Charlie Miller challenges Ahearn for Town Board seat

AMENIA — Charlie Miller is a Democrat, running against Nicole Ahearn for the seat she currently occupies on the Amenia Town Board. The following excerpts have been selected and edited for ease of reading.

Q: What is your professional background?

A: Over my 30+ year career, I’ve been responsible for operations, budgeting, project management, legal compliance, and contract negotiations. It’s been an amazing ride with years as a chef, finance guy, animation studio manager, and now real estate broker. In all my jobs I’ve had to be a problem solver — assessing situations, collecting facts, getting everyone’s input, forming a team, making plans to tackle the project, and then getting it done. I thrive on finding solutions and accomplishing what people say is impossible. I see things from all sides, know how to bring people together and then work to find the best way forward.

What would be your top priorities?

My priorities are what Amenia’s residents have spoken clearly on: housing everyone can afford; insuring everyone pays their fair share; spending tax dollars smartly (board members should know where every dollar of your money is going); new highway garage; revitalizing downtown and Beekman Park (I don’t feel spending millions on Amenia Green is wise); supporting current and attracting new businesses (reliable drinking water, municipal wastewater, off-street parking and traffic calming devices); recreational programming for all ages; and governmental transparency.

Why are you the best person for the job?

So many of my neighbors feel hopeless, that nothing will ever get done in Amenia — the most beautiful rural town you’ll ever find, filled with hardworking folks. I’ve proven that if given the opportunity I can move things forward that have languished for years. As Chairman of the Amenia Housing Board we increased developer fees to $2.3 million from $610,000; and we have a 26+ single-family, for-sale workforce housing subdivision about to go before the planning board. Working with the Supervisor, I led the bidding process for a new Water Engineer, Highway Garage Engineer and Wastewater Engineer. As a fiscal conservative, I’ve identified wasteful spending and through new investment opportunities, earned $120,000 for taxpayers this year.