Letter To The Editor: Ossining Needs Change

To the Editor:

My name is Wendy Masserman. I live at 10 Morningside Ct.have been a resident of the Town of Ossining for 41 years. I have seen many changes in our Town Board over the years and hope to see another change this year. I am supporting Liz Feldman for Town Supervisor. I feel that Liz is not just another politician. She has grown up in Ossining and has been active, even before she was elected to the town board. I have been involved in many Town Board meetings speaking out about many proposed projects that were supported by our current supervisor.

Before the pandemic, when in-person meetings were the norm, I attended a meeting regarding the construction of apartments on the Stony Lodge property. The room was filled to capacity, with overflow into the entry of the building. Our town supervisor spoke in favor of the project. Several residents spoke against the product, discussing things like traffic problems on 9A and proximity to single-family residences. We were told that the developers were willing to contribute to our schools and plant trees in other areas of the town and village. I was surprised that this was offered as a defense of the project.

I feel that our current leadership is typically political. I approached Ms. Levenberg when she was first elected to the Board. I had a problem with illegal clear-cutting of trees behind my property. We had just finished a three-year battle with the property owner who wanted to build 28 +/- cluster homes on the property which had steep slopes and wetlands. She promised to look into it. Nothing was done.

In addition, I had a problem with a business that was operating outside of what was allowed by its Certificate of Occupancy. Again, I was told that it would be addressed. It was not. The business is large and very influential in the community, while my business is very small by comparison.
The residents of Tavano Rd. worked diligently to have their street’s Mid-Century Modern Houses recognized and honored as a part of the” National Register of Historic Neighborhoods”. After our battle to stop the cluster housing which would have cut through a cul de sac, put a road through the wetlands & steep slopes (one of the towns steepest) and inhabit 35 acres of one of the last large open spaces within the town of Ossining. After years of hard work, the residents succeeded. Ms. Levenberg was invited to our celebration barbeque. When she was given an opportunity to speak, she hardly recognized or praised the years of effort that went into achieving this notable goal & congratulate the residents. Instead she proceeded to talk about upcoming projects in the Town (including the Stony Lodge Property that she was pushing hard for). In fact, when originally approached about naming Tavano an historic neighborhood, she wasn’t encouraging to the group at all. This was very disconcerting.

I feel that Ms. Levenberg is another politician. I believe that this position, like many other supervisors, is a step toward running for a County position. I want someone who cares about Ossining and is not looking ahead to a political future. Someone like Liz Feldman who speaks from her heart and is focused on the key issues that affect the future of Ossining and not themselves.

Wendy Masserman