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BUCHANAN, N.Y. First-term Mayor Sean Murray, a Democrat and lifelong resident of Buchanan, faces a challenge in Tuesday's election from off-again, on-again former Mayor Al Donahue, a Republican. Donahue was unseated by Murray after serving six nonconsecutive terms as village mayor, and one term as trustee.
Murray, 45, is a senior nuclear mechanic at the Indian Point Energy Center, which supplies a little more than a quarter of the villages operating budget through a payment in lieu of taxes, for $2.1 million annually. The mayor says his goal is to keep village taxes low, hoping to come in around a 2 percent tax levy increase.
The biggest issue of course is taxes, and what were trying to do is keep them as low as possible with innovations with other municipalities, Murray said. Although the village pre-emptively overrode the state tax cap, the mayor said the move was cautionary and hes hoping not to exceed a 2 percent increase in the tax levy.
Donahue, however, says he thinks there are wasteful spending practices in the village.
I made a pledge, theres going to be a zero tax increase," Donahue said. "The first thing Im going to do is eliminate the planners position, eliminate the prosecutors position and hold the village engineer to his contract, which is $55,000 a year.
Donahue said he thinks the engineer was paid more than his contract mandates.
Donahue, 76, is a retired New York state trooper who has lived in the village since 1964. Murray served one term as trustee under Mayor Donahue. He said about his time under Donahue that, as a trustee I was getting information on a Saturday or Sunday night that required a vote on a Monday. And there were so many special meetings, whenever something came up. He had special meetings to hire people, to fulfill a contract.
Murray said, To throw together a special meeting with 72 hours, not only does the public not find out, but the people who were elected did not find out.
Donahue, however, took issue with the villages reinstatement of work sessions. One of the workshops, youre lucky if one or two people show up. So its not really open government, which is why I did away with it, he said.
Other issues on which the candidates differ: Murray says a contingency plan in the event that the Indian Point nuclear power plants are not relicensed is in its infancy of being formulated; Donahue says he would sue to make sure the plants continue to make their payments in lieu of taxes even if they are no longer operating.
And Donahue says he would fire the newly hired prosecutor. Murray says the prosecutor is only on a trial basis, to see if more revenue can be generated by the village.
Referring to the hiring of his son during his tenure as mayor, Donahue said: People that know me, know what I really am. If I was considered really a bad person I dont think I would be endorsed by the Police Benevolent Association -- they had no problem with it. Why should I deprive the chance for him to work for a municipality because I was mayor?
The village mayor is paid $6,500 per year and serves a two-year term. Donahue is also running under the Village Choice party line.
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