Protecting open space takes planning, partnerships and the ability to act when the right opportunity comes along.

Over the past five years, Cornwall has strengthened zoning protections, pursued outside funding and worked with groups like the Hudson Highlands Land Trust, Orange County Land Trust, Open Space Institute and Scenic Hudson. The Town has also looked at opportunities involving Schunnemunk Meadows, Mountainville, Cornwall Commons and NYMA.

But preserving land is not as simple as pointing to a funding source and saying the Town should buy it. You need a willing seller, a fair price, available funding and a deal that makes sense for taxpayers.

Cornwall also has to balance preservation with private property rights and the need to maintain a healthy tax base.

The goal is simple: protect important land, strengthen our zoning, build the right partnerships and be ready when a real opportunity comes up.

That is the approach Josh Wojehowski and the Town Board have taken. Plan ahead, pursue grants and put protections in place before a major development proposal is already on the table.

It’s interesting to hear some Cornwall Republicans criticize the Town for planning ahead and working with land trusts and regional partners. Those relationships are exactly how Cornwall is put in a better position to protect important properties when opportunities arise.

Past Republican leaders and candidates, including Helen Bunt and Dick Randazzo, adopted a 2019 comprehensive plan that helped pave the way for the proposed two-million-square-foot warehouse project at Cornwall Commons. They also supported a planning and zoning framework that left properties like NYMA open to substantial commercial and industrial development. By the time the potential consequences became clear, saying they didn’t know what could happen wasn’t much of an answer.

Cornwall deserves leaders who think ahead, protect what makes this community special and do the work before a problem is at our doorstep. That’s the difference between simply talking about preservation and actually being prepared to protect Cornwall’s character while moving our community forward.

Christopher DeFilippi, Chair of the Cornwall Democratic Committee