Mayor Newhard looks to third term with anticipation

Warwick — When Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard first took office in April 2001, he was eager to do his job. He had lots of support but just as many challenges. There was no handbook, just a learn-as-you-go job that dealt with the public everyday. While Newhard built a reputation as being accessible to the residents, he also had to learn to discern what the village is responsible for and what it is not. “I’m not just trying to please people,” said Newhard. “When someone comes to us because they have sewage in their living room, we are liable. When people come to me because they have no water pressure in their houses, we have to look into why. “But I look at things more astutely now,” he added. “Some things don’t belong to the village or the village taxpayers. I look at that first. I’ve learned to use our experts — our engineer and our attorney — to determine who is responsible. In some ways, I’ve become much more astute in determining that.” Newhard has no opposition next Tuesday in his bid for a third term. In an interview this week, the 51-year-old mayor looked back at his accomplishments as well as his struggles, but also looked ahead to what he hopes are four years of progress. “I’m most happy with the intermunicipal work we’ve done with the town,” said Newhard. “That is one of the most consistent things we’ve done through my tenure as mayor.” Newhard has worked with town Supervisor Michael Sweeton, developing an annexation policy and a police agreement that ended up saving the village taxpayers much money. The annexation policy was important, he said, because it preserves the village’s identity without shutting the door on progress. “We didn’t lose our identity as a village,” Newhard said. “This agreement respects that.” And it’s not just his relationship with the town that Newhard can crow about. He has forged “strong relationships” with state Sen. Thomas Morahan, Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt, and Congresswoman Sue Kelly. “They have resources we just don’t have,” he said. “They do grant researching for us and they are happy to help us.” That has been beneficial to the village over the past five years. Newhard estimates that the village has received about $2 million in federal and state aid. “That’s hard to do,” said Newhard. “I’ve used every tool in my box to get that funding.” The biggest grant came from the state, giving the village $1 million for its dredging project a couple of years ago. Infrastructure projects have dominated the last few years for the village. Newhard said he knew some projects were overwhelming, but he was willing to take them on because he knew they couldn’t wait any longer. Like the South Street sewer project. “We went ahead with that in the hopes of finding funding,” he noted. “Sidewalks and culverts, too, were done.” Newhard said sidewalks on Division and Factory streets will be replaced. Major street resurfacing on Hawthorn is also planned for the summer. Newhard is also proud of how the village has been maintained during his tenure. He said that is a result of a good building inspector and a conscientious Department of Public Works crew that takes pride in its work. “People have said the village looks so good and it’s contagious,” Newhard said. “People are reinvesting in their storefronts. I’m amazed to see what kind of capital people put into their property.” These past five years haven’t been filled simply with successes. Newhard has definitely felt the strain of the office. He knows there are many challenges ahead, some known and some not known. “We know there are infrastructure issues coming up. We have water and sewer issues. We have to figure out how to tackle them and how to pay for them,” he said. New testing standards from the county Board of Health dealing with well water will push the village into developing a mini-filtration system within the next year for its well water. There are also issues in the village’s sewer system that have not been resolved, like Park Lane. “There is a problem somewhere else in the line that manifests itself in low lying areas of the village,” Newhard said. “Finding the problem is costly. We just haven’t been able to find the problem yet.” He also knows how important taxes are to residents, but especially seniors and young families. “We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Newhard said. “Finally, I think we will see a leveling off.” The recent hike in taxes over the past few years, he said, was because of hikes in benefits the village had to pay, as well as insurance and police service increases. Several infrastructure issues added to the financial burden. “We hadn’t raised the usage rates or the tap in fees in so long,” Newhard said. “We raised them accordingly, taking the onus off the taxpayers.” As he and the board work on the 2006-07 budget, Newhard looks ahead to the next four years as mayor. He sees the challenges, but also revels in what he finds very rewarding as mayor of Warwick. “In this position, you represent your community,” he said. “I enjoy going to Boy Scout ceremonies and weddings. I have the opportunity to put the desires of the community into words. It takes a while to feel confident in that role.” After five years, Newhard admits he is confident in his role as mayor of the Village of Warwick. “People have seen my performance, they have seen what I’ve accomplished,” he said. “I’m not tireless — I get pretty tired. But it’s a good tired. I keep on going. Happily.”