“We Are Fed Up!” By County Executive Ed Day

Rockland has had enough, enough over development, enough unsustainable growth, enough of our problems being ignored and enough of being told we are wrong, biased or anti-Semitic because of these valid concerns.

What happened on the evening of Tuesday, September 3 was simply unprecedented. Hundreds of concerned residents, neighbors and friends came together at the legislative meeting to speak up and let those in power know that they will no longer be silent. They set the record straight that their concerns have nothing to do with religion and everything to do with unchecked and unsuitable development.

Proper planning is crucial to ensuring future generations can enjoy the Rockland that we all know and love. Green spaces, parkland and the mostly suburban feel, that inspired so many of us to move here from the Bronx or Brooklyn, must be maintained. We cannot compromise our environment, health or natural resources to satisfy the greed of a few over developers who are taking advantage of one Town that just will not follow the rules.

It has long been known that the Town of Ramapo has failed in their duty to ensure proper planning and land use. They have neglected General Municipal Law (GML), given developers free reign and allowed illegal and dangerous schools to operate without consequence.

These are the problems that truly deserve attention. Instead, many people are still obsessed with the video which sparked this necessary and long overdue conversation about overdevelopment here in Rockland. Rest assured, my administration is continuing to look for new ways to protect the health and safety of all our residents while ensuring that any new development is sensitive to the concerns of neighbors. What happens in one part of Rockland will affect ALL of Rockland.

As we move forward with addressing the critical issue of overdevelopment, we must all do our part to keep this conversation free of any rhetoric or rancor. This is not about religion this is about protecting the suburban character of our county from over developers who could not care less about our environment, natural resources, infrastructure and the quality of life of our residents. We must focus on the facts of the situation and not let emotion detract from finding solutions.

We must respect our environment; the precious resources we rely on to sustain life are finite. I am not saying that we should halt all development in Rockland. I am merely asking that we all take a long, hard look at what we want this county to look like for our children and grandchildren.