Irvington Dems Size Up Three Candidates for Two Trustee Seats

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A partial screen shot of the January 23 Democratic candidates forum

January 26, 2024

By Barrett Seaman—

Nearly 40 registered Democrats tuned in via Zoom Tuesday night, January 23 to listen as three candidates for a seat on Irvington’s Board of Trustees responded to pre-selected questions about issues facing the village. Topics ranged from the village budget to curbside food scrap pickup, enforcement of the new leaf blower ban, management of the deer overpopulation, implementation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, affordable housing and what to do in the wake of the failure of the firehouse bond issue.

In a village and a party that has become increasingly progressive in recent years, as young families move up from New York City, there was very little disagreement among the three candidates over goals and only some over strategies to achieve those goals.

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For just over two hours, the three candidates, first term incumbent Larry Ogrodnek, a software engineer, Josie Bloom , a social worker, and public school educator Kent Kleiman, responded to questions posed by party chair Chris DeNicola, as muted observers, including Mayor Jon Siegel and the remaining incumbent trustees, listened in. No vote was taken. That will take place at a formal Democratic Party convention on February 27.

No doubt reflecting the current zeitgeist of the village, key words and phrases echoed throughout the exchanges and prepared statements: “transparency” (20+), “engagement” (30+) “feedback” (30+)“welcoming” (50+) and “listening” (100+).

All three candidates are relative newcomers: Ogrodnek moved to Irvington in 2018; both Bloom and Kleiman and their families came a year later.

Ogrodnek has both the advantage and disadvantage of incumbency. On the one hand, he was there when the DEI Committee was formed, Juneteenth was adopted as a village holiday and a gas-powered leaf blower ban enacted. He also claimed a leg up on his opponents with his experience diving deep into the weeds of the village budget. On the other, he was there when the $18.2 million firehouse bond proposal was crafted, with the board adopting a plan that is now widely viewed as ill-conceived. In his comments, Ogrodnek conceded that the proposal “didn’t match up with what residents want.”

Bloom, a licensed clinical social worker who teaches at the Columbia School of Social Work, presented herself as “a doer and a listener.” In her brief time in Irvington, she says she has logged in over 400 hours of community service, been a member of the Green Policy Task Force, the Police Reform Committee and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. “I was an organizer of Irvington’s first Juneteenth celebration in 2020,” she added, “and co-organized our Pride Event in 2023.”

Kleiman, is an assistant public school principal in New York City. “Over the past 20 years, “he told the forum, “I’ve been privileged to serve as both a teacher and an administrator in the public school system.”

“As a high school History teacher,” Kleiman said, “I spent four years as a union chapter leader, creating bridges between faculty and administration through active listening and consensus-building. Success in these roles has required me to be a problem-solver, strategic thinker and an effective communicator—qualities essential for a trustee.”

Kleiman does not claim the same extent of community involvement as his opponents, acknowledging that he was galvanized more recently by the movement to defeat the bond issue and re-start that process anew. His take on how the bond issue went astray: “The conversation has been completely inward, it’s all about what helps employees as opposed to the community.” He, as do the others, applauds the current board’s initiative to form a citizen’s committee to re-examine the firehouse issue and its ancillary plans to relocate village offices. He declares himself open to a range of solutions, including moving the firehouse elsewhere in the village and/or working with other villages to a broader solution.

To be sure, neither of his opponents took a distinctly contrary view, and all concurred that listening and engaging the public were critical elements of future success. There were some nuanced differences in how the village might support improvements in the theater. Where the balance was between encouraging more affordable housing and keeping property taxes in check was an issue that seemed in play, as was the best approach to simplifying the approval process for property renovation. All three acknowledged that reform is needed.

Many if not most of these issues are not new in Irvington—or for that matter in any of the rivertown villages, and some often appear intractable. That does not seem to have stopped a new breed of residents from throwing their hats into the ring. Which two of these three Democratic candidates their party selects may come down to how their style and presentation are received when party members vote in late February. As of now, there do not appear to be any other candidates.

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