Checking the Facts on Moroney’s Claims

Debunking Moroney’s Lies About Andy’s Budget Record

Ever since he announced his campaign, Mike Moroney has spent his time making up facts about Andy’s record rather than talking about his own. While Andy’s campaign mailings have all been positive pieces focused on his record as Supervisor and vision for the town, most of Moroney’s campaign has been devoted to a steady stream of false attacks on Andy.

Here are the facts. Under Andy’s leadership Orangetown’s budgets have been under the tax cap for four years in a row, the bond rating remains excellent, town debt is down, reserve funds are up, and Andy’s budget plan for 2016 includes a 2.2% property tax cut. In short, Andy has held the line on taxes and spending.

Understandably, it is difficult for Moroney to spin this fiscally conservative record in a way that would help his campaign, so he has resorted to claiming that Andy has hiked taxes and when it is pointed out to him that in fact taxes have NOT been hiked, he then claims that even though Andy may not actually have hiked taxes, he secretly wants to raise taxes, never mind that Andy’s budgets are under the tax cap year after year.


 

Moroney’s first mailing to voters arrived in mailboxes throughout town on October 22 and rather than introduce himself to voters and explain why he deserves election, Moroney’s entire mailer focuses on attacking Andy with bogus claims. Here are the facts:

Moroney says: “Stop Andy Stewart’s Tax Hikes”

Reality: There are no Andy Stewart tax hikes. Just check your tax bill for the last four years. Andy has been Supervisor for four years and has held the town below the tax cap every year, including three years in a row where the Supervisor’s budget (created without input from the Town Board) has been below the cap.

Moroney says: “Andy Stewart Loves High Taxes”

Reality: If Andy loves high taxes, why would he have proposed three budgets in a row below the tax cap, cut spending, and, proposed a 2.2% property tax cut in his 2016 budget?

Moroney says: Andy Stewart’s first budget proposed a 9.2% tax increase and hid a 7% tax hike.

Reality: The idea of a “hidden” tax hike is completely bogus. The budget is the budget, and the town can’t legally raise new taxes that aren’t in the budget. Anyone making a claim like this clearly does not understand how town budgeting works. It is true that Andy’s draft budget in 2012 showed a tax increase if all departments were funded at the full level they requested, but Andy clearly stated that this budget did NOT represent the level of taxes he wanted to see and that he would work to get the final budget for that year under the cap, and that’s exactly what happened. No taxpayers ever saw a 9.2% or a 16.2% increase.

Moroney says: Andy Stewart’s second budget proposed a 7% tax hike.

Reality: This one is just absolutely, 100% false. Andy’s proposed budget in 2013 (for FY2014) , included a 1.9% tax change (not 7%), staying under the 2% tax cap. The final budget passed that year also stayed under the tax cap. Moroney appears to have pulled the 7% figure out of thin air.

Moroney says: Andy’s third budget intentionally omitted certain funding in order to hide the cost of his proposals. 

Reality: There are no specifics in this attack so it is hard to give a specific response beyond the fact that it’s not true. Moroney seems to be attacking Andy for not spending enough money here, which is strange since on the same mailing he also attacks Andy for spending too much… The bottom line is that Andy’s third budget was submitted under the tax cap, and the final budget came in under the tax cap as well so, yet again, no tax hike here.

Moroney says: Stewart voted to break Governor Cuomo’s property tax cap

Reality: Moroney tries to make it sound like Andy wanted the budget to be over the tax cap but this is completely false. In 2013, on the advice of the town’s attorneys and finance department, Andy voted to ALLOW the town to exceed the tax cap only if needed, but Andy’s own budget proposal was UNDER the tax cap and so was the final town budget which Andy voted for.

Moroney says: “Elect Mike Moroney Supervisor: He’ll Hold the Line on Taxes”

Realty: Every candidate promises to hold the line on taxes but we don’t need to rely on promises. Andy Stewart has a four year record of delivering on his promise to keep taxes as low as possible. He’s kept taxes under the tax cap every year since he’s been Supervisor and even proposed a 2.2% tax cut in 2016. While Moroney offers campaign promises, Andy offers a proven record. The choice is clear.

 

Fact Checking Moroney’s Mailing about the TZ Bridge

This attack claims that taxpayers had to foot the bill for upgrades to the Nyack sewer system because Andy supposedly failed to get money from NY State for this work. That is literally the opposite of the truth. The state DID fund the $2 million project to upgrade sewers in Nyack and Andy even got the new Tappan Zee Bridge to fund a sewer connection in South Nyack, saving taxpayers an additional $205,000. And Moroney’s claim that Andy “settled for” funding for a bike bypass rather than sewer repairs is complete nonsense. He didn’t have to choose–he got the state to fund both projects.

In fact, over the last four years Andy has obtained almost $5 million in state aid for various projects in town, from the sewer repairs in Nyack, to new sidewalks in Pearl River and Palisades, a new bridge in Tappan, fixes to the sludge press at the sewer treatment plant, and yes, a bike bypass in Blauvelt to keep bikers and drivers safe.

Once again, Moroney is showing that he either doesn’t understand the town’s finances, or is so desperate to take power that he will repeat blatant and easily debunked lies over and over again.