New mayor stresses cooperation with town
Newly elected village Mayor Gary Bassett says he sees cooperation with the town of Rhinebeck as vital and that he plans to revisit all issues that have been bogged down by animosity between officials of the two municipalities.
Village residents last month voted 444-413 in favor Bassett over incumbent Mayor Heath Tortarella. Bassett had been appointed to fill a Village Board vacancy in August 2015 and was elected to the seat in March 2016.
At the annual Village Board reorganization meeting on Tuesday, Bassett said joint town-village projects that have caused conflict over the past several years should be resolved.
“The fire hydrants is one, the fire protection district is another, the Thompson Mazzarella Park and the meter pit are all things that I plan to address with the town,” he said.
“I plan to work with the town in coming up with plans on how we can work together on area where we can both benefit,” he said. “One of the things we’re going to work on is a study of shared services for the [two] highway departments. We’re going to working diligently on getting that study done ... which is important because we each have an approach to our highways, and I think there’s a lot of things we can work on together.”
Bassett said public participation will be important to achieving other goals, including dealing with the potential impact on the village water system of a proposed large-vessel anchorage site along the Hudson River shoreline.
“I want to continue to focus on banning the barges and what’s going to happen due to sea level rise,” Bassett said. “These are really important because we have to protect our water system.”
Bassett said he also plans to bring recommendations to fill the Village Board seat left vacant by his election as mayor.
“I really am looking for somebody that comes with some skills and the best person for the job, male or female,” he said.