Podcast: Our Neighbors with Mayor Jason Klein of Rye Brook

MyRye.com is entering the podcasting business with a new weekly podcast hosted by former Rye Mayor Doug French. Available on all major podcasting platforms, MyRye.com Conversations with Doug French will tackle the larger and sometimes intractable issues impacting the City of Rye through interviews with local, county and state officials and business leaders.

In Episode 17 of Season 1, French speaks to Mayor Jason Klein of Rye Brook to explore the village’s key accomplishments, regional collaboration, and ongoing development initiatives. Discover how Rye Brook is tackling stormwater challenges, promoting sustainability, and fostering community engagement.

This episode of MyRye.com Conversations with Doug French was produced by MyRye.com. Feedback and story ideas are welcome.

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Main Topics Covered:

• Updates on Rye Town Park initiatives, including the recent $8.1 million Green Resiliency Grant
• Role of the Rye Town Parks Commission and community involvement
• Flood mitigation projects in Rye Brook, including the buyout program for flood-prone homes
• Challenges faced by Rye Brook, such as hotel closures and non-homestead development losses
• Intermunicipal collaborations with neighboring communities and regional agencies
• Development projects like senior housing and the revitalization of Rye Ridge Shopping Center
• Community programs supporting seniors and fostering local engagement
• Strategic priorities for Rye Brook in the upcoming year, especially in non-homestead development
• Leadership insights and advice for future local government leaders

Timestamps: 

00:00 – Introducing Rye Brook and this episode’s focus

00:30 – Rye Brook’s demographics and overview

01:13 – Rye Town Park updates and recent initiatives

02:14 – Key accomplishments and challenges of Rye Brook

03:35 – Rye Town Park’s governance and community involvement

04:38 – Details of the recent Green Resiliency Grant and stormwater improvements

06:02 – Expected timeline for park improvements and capital projects

07:36 – Hidden gems and community features at Rye Town Park

09:53 – Fiscal management and sustainability projects in Rye Brook

10:47 – Greening the village fleet and environmental initiatives

11:59 – Flood buyout program specifics and impact on flood-prone areas

12:52 – Results of the buyout program and future plans for these properties

14:42 – Challenges of losing non-homestead revenue from hotels

17:56 – Intermunicipal collaborations, fire services, and shared resources

19:42 – Impact of Storm Ida and subsequent stormwater solutions

21:20 – Regional cooperation with county agencies and environmental projects

23:16 – Development updates, including Rye Ridge Shopping Center and senior housing

24:53 – Community programs, senior services, and recreational activities

27:22 – Leadership reflections, favorite community spots, and upcoming priorities

28:41 – Advice for emerging leaders and community building

29:30 – Final thoughts and contact information for Mayor Klein

Watch:

Full Transcript [edited for clarity]:

Speakers

• MyRye.com (Doug French)
• Mayor Jason Klein of Rye Brook

00:12 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Welcome to the MyRye.com podcast Conversations with Doug French. I’m your host, Doug French, former mayor of the City of Rye. And this podcast is all about the issues and the people that impact Rye and the surrounding area. And our focus is really to inform you, our listeners, on the issues that matter most so you can engage with the ones that are most important to you. Today in conversation is the topic of what I call the Rye Brook experience. A lot of really good things are happening in Rye Brook. A lot of folks in Rye are moving to Rye Brook. A lot of people from Rye frequent Rye Brook. And so today with us is the Mayor of the Village of Rye Brook Jason Klein. Mr. Mayor, welcome to MyRye.com.

00:49 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Thanks for having me.

00:50 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: So, in this episode, I really want the listeners to walk away with a couple of things. One is an update on Rye Town Park, since that really sits in the City of Rye, and you are on the commission there. Any key accomplishments, because you’ve been on the board and mayor for some time. So any key accomplishments you want to focus on and challenges that you have in the village. Also it’s really important to just Discuss intermunicipal collaboration. How’s the region working together when it comes to local government support? And then any updates going forward on village development and key initiatives you have. So to open our conversation today, I’d ask you, Mr. Mayor, how do you describe Rye Brook for those who do not live there?

