To the editor:
My name is Ian Askins and I am running for the Hillsdale Council as a Democrat.
I am a lifelong resident of Hillsdale, and as a child spent a lot of time in our youth soccer program and in the town library. I attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Fairleigh Dickinson University, and earned degrees in mathematics and education. I teach high school math in Perth Amboy but did my student teaching at PVHS and hope to return there as a teacher so I may give back to the community that has given me so much. Residents of the western part of Hillsdale may have seen me, on foot or on bicycle, travelling through the Tandy Woods or past Demarest Farms.
When I attended the June meeting of the Hillsdale council, I observed a very mixed bag in terms of the well-being of our borough. I did not see any malicious intent, rather a group working for the betterment of Hillsdale as they honestly saw it.
However, I also saw about as homogenous a group of people and viewpoints as possible in contemporary governance. During the entire public session, Councilwoman Lundy asked for clarification of meaning on a single resolution, and Councilman DeRosa recused himself from a single vote due to possible conflict of interest.
Otherwise every vote and every resolution was unanimous, without discussion or debate, for almost two hours and for several dozen votes.
This is rubber stamping, not true Democracy. The meeting demonstrated the downsides of single-party rule as starkly as possible. And how could it be otherwise, with the entire six-person council plus mayor being Republicans? Granting them the best of intentions, our council speaks the same and thinks the same, so through no fault of their own are blind to possible ways to make Hillsdale better.
Apparently they haven’t considered applying for grants to get money from the Federal government to the tune of millions. They haven’t considered saving additional money and the environment by installing solar panels on municipal buildings. They’re falling short on getting the Park Avenue development project on track and getting Stony Brook permanently into the black.
I will outline these and further policy proposals in future letters. These fresh ideas can only come from having a contrasting Democratic viewpoint on our council. I look forward to serving All of the residents of Hillsdale.
Ian Askins
Hillsdale
The writer is a Democrat running for Hillsdale Borough Council.