Democratic Pelham Manor village board candidates Kate Pringle and Mark Cardwell spoke Sunday about their reasons for running and what they hope to accomplish if elected during a campaign launch event at a home on Manor Lane surrounded by Democratic officials and supporters,

Pringle and Cardwell are seeking to unseat Republican incumbent Trustees Bridget (Breda) Bennett and Maurice Owen-Michaane, who will also appear on the Neighborhood Party line. Pringle and Cardwell will be on the Manor Together Party line. This is the first competitive village race since 2021.

Pringle talked about the flooding problem in the village.

“I have a friend who in (Hurricane) Ida I sat with her,” said Pringle. “She had just lost her husband and her whole basement flooded and every memory she had of her husband was in there. We can’t let our neighbors live that way. We need to be here for each other and really solve the problem, not just address the low-hanging fruit. We need to figure out what is causing this problem, and the money is there to do it.”

Pringle said she would like to see a peer review of the engineering study the village board has already presented, then seek to work with the county and state on existing efforts to mitigate flooding. Working with surrounding towns will help solve the problem since “no municipality is going to be able to solve its flooding problem on its own,” she said.

“The reason I’m running is because I had this kind of incident happen to me,” said Cardwell. “As many of you know, about two years ago, I fell, I broke my arm and passed out. Woke up and my hand was flopping around. And so my wife called 911. And the cops came, but they said there’s no EMS coming.”

Cardwell has served as a volunteer firefighter in Pelham Manor for more than 10 years, and volunteered for Mamaroneck’s EMS because the Manor didn’t have its own service. He said he experienced firsthand what it felt like to not have an ambulance service in town, and as he started to collect other stories from neighbors, the issue of not having proper coverage became his priority.

(In January, the Town of Pelham started an EMS service staffed by the Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corps and using a dedicated Pelham ambulance.)

Cardwell and Pringle both talked about transparency in village government, starting with ensuring taxpayers know where their money is being spent.

Using her time working for on church boards, Pringle said she understands the importance of knowing where every penny is spent.

Cardwell pointed to what he called the “secret contract” retired Village Manager John Pierpont received after his departure from office.

“I don’t think that’s the way a transparent, accountable village works,” said Cardwell. “I mean, when the governor changes, there’s no consulting contract. There’s no, like, hand holding for six months. So it seems like that’s problem. I mean not only was the (former) village manager paid more than the governor, he made more than the chief justice of the Supreme Court.”

Westchester County Executive George Latimer, County Legislator Terry Clements and state Sen. Nathalia Fernandez were at the event to support the Democratic village candidates.

Village of Pelham Manor elections will be held March 19 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Pelham Manor Firehouse, 4 Penfield Place. Voters can also cast early ballots by mail.