01:28 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So for those that don’t know Rye Brook we’re a relatively small suburban community. We have about 10,000 residents and there are school districts that serve the community. We’re close to New York City, the Hudson Valley, and we have nearby train stations and other public transportation. There is a smallish downtown area that mainly consists of two shopping centers. And the Village of Rye Brook values the services that the village can provide to its residents.

02:00 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Excellent. So one one of the assets that is managed with Rye Brook is the is Rye Town Park. And for those that don’t know, Rye Town Park sits along the coast in the City of Rye. It was back when the city became Rye City of Rye, the state New York State Legislature determined that Rye City could not own the entire waterfront. So that there should be access to also the folks in Rye Town, which included well not at the time but now included Of Rye Brook and Port Chester as well as the Rye Neck section of Mamaroneck. So you serve on the commission and that oversees the whole the Rye Town Park. can you just give us an overview of the commission’s role and some of the initiatives you have there?

02:36 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Sure, so as Rye Brook I serve on the Rye Town Parks Committee. So what that [includes is] the operation of Rye Town Park, that includes the staff there and everything else along with that. And so a great group of people that are put together, the Mayor of Port Chester, the Mayor of Rye, the Supervisor for the Town of Rye and then a few other members as well. And it’s really a great park for the area. It doesn’t just serve those municipalities. Other people are welcome to be there, but generally at a higher fee. And it really is used by the residents of Rye Brook. It is seen as a resource for our residents as well.

03:19 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: And I see that you recently received an eight point one million dollar New York State Green Resiliency Grant. Can you tell us about that?

03:26 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Sure, so it’s a few aspects and really other people can probably speak better to it than I can, especially Gary Zuckerman, the town supervisor, or Debbie Reisner. But really what this is, is twofold. One is to address flooding issues in the park. There’s been a history of issues with storm water runoff and it eroding parts of the beach. and running off more into certain areas than others. So some of this will be redirecting water by creating culverts and piping, and it specifically addresses those washout issues. Another aspect of the sustainability project has to do with the lot itself and the lighting within the parking lot.

04:11 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Okay. And so how does that really impact residents in terms of the neighbors and the lighting or just when you’re in the parking lot better lighting?

04:17 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: It’s better lighting, but it’s also using solar power. So it would be utilizing other sources, trying to make the aesthetics nicer for the park itself, and again, trying to prevent storm water from damaging infrastructure or other areas of the park. And it really makes the user experience better.

04:36 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: So residents should start to see some improvements already or when is that going to take place?

04:40 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I’m not exactly sure when it’s slated to start.

04:43 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Right, so that’s that’d be with Debbie Reisner, the administrator and the town supervisor. What about any other capital improvements happening at the park?

04:50 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: There are a number of capital improvements that have occurred and are occurring or are going to occur in the future. One of the more recent ones were the improvements to the bathroom facilities at the park, which was long overdue. Also a lot has to do with ADA compliance at the park, being able to use restrooms and being able to access the beach. so, there are others… Other aspects have been a retaining wall near the parking lot and previous work has also included the pavilions. There’s also has been a project to revamp the tower in the main building, specifically the windows, the facade of that building, and a lot of that work has been funded by the Friends of Rye Town Park

05:36 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: So the main building there really is just really an empty shell right now. So now the outside looks like it’s getting protected or it’s protected, but the inside, the use for the inside is still something to be determined, correct?

05:46 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I believe so. Yeah, there’s certain areas of the main building that are being used and there is a bathroom in there, but there are other aspects that are still to be determined, like you said.

05:57 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: So is there one hidden gem that folks should look for this summer?

06:00 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I think the park itself is really the gem. I think, you know, for especially for the residents of Rye Brook, it’s really a unique property and facility to have because Rye Brook is not located along Long Island Sound, but we’re adjacent to communities that are. And so having the beach, having the waterfront that’s accessible to our residents is very important for the community.

