Sleepy Hollow to elect new village president for first time in 24 years

For the first time in 24 years, Sleepy Hollow residents will elect a new village president.

First-term village trustees Courtney Boe and Jennifer McGuire are seeking to lead the bedroom community of just over 3,100 residents. Village President Stephan Pickett, who has served six terms, is not seeking re-election.

The April 1 election comes as the village is considering a controversial storage facility along Route 72. The proposed development would feature individual storage units in seven buildings on 4.5 acres at the southeast corner of Route 72 and Tartans Glen Drive.

An earlier version of the proposal, by a different developer, won village approval. However, a six-month extension granted by the village board to the developer last April expired and another developer is seeking village approval before purchasing the property.

The village’s planning and zoning commission will review the proposal before the village board gets the final say on the project. In the meantime, residents have gathered over 400 signatures opposing the plans.

McGuire and Boe were not on the village board when the initial proposal was approved.

McGuire, 41, has been steadfast in her opposition and was one of two trustees who voted against the extension last April.

“We don’t allow sheds or fences, but we’ll allow a company to come in and put sheds and fences up,” said McGuire, referring to village codes prohibiting fences or sheds on residential property.

“It’s not worth it,” she added, saying other businesses would bring in more revenue for the village. “It’s not the right fit for our community.”

Though Boe, 44, voted for the extension last April, she said she has not made any decisions about the latest proposal. She said she is weighing various issues — including residents’ concerns and the village’s limited sewage capacity — as she considers the proposal.

“There’s a lot of pros and cons to it,” said Boe, adding she is happy to see residents engaging on the issue.

Boe and McGuire identified communication with residents as one of their top priorities.

“The most common topic I hear from residents is that they don’t know what’s going on,” Boe said. “They don’t feel they can voice their opinions because they don’t feel heard or engaged.”

She said she would keep regular office hours and ensure village board packets are publicly available before board meetings.

McGuire said she would allow questions at board meetings to give residents a voice.

“I will not be silencing our residents,” she said.

Boe said she has seen positive changes in the village’s finances and noted that village staff have attempted to cut costs and find grants to help fund project costs.

However, she cautioned that the village needs to “rein in spending” and work to set up a “financial safety net” for future needs such as water and sewer improvements. She said she would work to continue to secure grants to help stretch the village’s finances.

“Our small stature makes us eligible for more grants, provided we have matching funds,” she said. “I aim to rein in spending now to save money and qualify for more grants in the future.”

In addition, Boe suggested the village could use volunteers to help on smaller projects such as repainting fire hydrants.

McGuire said she also would work to find alternative funding sources, such as grants, to help avoid property tax increases. She added the village needs to attract businesses that can bring in retail sales tax dollars to help cover costs for public projects such as street improvements.

“There are a lot of new and young families moving into town,” she said. “It is not their job to pay for the lack of maintenance in the village before them.”