HaverstrawLife.com will not endorse any candidate for the upcoming election season.
Mia V. Marsh is running as a Democrat for Village Trustee. Her opponent is either Rafael Bueno or Thomas Watson. Chris Ernst is running as a Democrat for Mayor. His opponent is Michael Kohut, the incumbent. The two candidates have also been endorsed by the Republican and Conservative parties. Below, is Mia and Chris’s letter to HaverstrawLife readers and voters:
The Village of Haverstraw- A Fresh Perspective for a Historic Village
The undiscovered gem of the Hudson River, the historic Village of Haverstraw, is ready to realize its potential. Boasting unique turn-of-the century architecture, a thriving multi-cultural community and an expansive waterfront with Rockland’s only ferry service, Haverstraw is a village of unlimited possibilities.
Mayoral Candidate Chris Ernst and Trustee Candidate Mia V. Marsh share a solid vision of a true Riverfront Revitalization. “I see Haverstraw and I see endless potential, but first we must address taxes, crime and community life,” says Ernst, “I want to help make the Village a better place. I am determined and I am not afraid of hard work.”
The current Mayor of Haverstraw Village has recently reduced his hours to part-time. Ernst and Marsh feel strongly that Haverstraw needs a full-time mayor to address the issues in the Village. They will involve the community in major decisions, incorporate public input and promote transparency- an indispensible component of successful projects.
Haverstraw needs strong, qualified leadership that works proactively to meet the needs of all the people of the Village. The candidates know that it will take sweat equity, perseverance, proper planning and a tough stance to deal with the challenges that face Haverstraw. Ernst is an attorney and a CPA. His education and credentials are the product of hard work. He put himself though night school while working full-time. He is a small business owner who currently investigates financial crime and high-risk terrorist financing. Mia V. Marsh has worked for over 20 years in the nonprofit and corporate sectors. Her experience includes grant writing, project development, corporate governance and management. She is currently the Executive Director of a nonprofit arts organization, which she co-founded seven years ago. She is a passionate supporter of the Village. Last year she restored and managed Haverstraw’s Harvest Farmers Market and volunteered over 350 hours on projects for the Village. “Every year there are millions of dollars in grants the Village could write for.
We can replace some of the tax burden by leveraging existing grants and governmental funding.” says Marsh.
Chris Ernst and Mia V. Marsh will work to stabilize taxes through oversight, responsible use of village funds and directed grant writing. They will advocate for Village residents with the Town, School Board and State representatives and cut wasteful spending in the Village’s own budget. “Return on investment is critical – The taxes we pay will be worth every dollar if businesses flourish, and property values and quality of life are higher,” says Ernst. They will work to fight crime through smart use of legislation, vigilant communication with the police force and the creation of a strong well funded community crime watch sponsored by the Mayor’s office.
Devoted to improving the quality of life for the people of Haverstraw, Ernst and Marsh met with Mayor Sottile of Kingston NY, where there has been a successful riverfront revitalization. They spoke to him regarding working models to fight crime, stabilize taxes and encourage community and business development. “With dedication and hard work we can accomplish anything.” says Marsh, “Together we can build a village that works for everyone.”
Chris Ernst and Mia V. Marsh know Haverstraw can be a place where the quality of life is without measure, where everyone has the opportunity to be a part of the community and are proud to call Haverstraw Village their home. Your vote on September 13th will help ensure Haverstraw once again becomes the crown jewel of the Hudson River.
HaverstrawLife.com 
These two are impressive. I hope they can win and do some of the things that they hope to do. I’ll be voting for them.
Mia and Chris will change Haverstraw for the better, I know it in my heart! They are young, passionate, educated, and motivated. They can do it.
VOTE VOTE VOTE!
Today, I (a decades long resident of Rockland County / Haverstraw) voted for Ernst and March. I basically tried to vote away from all those who did a terrible job with Mirant and other situations of budget control. A shameful job with Mirant (one of the USA’s worst polluters that needs state government on many of their projects). Mr. Hood you can still work to correct this awful situation of poor litigation and in other ways which you may opt to do.
Notable is the politicians did this tax terror to us while many of their relatives are employed at adminstrative posts in local government that pays them via our outrageously high taxes–cut those job benefits etc. This terrible job of the past allowed area taxes to sky rocket to among the highest in the entire nation and adds to foreclosure pressures just at the worst time. Even the GDC real estate development seems to have somehow taken more out than it has given in revenues; and this has nothing to do with the GDC residents who are also now saddled with the same high taxes.
Perhaps, someone like Ernst and March will have a plan. This to get toward cutting spending, go back after Mirant/politicians/attoreneys of that hgue fraud on tax payers. Look at the school district where illegal aliens need to put in some labor time (maybe 2 weeks of each year) to offset the fact that property taxes are not being paid viably from them for many of those aliens who use the local infra-structure. The area of school taxes and other local infra-structure burdens in context of percentage of alien in-direct usage of such infra-structure needs to be addressed. We have some friends on Riverside Avenue who have told us that the village, from non-oversight, has partially paved their street using an unconventional approach that should have been vast improvment. Yet it is causing worse flooding problems and undermining the road and homes that the re-paving should have easily helped. What an embarassment this situation is. At least we can call it the nicest village on the banks of the Hudson in all of Rockland; and one with maybe the 4th highest county/local taxes in the nation.