06:23 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: It is really a hidden gem and it looks spectacular. So kudos to the entire staff and the commission that have really kept those improvements going. and the water’s always very clean. I guess the way it’s the proximity of the beach, the tide really takes out a lot of the debris and stuff, so it stays relatively clean. That’s great. And if friends want to get involved, I know we have in Rye we have the Rye Town Park Advisory Committee. But if folks want to get involved with the park or something they should contact, is it Debbie Reisner?

06:50 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: They can certainly contact the town and if they want to become involved in other great ways to join the Friends of Rye Town Park.

06:57 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: How do you, how you folks stay, how does the commission stay engaged with the friends and with Playland because you have the contiguous beach there and engage other partners and engage the community? Do you have regular forums that people can attend, regular meetings?

07:10 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: We do so. The commission has a monthly meeting which is open to the public. The Friends of Rye Town Park are often there. There are also a number of community events at the park itself which the public can participate in and which and once a year we actually hold one of the commission meetings at Rye Town Park under the pavilion and certainly the public’s welcome to attend that as well. All of the commission Meetings are also streamed and are available on the website.

07:38 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: And again just to reiterate, the commission is made up of an individual from the Rye Neck section of Mamaroneck Port Chester, City of Rye, and Rye Brook and generally sometimes the meetings get rotated in those locales as well.

07:50 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Typically they’re at Crawford Park, which is where the town has its meeting room.

07:55 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Yep, yep, okay. So let’s move to some key accomplishments for the village itself. So you know, what were your key accomplishments since you’ve been mayor?

08:01 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So there’s a few. Really the first and foremost on our mind is a conservative fiscal approach to the village. We have stayed under the tax cap every year that I’ve been mayor while preserving the important services that our residents have come to expect. And so that’s the first goal is to make sure that we’re looking out for the residents and protecting the tax base. And then from a personal background, it’s sustainability projects. So looking at stormwater, looking at, you know, on my time on the board, we’ve done things like adding food composting. We’ve changed all of our streetlights to LED. We’ve begun to green our fleet. And during my time as mayor, we also passed a gas-powered leaf blower ban

08:49 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Tell me more about greening the fleet. could you just describe that a little bit more detail?

08:53 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So some of it is looking for, so it could be alternatives to staff vehicles. So looking for more electric vehicles. We’re in the process through grants of adding chargers at a few different parking areas, including Village Hall and Garibaldi Park. And so, and also looking at the fleet of maintenance equipment, whether it be leaf blowers, mowers, but looking to see how we can electrify that instead of using the gas power that’s been done before.

09:23 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Is there one project in particular that you’re especially proud of?

09:25 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Well, I would say the gas power leaf blower ban was something that occurred during my time. But that’s more in relation to the sustainability projects. I’d say the project in total that I’m most proud of is a stormwater related project, which was the buyout program. So we’re the first community in Westchester County to actually, applied for grants, we received a grant to buy out homes in flood prone areas.

09:53 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: So I thought that was when I did my research, I thought that was a typo. Because I never heard that before. So which area specifically are we talking about? If I’m at the Rye Ridge Shopping Center, right, what are the flood prone areas in proximity to that? Is it that area or is it a different area I’m thinking?

10:09 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So it was three areas of the village. So houses qualified on three different streets. So two of them are very close to Rye Ridge Shopping Center. If you’re starting from Rye, the closest would be Wyman Street, which is a little bit closer to Rye from the Rye Ridge Shopping Center. Then you have Brook Lane, which is located near 800 Westchester Avenue, the old General Foods building, the current Robert P. Weiss building. And then the third was Rock Ridge Drive, which is located up the Blind Brook. But these three areas were where the homes were determined by the NRCS to qualify for the buyout program.

10:45 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: And so how many homes is that and how many homes actually did the buyout?

10:49 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So there were 24 homes that qualified. In total, eight ended up going through the full process. So of those that qualified, the initial step was to sign up to receive more information. And there was a lot of information provided. And then the village had to hire an assessment company to come out and appraise the houses. So once the appraisals were done, then offer sheets were given to the homeowners who had signed up to that point. And then they had to decide whether or not they were selling their home to the Village of Rye Brook

11:21 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Wow, so there’s a lot of mechanics behind that. So then the village becomes the owner of those properties.

