To the Editor

Andy Stewartʼs win in Novemberʼs local elections of the post of Orangetown Town Supervisor is the first good political news I have heard this year. I have known Andy for years; his wife Rachel was a student of mine at the Rockland Project School in the 1970s. He has done admirable work in Rockland County for the last ten years as the director of Keep Rockland Beautiful and is familiar with town issues because he served on the Orangetown Planning Board.

Young, intelligent, idealistic and energetic, Andy is exactly what Orangetown needs in these difficult economic times. Before the election Andy said, “When the Democratic Committee approached me about running I needed to give it some serious thought. As I did, I began to look at our neighborhood from a new perspective. One of change and possibilities. What I saw were empty storefronts, denser traffic, flooding, tacky strip mall development, crime and a disturbing return to cronyism in town hall that stood in the way of better government. … I realized that this community is facing decisions that will affect our quality of life for generations to come.” Letʼs all support our new Supervisor as he engages with Orangetownʼs problems.