PAWLING – A vote to consolidate the Town and Village of Pawling has failed by a large margin. In the town, 72 percent of the 1,232 voters denied the consolidation attempt by a vote of 891 to 341. In the village, 86 percent of the votes cast were not in favor of consolidation.
Former Village of Pawling Mayor Glenn Carey said that 627 votes were cast in the village with 543 voting against the plan and only 84 voting in favor of consolidation.
Carey had been an opponent of the consolidation attempt, having said recently, “The services that we rely on and many depend on – garbage pick-up, sidewalks, leaf pick-up, etc. – will be in jeopardy if the village consolidates with the town.”
After the town votes were counted, Carey was pleased with the results. “Despite the tactics used by those who forced this consolidation vote, the voters were able to see through the misinformation and lies. Town residents were clearly concerned about an increase in their taxes and rightfully so. Village residents spoke loudly and are happy with the services that they receive from the village. They don’t want to lose their voice in their local government. It is unfortunate the large sum of taxpayer money that had to be devoted to a consolidation effort that was led by town residents and not village residents whose fate was in question in today’s vote.”
Former Town of Pawling Supervisor David Kelly was also pleased with the outcome as well. “When the true facts come out, the residents made their own decision that consolidation was not in the best interest of our community at this time. The residents have spoken; it’s time to move on.”
Carey also took a moment to recognize the people that spent a substantial amount of time preparing for the vote. “I would also like to thank the village and town clerks for their superb job in carrying out today’s vote. They worked hard and their efforts showed in how smoothly voting went.”
