My name is Ariana Basco and I am running for New Paltz Village Board. I have chosen to live in New Paltz for the last seven years because I love this community, the land and its people. I attended SUNY New Paltz and graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies in 2008. Early on it was clear to me that I wanted to make New Paltz my permanent home. Upon graduation I began work as a Project Coordinator and Community Outreach Director for the New York Public Interest Research Group, an organization that advocates for consumer protection, higher education and environmental sustainability.
Currently, I serve on the New Paltz Town Police Commission and Co-Chair the SUNY New Paltz Environmental Task Force. Through the positions I’ve held, I have learned a great deal about public policy, community organizing, building cooperative relationships and leadership. As a Police Commissioner, I have worked on the budget of a publicly funded institution and have come to deeply understand the challenges associated with managing public funds while allocating resources in ways that best serve the community and efficiently use tax payer dollars. I will apply the skills I have developed to making sure that our other valued services, such as our volunteer fire department and water and sewer services, are run effectively and efficiently.
As co-chair of the SUNY Environmental Task Force my purpose it to be a bridge between the college and our community, bringing people together around our shared values. In these roles, I have organized a variety of educational events and environmental programs with community members from the village, SUNY faculty and administrators, students, and others who all care deeply about the preservation of the environment.
I have worked with a number of other groups in our community including the Climate Action Coalition of New Paltz, Family of New Paltz, New Paltz GreenWorks, the New Paltz Democrats, the Working Families Party, the United University Professions union and countless campus clubs and organizations. I pride myself on my ability to bring people together and to find common ground, especially when people hold different opinions and interests. These skills can be utilized to help create a Village Board in which we cooperate with one another and with the Town - to get things done.
For the last four years I have been an active member of the Brook Farm Project. I believe strongly that we must protect the rural character of our community by supporting local businesses, including small family farms and community supported agriculture programs. Last Spring I helped to organize the Local Choice meeting which brought together local farmers with institutional food service providers such as universities, hospitals and school districts. Our goal was to foster social and business relationships that would link local institutions and local agriculture, thus strengthening our local economy and preserving our community. This is just one example of how I seek to serve the village I have come to love.
As a strong believer in public service, I am now prepared to further my commitment to New Paltz by serving as a Village Board member. If elected I pledge to protect the valuable services we rely upon to ensure the most efficient use of our limited resources and to help build a vibrant, sustainable, local economy that preserves the unique qualities we love about the Village of New Paltz. I ask for your vote and for the honor of serving our community.
