Goshen supervisor candidate Doug Bloomfield

I’ve been the Goshen Town Supervisor for 14 years. My entire career has been leading people and being in business.

I studied science in college and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation into the Corp of Engineers in the U.S. Army. Ultimately, I progressed and served as a company commander in Vietnam during the war. After being discharged from the Army, I was hired by the DuPont Chemical Company as a management trainee. It was here that I learned every dollar must be accounted for and annual escalation must be offset every single year. If I couldn’t do it, I’d be on the outside looking in, without a job. In the end, I was very successful and became an upper manager in the company.

I now operate the Town of Goshen the same way, and the results speak for themselves. During my tenure, the town has paid off $2.9 million of debt and hasn’t borrowed money for operations.

During this same period, many new taxing entities (homes and businesses) have been added to our tax roll. The results are simple. I dare say the Town of Goshen is probably the only municipality in New York State where taxes have gone down: six of the last seven years for town residents, and five of the last seven years for taxes charged to village residents. Current taxes paid in 2019 are lower than taxes paid in 2013. Taxes are projected to be further reduced in 2020: -2.7 percent for town residents and businesses and -12.0 percent for village residents and businesses.

As for problems going forward: taxes, road/catch basin rebuilding and higher-density housing are on the minds of most citizens. Taxes, I consider to remain under control. As for road/catch basin repair, there has been nearly a 500 percent increase in allocation of funds in the last two years that has allowed the highway department to make major improvements with more to come.

Lastly, the town has been successful thus far in limiting higher density housing. The Legoland site, for example, was being considered for high-density housing consistent with the town’s comprehensive plan. In the end, the town board changing the zoning from residential to commercial allowed the Legoland project to proceed.

Election Day is Nov. 5. I ask that you remember to vote and to select me as your choice to continue serving as town supervisor.