Hagadus-McHale, Schulman Experienced Voices for Mt. Pleasant
A year ago, Francesca Hagadus-McHale pulled off an eye-opening victory. She became the first Democrat to win a Town Board seat in Mount Pleasant since the late 1980s.
For her efforts, Hagadus-McHale gets to do it again, running for a full-term in the upcoming local election.
The task for her and running mate Laura DiVenere will be formidable this time. Not only is it an odd-numbered year, where turnout typically dips, but they are up against a pair of solid Republican candidates, longtime residents Danielle Zaino and Jerry Schulman, each running for office for the first time.
At any level of government, there needs to be checks and balances, including in Mount Pleasant. In recent years, whether it’s because of one-party rule or the comfort of being able to do things the same way for so long, there have been persistent complaints of lack of transparency.
That’s not just from political opponents, but from some residents who neighbor several projects around town and learn the details of an application far along in the process. Perhaps it would help if the town posted the work session agendas online, in the same place as Town Board meeting agendas. Often, that is where the items are initially discussed.
Therefore, since Hagadus-McHale has had just less than a year under her belt and has comported herself well in that time, it is recommended that she get a chance at a full term and be accompanied on the board by Schulman.
Hagadus-McHale last year and again this time around has made transparency a central theme of her campaigns. She has also undertaken a good-faith attempt – cynics might call it politically motivated – at including the villages of Pleasantville and Sleepy Hollow to feel more a part of the town. Bringing in local students to honor their accomplishments at board meetings has been a nice touch.
It has been troubling that there has been no discussion, or at least not a quick public update, on the town’s Comprehensive Plan update process. Hagadus-McHale is a supporter of mixed-use development where feasible and the North 60 project.
Schulman, who many people in town know from his years as an educator and administrator in the Mount Pleasant School District, promises to be a welcome, experienced and reasoned voice on the board. He supports improved sidewalks and lighting and mixed-used development in the hamlet centers provided there is adequate parking.
Despite the town doing well fiscally, Schulman also called for zero-based budgeting to justify every expense, a practice he is accustomed to from the schools.
His overall experience in working with varied constituencies in the district gives Schulman the nod over his running mate. Zaino, who was a student of Schulman’s at Westlake High School, is every bit as promising as a potential board member as he is. However, given the dynamics of this town government, it is essential a sometimes-competing voice is on the board.
DiVenere should be commended for her participation to round out the Democrats’ ticket. However, she did not appear to be particularly comfortable or have a basic working knowledge of some of the issues.
She did identify that the town needs to address its senior housing shortage, a topic that must be included whenever Comprehensive Plan discussions resume.
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