MyRye.com is now in 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 23 of Season 1, French speaks with Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council member, about the issues she hears residents bring up most often, from planning and permitting to flooding, parks, public safety, and the city’s long-range comprehensive plan. The conversation focuses on how Rye balances growth, neighborhood character, public safety, and the needs of families, seniors, and nonprofits.
Jamie Jensen brings a close-up view of city operations as the council’s voting member on the Planning Commission and liaison to the Police Advisory Committee. She also shares what she hears while walking the city and talking with residents across Rye.
This episode of MyRye.com Conversations with Doug French was produced by MyRye.com. Feedback and story ideas are welcome.
Main Topics Covered:
- How steady leadership from staff, boards, commissions, and the council keeps the city running smoothly.
- Jensen explains how planning issues usually reach her through resident concerns about oversized homes, stormwater, trees, wetlands, steep slopes, docks, and coastal work rather than through abstract zoning debates.
- She describes the Planning Commission as a transparent, highly structured process with seven members, public agendas, open hearings, and long review timelines for major projects.
- The conversation covers the comprehensive planning process, including new FEMA maps, environmental studies, downtown design review, and the possibility of zoning code changes after a 45-year gap.
- Jensen emphasizes the tension between private property rights and regulation, especially around tree permits and environmental protections.
- They discuss major projects including the Purdy Street apartments, Rye Country Day, and The Osborn, with Jesen stressing how much time engineering, infrastructure, and community review add to the process.
- On flooding, Jensen says Rye has to live with its geography as the bottom of a watershed with a high water table, though she worries more about runoff and downstream water quality than isolated storm events.
- Parks get a major share of attention, especially Rye Town Park, which Jensen says is in a renaissance thanks to fundraising, grant support, parking and water management improvements, and tower restoration.
- Gagliardo Park comes up as a neighborhood in need of more attention, with preliminary planning underway and community input expected later in the year.
- On public safety, Jensen highlights the Police Advisory Committee’s broad membership and the recurring quality of life issues it hears, including noise, leaf blowers, e-bikes, cell coverage, and emergency response.
- She also discusses the city’s demographics, housing affordability, access to childcare, and the challenge of keeping both seniors and younger families rooted in Rye.
- Nonprofits, downtown, and local institutions like the library, art center, and nature center are described as essential to Rye’s character, but all competing for donors and space in a landlocked city.
Timestamps:
00:30 – Jamie Jensen as the council’s planning and police liaison
01:36 – What new residents see first when they move to Rye
03:29 – What residents actually ask about on the street
04:24 – Why planning in Rye is a transparent, organized process
05:55 – What the Planning Commission reviews and how long it takes
07:48 – When a project stays with building staff versus planning
08:50 – Revisiting the comprehensive plan after 45 years
10:08 – Balancing private property rights with regulation
11:15 – Purdy apartments and the reality of construction delays
13:07 – Bulk, mass, and preserving Rye’s historic character
14:06 – Rye Country Day and why staging matters
16:15 – Why Jamie did not support the moratorium
17:42 – How long major institutional projects like the Osborn can take
19:19 – Flooding, watershed reality, and runoff concerns
20:52 – Rye Town Park’s turnaround and grant-funded improvements
23:05 – Why Gagliardo Park needs more investment and community input
24:15 – Playland, the boardwalk, and shared regional concerns
26:50 – Demographics, housing affordability, and seniors staying put
30:44 – The role of nonprofits and a landlocked, high-demand town
32:18 – Police Advisory Committee issues: quality of life and safety
33:09 – Cell coverage, 911 response, and technology in policing
35:12 – When residents should contact 311 or the police directly
36:33 – One-word Q and A on city priorities
38:32 – Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee workshop on October 14
Watch:
Full Transcript [edited for clarity]:
Speakers
- MyRye.com, Doug French
- Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council
MyRye.com, Doug French [00:12]
Welcome to the MyRye.com podcast, Conversations with Doug French. I’m Doug French, former mayor of the City of Rye. And this podcast is about the people and the issues that impact Rye, the Sound Shore, and our surrounding region. With each topic, we look at who’s in charge, what’s happening, why, and what’s next. So we are here every week, and in conversation today is Word on the Street. What are residents asking about? How is the City Council answering? And what you need to know to get involved. Joining me is Jamie Jensen, City Council member, City of Rye. She’s the council’s voting member on the Planning Commission and the Council liaison to the Police Advisory Committee, among many other things. But she is well known for walking everywhere and talking to everyone. Jamie, welcome to MyRye.com
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [01:01]
Thanks, Doug. It’s great to be here. I feel like the last time I was really with you in this kind of conversation was standing at the microphone when you were on the Rye Town Park Commission. Many moons ago.
