Chester candidate Stephen Keahon

As co-founder of Preserve Chester, it has been an honor to help bring a voice to the community. I am looking forward to making that voice even louder as Town of Chester councilman.

I was born and raised in Chester and have three kids in Chester schools. I have worked as a service manager in the automotive industry for the last seven years. I enjoy coaching my kids in Chester Little League T-ball and spending my free time with my family.

I understand the issues we face as we move into the future. We can no longer sit idly by and watch our beautiful rural landscape and small-town feel disappear. It will take a lot of work and a culture change in town government. Chester needs to stick to the master plan and have a dedication to real code enforcement while strengthening our zoning at the same time.

Our residents deserve to be included in the process. Our goals have been to bridge the gap between the board and residents while holding our elected officials accountable at the same time, as well as stopping voter apathy and establishing a ward system to maintain equal representation in our town government.

Our residents deserve the opportunity to speak on the important issues and topics discussed at our town board meetings. I have sat and watched too many times as our board brings items up on the agenda and then vote on it immediately without allowing our residents to speak on the issues beforehand. It is my opinion that no items should be voted on by our board until the residents are given the proper notice and opportunity to speak on these issues.

We can no longer give out agendas just hours before a meeting and then wonder why we have low attendance and participation. Our residents are primarily commuters and are our first responders, white and blue-collar workers. They deserve the opportunity to be able to attend or write our board.

I have worked closely with our senator, assemblyman and town board regarding our ward system and preservation fund. I believe I have the experience and relationships needed to get the job done. Now is not the time for partisan politics. We all need to work together for a common goal. The issues we face here in Chester and the county are non-partisan, and we need to work together if we are going to accomplish anything for the residents of Chester.

The point of a board is to have diversity, and I promise the residents of Chester that our new town board will take all concerns seriously and give our constituents the attention they deserve.

Equal treatment for all, preferential treatment for none.