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Watch Village Board Meetings
Webcasting by Generoso Pope
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Tuckahoe Calendar |
Before I was elected I would view all parades in our Town and Village for one simple reason - respect. Now, as an elected official, I march for that same reason. It doesn’t matter whether it is a parade celebrating a National Holiday or one’s heritage - I march out of respect. In our town, traditionally we have three parade days: Memorial Day, Columbus Day, and St. Patrick’s Day. This year we will be enjoying not one but two Columbus Day parades.
I am not writing on this fact because I can shed any insight into the particulars of how we wound up with two parades. And, in fact, this isn’t the only duplication of parades in our Town. Bronxville has their own Memorial Day Parade, while Tuckahoe and Eastchester share an event that spans both municipalities. To my knowledge, this fact hasn’t led to any disharmony among residents. It is my hope that no one finds any reason to support only one Columbus parade over another. Instead, residents should view this as an additional day to celebrate the contribution of Italian culture to our American experience. As for myself, I will be marching twice.
Some may feel that two separate parades are a bit redundant, but I assure you many organizers have struggled with this same phenomenon. Feuds and factionalism have long plagued the oldest and largest running civilian parade in the world - New York City’s St. Patrick Day Parade. This parade, which dates back to 1762, has seen separate groups within the Hibernians and subcommittees within St. Patrick's Day Parade Inc., spring up to fight over control of the annual celebration. Thankfully, in 2002, amidst then Attorney General Elliott Spitzer’s investigation into some bookkeeping practices, they settled their differences and promised to work together in the future.
My thinking regarding the role of government in parades is simple. After Tuckahoe receives an application, it is then reviewed to ascertain that the public safety can be maintained. Police and DPW personnel are assigned accordingly to ensure the event goes off without a hitch. Then, as with any other street closure, the Village Board votes. My rather clinical approach to parades may seem to some detached. This detachment is intentional. Since Village personnel are required for all parades and all community social events as well Tuckahoe and thereby the residents are incurring costs. For the record, Village costs for events are rather extensive to the tune of $40,000 in overtime.
For this reason you will never catch me advocating for one parade or another or any parade for that matter. I just march. New York City, the melting pot, is obligated to accommodate all comers when it comes to parades: Israel Day, Puerto Rican Day, Steuben German American, Gay and Lesbian Pride, Halloween or Easter parade. And guess what? So are we. While I can’t see my wife Kate and the handful of other Hungarians from our town showing up for a Hungarian American Parade permit, what would we do if she did? In order not to appear discriminatory we would provide a permit and personnel. Where might it end? Imagine denying a permit to an organization such as the Veterans. This group, whose service to our country can never be forgotten, could file for parade permits on Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day, Flag Day and Memorial Day.
Upon taking office I examined reducing the event schedule and ultimately the expense to residents. A difficult decision, since I didn’t want to be viewed as the “Burger Meister” Mayor who outlaws fun. I subscribe to the viewpoint that any expenditure runs the risk of being cut if it becomes too burdensome on residents. On the other hand, community social events bond our residents and instill a spirit that benefits the entire village. As well, some of these bring business to the stores. Unfortunately, these events can run the risk of hindering business by adversely affecting parking and access. For this reason, we attempt to schedule them when they are least likely to disrupt commerce.
This year more money was raised for the Fireworks event than were required for entertainment and the Grucci pyrotechnics. This additional money was reimbursed to payroll to offset cost of personnel overtime. Also, the Tuckahoe Road Challenge raised enough money to make a partial reimbursement for the cost of workers required to make that day occur. I have asked all community events sponsors to raise additional monies to reduce the cost of these events on taxpayers. When all is said and done, Americans do love parades. So, enjoy both of this year’s Columbus Day Parades. I’ll see you along the routes.