11:27 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Yes, the village becomes the owner and then right now where the process stands is we went out to bid for a contractor for demolition of the houses and the demolition is about to get started. So the houses are to be demolished. It has a twofold benefit. One is that it removes homeowners from flood prone houses. The second benefit is it creates a little more water storage. for the times when the brook is being overrun and there’s flooding. And so right now we’re just beginning the demolition process for these eight homes. And I should also say that all of this is done completely through grant funding. So this

12:07 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Right.

12:07 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: comes at zero cost to the Village of Rye Brook and therefore the taxpayers in the village.

12:12 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: And if you had to look back, is it because the homes were built in a flood prone area or is it because there was just too much development over time where more water’s coming down and impacting those properties, if you could guess?

12:23 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I think it’s both. know, just from a personal standpoint, it seems to be both that you had houses built in flood prone areas and then through development and redevelopment, there seems to be more and to be perfectly honest, the stronger storms that we’ve been receiving in recent years with 100 year storm seems to be every five years or so. And so you have a brook that has more water coming down it. And so we’ve seen a lot more flooding in our area, but this is really seen throughout the Northeast as well.

12:55 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: And is the goal then to keep the property dormant or at some point the village could develop on that higher up if it if it wished, correct? I’m not

13:03 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: No, it’s un-developable. It becomes open space, so it’s preserved

13:06 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Okay.

13:07 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: open space.

13:07 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Okay. Well that’s great. Wow, that’s really interesting.

13:10 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So really, the only cost to the village is the removal of the properties from the tax roll.

13:17 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Right. Okay. Yes. Okay, gotcha. Any other challenges facing Rye Brook?

13:22 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Oh, certainly. Aside from the storm water that we’ve faced in recent years, one of the bigger problems we’ve faced is the loss of non-homestead development, specifically in the loss of the two hotels in the village. So previously there had been the Doral property, which Doral Arrowwood had a large hotel, which closed permanently and that’s been demolished. And then since 2020, the Rye Town Hilton, well, guess it’s now the Westchester Hilton has been closed since 2020. And so there’s been a loss of that revenue from those hotel properties.

14:01 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: All right, so you were getting a bunch of tax revenue that would offset your property tax increases, I guess.

14:06 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: We were getting, towards the operating fund, we were getting the hotel occupancy.

14:12 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: What about the growth in Rye Brook? Are you seeing, you know, growth in people moving to Rye Brook or it’s it basically flat?

14:18 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: We are, seeing, mean, houses in Rye Brook sell very quickly. So we are seeing a lot of movement and we expect that there will be more in the future. There is a development coming very soon, which is senior housing. And so, you know, we would expect, first of all, people moving into the senior housing, but also potentially there may be some Rye Brook residents moving into that, which would open up housing stock for younger families.

14:42 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Alright, so we’ll get to other developments in one of our next vlogs. But let’s jump to inter municipal collaboration. So I know Chris Bradbury used to be assistant here in the City of Rye. He’s a village manager. Now does an excellent job, we’re really well regarded. So how do you work closely with some of the neighboring communities on some of these issues?

15:01 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So we rely very heavily on the support of our neighboring communities. We have a lot of inter-municipal agreements. So for example, primarily we have a fire services agreement with the Village of Port Chester whereby our engine and our fire trucks and our fire company and our department is covering parts of Port Chester that are close to us. and they’re helping assist with any calls in the Village of Rye Brook. So that’s been in place for a number of years. We also share a library with the village of Port Chester So the library is called the Portchester Rye Brook Library, and we both commit funding to the library, both in the form of operating expenses and capital expenses. We also work very closely with the City of Rye and the Village of Portchester in the EMS. So the Port Chester-Rye-Rye Brook EMS is one of the top EMS services in the country. And that’s funded partially through the operating budgets of all three municipalities. And it really has a great response time and something that we’re very proud of in the municipalities.

