Arden to Take North Castle Supervisor Role Tuesday

NORTH CASTLE, N.Y. – Howard Arden, North Castle’s new Town Supervisor as of Tuesday, Jan. 3, will focus on a number of key issues at the outset of his term.

“Having a grocery store in Armonk is high on the list,” he said.

Arden said he’s been involved in negotiations with Alan Zaretsky and Dominic and John Diguardi, the developers of Armonk Square and Michael Ferari, the developer who filed a petition against the town and the Armonk Square developers, which seeks to stop the construction of Armonk Square and DeCicco Family Markets, the anchor tenant.

“I’ve had meetings with the parties to see if we can come to an understanding,” Arden said. “But so far it hasn’t been very fruitful.”

Arden said the meeting between the parties was “very civil” but that the groups didn’t agree on a solution.

Arden didn’t specifically say what the parties discussed during the meeting. “To tell you too many details would compromise the possibility of success, but hopefully we’ll meet again after the holidays so we can come to some sort of understanding without going to court,” he said.

Ferari’s petition is currently pending at the Supreme Court of the State of New York in White Plains.

Among the other key issues on Arden’s table are town union contracts, which expire on Jan. 1.  Weaver said the Triborough Amendment allows union contracts to continue if new ones aren’t signed, with union employees paid retroactively once new contracts are enacted. “It makes it not motivating for unions to settle quickly because they’re not losing anything,” he said.

He also plans to tackle the brush pick up issue. “Storm damage materials on the road haven’t been picked up quickly because we haven’t had the manpower to do it,” Arden said. “One of my first issues will be to focus on getting the town cleaned up and brush off the road.”

Part of the solution to this problem, he said, is to notify residents that the companies they hire to remove brush from their trees can’t leave the brush on the side of the road for the town to clean up. “We’ll be sending out notices so residents understand that,” Arden said.

Finally, Arden has some positions to fill. He will replace Anna Maria Marrone, North Castle’s treasurer who resigned and appoint a town administrator, a new position he has created.

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