Mayor’s Update on the Governor’s Housing Plan

By Village of Pelham Mayor Chance Mullen

I’m writing to provide an update on my previous letter regarding the Governor’s Housing Compact. As a member of the Housing Committee for the Westchester Municipal Officials Association (WMOA), I’ve been working with other municipal leaders around the county to organize our varied concerns. We have relayed those concerns to the NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal (HCR) and we are hopeful that changes will be made to the Governor’s plans. In its current form, it would be intensely damaging to Westchester’s communities. Without significant revisions, we will not be able to support the NYS Housing Compact. 

Given the importance of finding real solutions to the housing crisis, the Housing Committee has done its best to avoid unproductive political attacks that fail to offer alternative paths. The WMOA is not affiliated with any political party, and we all believe that good government requires professionalism, compromise, and collaboration. We also believe that problems can only be solved if potential solutions are discussed openly. 

In that spirit, I’m sharing a letter that we sent to the Governor this morning, which reflects the dialogue we’ve had with HCR. As you’ll notice, our letter has earned the support of mayors and supervisors across Westchester, including our Town Supervisor Dan McLaughlin (thank you, Dan). I believe that support is a testament to our work, and I am enormously grateful to my WMOA colleagues for their diligence. 

I will provide additional information as it becomes available.