Bill Hanauer's Background.

I grew up in Stuyvesant Town in Manhattan — affordable housing, apartments built for the families of returning World War II veterans. Nine years ago, my family and I came to Ossining looking for a house within our means — one with more space than our rent-stabilized apartment, one with a garden, and one that provided the environment that my partner and I needed to care for my aged and ailing mother. We thought we were looking for was a house. What we found was a community. Families of many ethnic backgrounds live on our block in one– and two–family houses. The Village of Ossining represents a microcosm of the New York City I thought we would never leave, with businesses, commercial ventures, and homes meeting the needs of its diverse population.

I immediately became active in the Sparta Association — citizens working together to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood and in the Village as a whole. I served as vice president for one year and six years as its president. In these roles and in my fifteen years as a labor leader in the entertainment industry, I learned to listen very carefully to the hundreds of people I have met with many conflicting needs and have tried to serve them all.

It is my honor to have been appointed to the Village Board of Trustees in March, 2005, to win election to a full term in November, 2005, and for Mayor in 2006. My Board colleagues and I do not always agree on everything, but we all believe that healthy, civil debate on the issues that face Ossining leads to consensus, compromise, and growth. Here are some of my positions on the issues of development and housing.