Editor’s note: This campaign statement was provided by Mark Cardwell, candidate for mayor of the Village of Pelham Manor. The Pelham Examiner publishes campaign statements in the form received as a service to the community.
My name is Mark Cardwell, and I’m running for mayor of Pelham Manor. While I am filled with optimism for the future we can build together, I must admit that I am also deeply frustrated with our current leadership. They have failed us. We face stubborn safety problems, an existential flooding crisis, and exorbitant taxes, all while our mayor refuses to listen, collaborate, or plan for our future.
Our streets are chaotic, with children at risk from traffic. One morning last year, I turned the corner to find a child screaming on the ground after being hit by a car, which underscored the urgent need for safer streets. Stopping to assist, I lifted this lovely boy onto a stretcher. For nine years, I (and many others) had been trying to get the mayor to take action after a similar incident occurred just steps away. This time, she finally installed stop signs.
I’m frustrated by the incidence of nuisance crimes like car and ATM thefts, with the manor’s crime rate being twice that of the village and nearly triple that of other villages like Larchmont and Irvington. But outdated tools and a revolving door of chiefs (four in the past 10 years) handicap our police.
Flooding is the most pressing worry, costing families tens of thousands in recovery and mitigation and forcing them to evacuate during storms. I’ve met families who had to wade through floodwater to safety and have lost multiple cars to these preventable disasters. Under the mayor’s 10-year reign, the village has taken only a few seemingly random half-measures to address this crisis. I know I join hundreds of other Manor families hoping the next forecast doesn’t bring rain that wrecks our home.
Taxes continue to rocket skywards, accelerated by the mayor’s confounding failure to work with county and state officials to secure grants to ease the burden. The mayor, unbelievably, has never had a one-on-one meeting with our state senator. The mayor of New Rochelle has never met her. We haven’t had a village plan since 1979.
These experiences laid bare the truth: our current Village government is not working for us. The refusal to discuss issues and find solutions is causing unmistakable trauma. When I saw the fear in the eyes of a mother whose son was hit by a car, and the despair of neighbors whose homes were ravaged by floodwaters, I knew I had to act. I had to run for mayor.
We deserve more. If I become your mayor, we will not live like this. My immediate priorities are:
● Urgent action on flooding: We will partner with neighboring municipalities, the county, and the state for a coordinated, comprehensive plan to keep us dry for decades, preserving homes, controlling insurance costs, and bolstering property values. And we’ll immediately fix the blockages in the current drainage.
● Safer streets: We will implement solutions-oriented traffic engineering and enhanced enforcement to slow cars throughout the village. We will provide our police with modern tools and genuine partnerships with the county and neighboring cities to stop criminals, limit noise, and keep us safe.
● Tax freeze: Millions of our tax dollars sat unused for years. With my extensive experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets, I will enhance our fiscal management to deliver more value without increasing taxes.
I’ve lived in Pelham Manor with my wife and two boys for over 15 years, volunteering with our fire department, Scouts, and EMS. My professional experience, which includes leading large teams, funding and delivering complex projects in both private and government sectors (in Washington, D.C., and New York City), and navigating intergovernmental affairs, makes me uniquely qualified to lead our village.
I am eager to deliver a more vibrant village for my generous, caring neighbors. I will lead with empathy and passion, and I will work tirelessly for every one of you.
This isn’t political; it is personal because it affects you personally.
Please vote for me and my terrific partners, Ryan Kurtz and Debbie Winstead, on November 4.
Mark Cardwell
