Patch Candidate Profile: Carroll Seeks To Keep Clarkstown Council Seat

CLARKSTOWN, NY — Election season 2023 election is here and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Patrick J. Carroll is running for re-election to the Clarkstown Town Council in Ward 4. On the council since 2018, he is being challenged by Daniel Caprara.

An attorney, Carroll is an Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. The 42-year-old is active in the community including volunteering for Keep Rockland Beautiful and the Hudson Valley Special Olympics. He coaches St. Anthony's CYO basketball and is a member of the PTA and Lighthouse Committee in Bardonia. He earned degrees from Wesleyan and Northeastern School of Law. He lives in Clarkstown with his wife and three children.

Campaign website: electcarroll.com

Patch: Why are you seeking this office?

Carroll: I am seeking re-election for Town Council because Clarkstown taxpayers need someone to be their voice in Town government, someone to stand up against overdevelopment of our neighborhoods, to stand up for our quality of life and to ensure that all residents young and old can continue to thrive in our community and afford to live here.

Patch: What are the major differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?

Carroll: Unlike my opponent, people in Clarkstown know what I stand for and that I will stand up for them. I want this position to serve my community, help my neighbors and be their ally – I have no other agenda.

Patch: What is the single most pressing issue facing your constituents and what do you intend to do about it?

Carroll: While taxes and quality of life issues are always concerns, the most pressing issue facing our community is overdevelopment of our neighborhoods. Every hamlet in Clarkstown is seeing proposals and/or approved projects for high density housing. We need to continue to strengthen our building and zoning codes, appoint more qualified land-use professionals to our Planning/Zoning Board, and utilize drinking water conservation, runoff parameters and parking requirements to restrict the size of multi-unit developments in these neighborhoods. These large-scale developments will change the makeup of our town and overstress our infrastructure.

Patch: How would you address the affordable housing issue in the community?

Carroll: While Nanuet TOD (Transit Oriented Development) was good in concept, it has yet to come to fruition. It seems the initial plan has been overly influenced by developers. I would re-focus on transportation hubs like the train station, mini trans and bus lines. We really need to incentivize development of housing that is not luxury condos that cost more than our mortgages, but actual affordable one- to two-bedroom rentals that can house our younger generation who are not ready to buy and our older generation who are looking to downsize.

Patch: How would you protect the drinking water in the community?

Carroll: Protecting our drinking water starts with making sure that we do not overdevelop our neighborhoods and overtax our supply. After that, I believe we need to ensure that there is no overuse of phosphate fertilizers and other chemicals, and that we work with the County and State to set reasonable use levels on those chemicals. Protection of our water should be a cooperative effort between the Town, County and State –one piece of that equation alone cannot fix the pollution we face.

Patch: What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Carroll: We need greater transparency and openness at all levels of Town government, from the way our tax dollars are being spent to our hiring processes and appointments to our land use boards.

Patch: What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Carroll: I have been active in town government for several years, I have seen it run well and, in the instance of recent actions by the current supervisor, not so well. I know how government is supposed to work effectively for our community – this coupled with my training and experience as an attorney makes me well qualified to effectively represent the residents of Ward 4 and Clarkstown as a whole.

Patch: What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Carroll: A mentor of mine who had years of public service told me that whenever you’re dealing with an issue the best course is to: Listen, Think and Speak – BUT most importantly, do it in that order.

Patch: Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Carroll: I pride myself on my ability to work with and find common ground with everyone. I think that the best government comes when folks across a wide spectrum come together for the greater good.