Patch Candidate Profile 2023: Thomas Marron For Yorktown Town Board

YORKTOWN, NY — Registered voters in Yorktown will have choices to make on Nov. 7 at the polls.

Besides picking a town supervisor, people will have to decide who will fill two Town Board positions.

Democrat Thomas Marron, 57, of Yorktown, will appear on the ballot for Yorktown Town Board along with incumbent Republican Edward A. Lachterman, Republican Patrick J. Murphy and Democrat Steven J. Shaw.

Marron has been a teacher in the Greenburgh-Graham school district for 19 years. He is also a building representative with his union, the Graham School Federation of Teachers.

He previously taught high school English in the Bronx and was an adjunct professor at various colleges, including Medgar Evers College and Mercy College.

He is married with one son.

Campaign website: Anewdayforyorktown.com

Patch submitted questions to all candidates for the Yorktown Town Board. Here are the responses from Marron.

Why are you seeking this office?

If I thought things were being run properly, I would not go through all the work of a campaign, but they’re not. I want to increase transparency and ethical standards in town government. Transparency in terms of clarity on taxes and openness in contract bids and awards that avoid questionable relationships between companies and the Board that votes to hire them. There are certain policies and actions I would like to advance as a councilman. These include moving Yorktown toward a more green future. Solar panels on town buildings, electric vehicles in the town’s fleet, etc. I think our greenspaces need protection from overdevelopment. Finally, I want to widen the range of voices who are listened to by the town government.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Currently, because there is only one party in the Town Board, there is no actual discussion of critical and costly projects. Capital projects that were delayed are only now being addressed during an election cycle. I think discussion and debate are central to governing. A one-party system does not lend itself to such debate.

Not only am I a union member, but so too were my father and grandfather. Through these strong union ties has grown a strong feeling that the town government can work to take a stand on supporting working men and women. During the height of the pandemic, local CSEA and PBA members agreed to forego increases in order to help the town through that fiscal crisis. We need to make sure they are not forgotten in the coming years. I want to focus on delivering for all residents — not special interests and the well-connected.

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

I think Yorktown's elected officials have been delivering bad deals for residents. The garbage contract our electeds approved was dead on arrival, but it took nine months and 40,000 missed pickups for them to terminate it. We're also seeing rampant overdevelopment. The overdevelopment of our town needs to be re-examined. The “Underhill Farms” development was granted sweetheart deals that threaten to overburden our town’s resources without significant recompense back to the town. This also included large-scale rezoning of the green space and historic mansion to favor specific developers. I think the contracts need to be looked at carefully. There are similar issues with other developments. To me, this speaks of a culture of bad decision-making and backroom deals for people looking to make money in Yorktown, not those who live there.

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

As the campaign is winding down, we have the same issues of transparency, ethical standards and appropriate and clear status reporting to the townspeople. The garbage fiasco went on for nine months before it was solved, and the true costs of the problem and its alleged solution have yet to be made clear. We have a significant fund balance, but we've had a half dozen crucial infrastructure projects that haven't gone anywhere for two years — sometimes more. We have people being double taxed. We're dealing with bad accounting and reckless taxation.

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

I’ve been a teacher for a long time. I have some experience in the field of planning based on a thorough understanding and then leading a project to completion. As a building representative, I field concerns from a variety of union members, and some non-union workers as well, and take these concerns to the administration. Together, we work to construct a solution to the issues. This negotiation and the ability to see issues from multiple sides are vital in town government.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

As his way of admonishing against unnecessary worry, my wife’s uncle Mike was fond of saying, “These things have a way of working themselves out.” Don’t take this to indicate he meant don’t work hard. Uncle Mike was a teamster for many many years and worked diligently at everything he did. It’s just that, when you have done all you can, don’t fret, it’ll work out.

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

I have been a leader of a local Scouts BSA troop for several years, starting with Cub Scouts and now with BSA. In this role, I get to teach leadership and problem-solving skills through outdoor activities. Ecology, conservation and good citizenship are central to the Scout methods and goals and inform much of my thinking about how we should behave in the world.

Editor's note: The candidate's responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.