Jennifer Whalen
Republican
Occupation: Attorney
Question: Why are you running for town board?
Answer: I have devoted much of my life and professional career toward making Colonie a better place to call home. I want to give back to a community that has meant so much to my family and I am focused on making town government more efficient and responsive to residents.
Q: How will your experience serve you on the town board?
A: I have a track record of standing up for the people, including service as Assistant Attorney General and Assistant Counsel for the state Racing and Wagering Board. As prosecutor, I recovered stolen taxpayer funds and fought mismanagement in state and local agencies. These days I help make the dream of owning a home or business come true with my residential and commercial real estate firm, The Whalen Group. I am also an attorney with years of experience negotiating contracts and handling construction litigation.
Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the town?
A: More recently, red flags have been raised regarding mismanagement and lack of accountability that have led to numerous violations. Recently, the town was fined more than half a million dollars after Waste Connections, the landfill’s operator, was illegally dumping waste while profiting millions from it. Imagine the effects this level of dumping will have on our air quality, environment, our health of our community. Another concern is the Colonie Industrial Development Agency which failed to meet reporting requirements, collect sales taxes and to create the number of jobs promised, all while fleecing taxpayers.
There are also quality of life concerns such as crime, traffic and disruptions to neighborhoods. Improper planning and development has had the adverse effect of creating nightmare traffic conditions due to overstrain on our infrastructure. Additionally, we have experienced a rise in crime, underscoring the need for investment in law enforcement.
Q: What are your ideas for addressing these challenges?
A: I will use my professional experience to reform the IDA and ensure it creates value for taxpayers and good-paying jobs. This can be done with greater oversight and accountability, which the town board can facilitate through its appointments to the board and strict enforcement and compliance with state regulations, and making those findings public. I will tackle the landfill issue head-on, review contractual agreements, stop illegal dumping and enforce strict environmental standards so that the air we breathe and the water we drink is safe. I will tackle mismanagement cited by the State Comptroller, use smart budgeting to avoid future property tax increases and utilize professional planning to ease traffic congestion. I would also forego salary increases to invest the resources needed in law enforcement to make our community safe. I will also strengthen quality of life services, seek bi-partisan solutions and expand opportunities for citizen involvement in town government.
