move forward.
“It is hoped that we will see significant progress very shortly,” he said. “We are still on track to accomplish this project at little to no cost to the taxpayers of the town. We have $1.2 million in grant money allocated to the project and given the projected sales price of the highway should have close to $4 million to allocate to the new construction.”
Grace insisted his administration has been “very transparent in all aspects of the town’s operations and administration. It is my local political opposition that alleges otherwise. There are certain people who cannot acknowledge the truth no matter what is put before them.”
Meanwhile, Grace criticized his opponent, Ilan Gilbert, and former town clerk, Alice Roker, who is running for councilwoman, for running a campaign “solely on besmirching my character” after years of what he considered them to be friends and respected colleagues.
“They do so relying on feigned allegations they know not to be true lodged by Susan Siegel, Mark Lieberman and Ed Ciffone. What is truly remarkable is that Ms. Roker and Mr. Gilbert know the character of these people and their history of being the chronic complainers and local agitators,” Grace remarked. “I always thought better of Alice and Ilan. Unfortunately, even in an election between neighbors there is no decorum.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/