Goshen candidate John VanDerMolen

I’m a lifelong Orange County resident, graduating from Pine Bush High School and Orange County Community College. I have lived in Goshen for the past 40 years and am a member of the Goshen Lions Club, Middletown Elks Lodge and an honorary member of the Dikeman Engine & Hose Company.

In 1976 I embarked on a career in law enforcement, working for police departments in the Town of Wallkill, Orange County Sheriffs Department, Village of Goshen, and then working for the last 34 and a half years for the New York State Police, retiring as a senior investigator.

During these last four years I have served as a town of Goshen councilman, also being on the Senior Citizens Commission and as the police commissioner. I have consistently voted to reduce the town debt, lower taxes, and double the town ratable tax base. all the while improving all town services, including paving more roads, increasing our police coverage, and expanding the recreational opportunities for our children.

I will continue to focus on smart growth and revising our town Master Plan to keep open space and planned development without high-density housing. I believe that growth, taxes, and providing more recreational opportunities for our children are three of the main issues we face as a town.

The town board has approved funding for the Joint Recreation Commission to build a new skateboard park on Green Street and install bathrooms at the Erie Street park, along with enlarging the pavilion at the Myron Urbanski park on Craigville Road. Myself and George Lyons also negotiated the community host fee with Legoland, and the town will receive approximately $50 million over the next 30 years, along with many other benefits.

I am also a proponent of solar energy, and I have voted for approval of the five major solar farm projects we currently have being constructed in our town. The town board has lowered the taxes for the last six years and in the upcoming 2020 budget we are looking to reduce taxes again, for town residents by 2.67 percent and village residents by 12.06 percent. We have increased funding to our highway and police departments along with more money for the Joint Recreation Commission and Goshen Humane Society.

I look forward to continuing to work for the residents of the Town of Goshen, and I would appreciate your vote on Nov. 5.