Woodbury, NY - Voters OK New Village for Protection Against Expansion of Kiryas Joel

Woodbury, NY - An overwhelming majority of town voters decided yesterday that the higher taxes and political uncertainty of a new layer of government was worth whatever protection it would give against an expansion of Kiryas Joel.

Residents voted 2,092 to 583 to create a 36.8-square-mile village that encompasses all of Woodbury except its share of Harriman. The new village will be governed by a mayor and trustees, independent of the Town Board that now runs Woodbury.

The tallying of votes was delayed because many of the remaining voters belonged to a group of Hasidic voters who registered last week after the deadline to be placed on the rolls. They had to approach poll workers, one by one, and present evidence to show they were eligible to vote.

Residents petitioned to form the village in 2004 at a time of intense anxiety about a potential expansion of neighboring Kiryas Joel and its high-density housing.
Proponents argued it would prevent Kiryas Joel or anyone else from creating its own village in Woodbury and changing the zoning.
Opponents challenged the motives of "the village people" and the accuracy of their information. They argued the new village would drive up taxes and do little to thwart Kiryas Joel's designs on southwestern Woodbury.
But "yes" voters said outside the polling station "As crass as it may sound, sometimes you have to pay to protect what you have," Teresa Bianco said.