16:13 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: You know, we had touched on flooding earlier, but Ida was really unique because some of the other floods that we’ve experienced are really more brook related. But Ida, it was like the storm just sat on top of Port Chester, Rye, and Rye Brook and the water just kept coming down, wouldn’t move. Anything other than the buyouts, anything comes from those efforts? Has it been stormwater legislation or anything else that is based on Ida that you’ve put in action?

16:35 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So there have been a number of initiatives since I would say you’re absolutely right. We got about eight and half inches of rain in Rye Brook during Ida and tragically we lost two residents in that storm. So it was weighing on all of our minds and storm water is a passion of mine. So it’s something that we would have been eyeing anyway but this really pushed it to the forefront. Aside from the buyout program, we installed a stream gauge, a stream gauge for monitoring water levels in the Blind Brook, and that’s close to Westchester Avenue, near Brook Lane. And that allows residents to see where the levels of the Brook are so that they can monitor that. And we can monitor as well so we know when we may need to get emergency services involved. We’ve worked on a number of culvert and stormwater retention projects. We did the buyout program, like we said, and we’ve also have been looking at a number of other projects, looking at Rich Manor Park, which is one of the parks near the headwaters of one of the branches of the Blind Brook of how we may be able to get increased water storage there. We’ve also been looking at a frequently flooded area in Avon Circle, and we’ve been trying to accrue grant funds for that. We have half the money, we’re trying to get the other half. And what that would do, we would work with the Port Chester School District to add water storage underneath the Port Chester Middle School fields.

18:02 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Interesting, okay. Yeah, so I mean that’s great in terms of regional collaboration because you would think that the county should get involved as well, right? When you’re talking about water and the Blind Brook and all the surrounding areas. Are they taking the lead or assisting in it on any fronts?

18:16 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So the county has committed some funding to the Avon Circle project. Should we be able to find the other? So they’ve been very active in that. And you know, we’ve also worked with the City of Rye specifically the City of Rye had commissioned a study by the Ramble Engineering Agency. So we just call it the Ramble study. And so we’ve tried to identify projects from that study. That could be the so-called low-hanging fruit that may be easier to accomplish that will have an effect on the Blind Brook in Rye Brook as it flows down into Rye as well.

18:50 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Yeah, ’cause you know, inches and feet definitely do matter, so let’s talk about maybe some of the the culprits of some of the flooding. When you talk about the airport, Purchase College, I’m not sure it necessarily know it drains from

19:02 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: you

19:02 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: there, but whether it’s it’s the runoff from there. Are you speaking with those institutions and organizations as well?

19:08 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Regarding work with the airport, in the airport there the flood basins are functioning as they should. With Purchase College we had started with them a while back to do a project

19:24 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: So you are having some conversation with the airport and Purchase College There was a project but nothing’s really happened since then, it sounds like.

19:29 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: That’s correct.

19:30 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: so before we go on, I just want to remind our audience that if you have a topic or person that you would like to hear on the MyRye.com podcast Conversations with Doug French, please email me at French at MyRye.com or just let me know around town. So let’s talk about other development initiatives specific to the village. So the Rye Ridge Shopping Center has undertaken a total makeover and it looks great. You got the pedestrian paths, you got the new facades. Any updates as far as that’s concerned, or things to look forward to or what’s coming up?

19:57 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I mean this is the Rye Ridge shopping center is our largest commercial shopping center in Rye Brook It’s privately owned and operated and the storefronts are in good shape I mean they’ve when if a storefront becomes vacant they fill it right away So it shows that there is a demand for for stores in that area that they’re going to be frequently used Certainly that serves the Rye Brook population, but it also serves the surrounding community and anyone who works in Rye Brook or the surrounding area at the time. So, I mean, you constantly see that the parking lot is full and people are using the stores, which we’re very happy to see. We want a vibrant, so-called downtown. We don’t have the traditional downtown like many other communities in the area, but we’re very happy to see it as a vibrant place.

20:45 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: And it has a great mix of stores, both you know, on the front side and the back side. Really good mix of services and stores, so congrats on that. and I have a note here about senior living at nine hundred King Street. Can you tell us about that?

20:56 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So this was a project that had been previously approved by the Village Board. We had gone through the EIS process. It had been approved by the other boards within the Village as well. At this point, the developers are submitting the permits and we expect construction to start in the fall or maybe into the winter and spring. But this will be a senior living facility age 62 and over with a number of independent living as well as assisted living and memory care. And really this was important for the village because this is again non-homestead development occurring on a property that had been underutilized recently.

21:39 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: And it’s also tapping into the trend of more seniors wanna stay in their communities, right?

21:44 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Yeah, actually identified a comprehensive plan that had been done for the village a number of years ago, trying to create the housing stock for seniors to age in place.

21:54 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Okay. You also do a great job with your senior services, with the senior center you have there. Anything you want to speak to about overall quality of life and senior programs?

22:02 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: So we’re very lucky to have a very active seniors program led by Liz Rotfeld who is just a fantastic person

22:10 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Yes.

22:10 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: who comes up with a tremendous amount of creative programs. There’s a lot of programs offered at our Anthony J. Posillipo community center. And these are attended not only by Rye Brook seniors but are also open to the larger community. We get participants from Rye and Greenwich and other places. We have programs and even field trips on a bus that the Village owns. We do some Broadway shows. But it is a well-attended program. A very well-used facility.

22:45 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: That’s great. That’s great. So let’s move to our final round, our lightning round, where we ask for you know, one word or short answers. and just to change the cadence a little bit on the podcast. So what is your favorite spot in Rye Brook?

22:57 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I don’t say that probably Crawford Park for a lot of our community events.

23:02 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: What is it called? Crawford Park? and what’s the biggest win for you in the last past year?

23:07 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Well, it wasn’t really the past year, but I’d say the biggest win recently has been the NRCS buyout program. That was really a huge win for Rye Brook.

23:16 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Is there one word to describe village government?

23:18 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I might use two words if that’s okay, would say transparent and servant.

23:23 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Servant. Very good, very good. What’s your top priority for the next twelve months?

23:26 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: non-homestead development.

23:28 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Rye Brook has a number of community events. Do you have a favorite one?

23:31 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Yeah, the Rye Brook Birthday Celebration, our annual event.

23:35 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Is it Rye Brook’s birthday? And what’s the date?

23:37 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: The day before Father’s Day.

23:38 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Gotcha, so you’ve had leadership positions throughout your career. Is there a book or a podcast that you listen to that inspires your leadership style?

23:45 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Hmm, not really not a book or a podcast. I’d say I take inspiration from other leaders.

23:51 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Any advice for the next generation of local leaders?

23:53 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I would say just look how you can serve your residents, how you can serve the people that trust you to be in charge of something, whether it be a nonprofit board, whether it be a municipal government, just see how you can best serve.

24:09 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: So I asked you for one word about the government. What about one word that describes Rye Brook?

24:13 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I would say community.

24:14 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Excellent. And just finally, do you have a future guest or podcast, or or a topic for this podcast?

24:20 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: I would say, if there was a speaker, I would say Chris Bradbury is always a great resource of information for Rye Brook. I think if it’s things that people in Rye Brook may be looking for, it may be just knowing about all the services provided in the communities around.

24:37 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: All right. Well Jason, any parting comments or final thoughts?

24:40 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Not really, I’d just say thank you for having me on.

24:42 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: Absolutely. Well Jason, I want to thank you again with great insights. It’s great that the communities work well together and we’ve got some great leaders that are working well together and you’ve accomplished a great deal, so congratulations on that. Should people want to contact you, what is the best way?

24:56 | Mayor Jason Klein

Mayor Jason Klein: Best ways via email, it’s mayor at ryebrookny.gov.

25:01 | Doug French, MyRye.com

Doug French, MyRye.com: And to our listeners, you can find the full episode transcripts of this episode and other episodes, as well as local news and more at MyRye.com. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Send us a comment, share, like it. And thank you all for listening to the MyRye.com podcast, Conversations with Doug French. We will see you next time. Take care.