MyRye.com, Doug French [01:11]
Yes, yes. Many moons ago, but the park looks great. The park looks great. So all the hard work and heavy lifting have really paid off. So in our conversation starter segment, if we were to say, all right, Jamie, what would the Jamie of the Council today say to Jamie the resident from yesteryear about the council’s ability to get some of the day to day stuff done that you hear from residents?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [01:33]
You know, Doug, when you move to Rye, you look around and you say my goodness, this is a beautiful, well-managed, pristine community. People care about their neighborhoods, they care about each other, people are out and about. So if I were to be interviewed, I would say that’s what I remember. I don’t remember noticing anything other than, wow, Rye is just really top-notch place. Like, died and gone to heaven. It’s beautiful. I think that’s what I would say. Don’t worry about it. Lean in. When you move to Rye with young children, you focus on the schools. You focus on meeting the teachers, understanding the youth programs. You’re not looking at potholes and curbs. You’re not looking at garbage pickup. You’re just looking around and saying, this is really a beautiful town.
MyRye.com, Doug French [02:24]
That’s a great answer. And it’s so true. And I think it’s had some steady leadership, not just saying about myself at all. I’m just saying all the commissions and the boards and the staff and the council, the experts that we bring into Rye have really maintained it and it’s even gotten better and better. So great answer for that. So let’s talk about your areas of where you focus on and what you’re hearing from the Residents. So when you talk about planning, since you are the voting member, so this is really one of the Council spots that really has some real teeth when it comes to the boards and commissions because you’re a voting member. And somebody stops you on the street and says, planning. Are they talking about their street? Are they talking about downtown? Are there specific projects? What are you hearing when it comes about planning?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [03:05]
I think people stop me because they know that I’m hearing everything, but I don’t think they’re stopping me for planning specifics. What they’re likely to say is, there’s a new house coming up on the block and it’s outsized to the rest of my neighborhood. Did you see that house? Or what do I do about the water in my basement after the recent storms? Those aren’t necessarily planning questions. Planning questions that are very specific to the agenda typically get sent to the building department and the planning department, and they then get forwarded to the commission and they become part of the record. So I kind of want to make sure that our community understands that planning is an incredibly organized transparent process. The agenda is sent out way in advance. All the meetings are open to the public. The hearings are open for you to speak. It’s a very well-oiled machine. And you have some tremendous people. And so for me as a voting member of the council, it’s my responsibility to share with my fellow Council members what they might not understand. Because of the depth of work that goes in and the amount of effort that the Planning Commission puts in. They have a relatively limited purview, but for what purview they have, whoosh, they push it. And I know that sounds vague, but they, you know, trees being taken down and water and the coastline and docks being put in and all kinds of things that come up that people don’t know about until it’s in their backyard. And yet you have a community set of community leaders that are really focused on that so it doesn’t have to be something you do because it’s suddenly in your backyard that you have to get on and start paying attention. I’m really impressed with our Planning Commission. Just needed to say that I’m giving a shout out early on in the conversation, Doug.
MyRye.com, Doug French [04:56]
Yeah. Well let’s get into the details of that. So how many people are on the commission? How often do you meet? What does that process look like from the time someone submits an application through the final decision?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [05:08]
So there are seven members. They’re appointed and approved, appointed by the mayor and approved by vote by the council. There are very few boards and commissions that have a voting member. Planning Commission is that one. The agendas are set according to when site development plans come in. So everything that you might see at the Planning Commission covers. Site plans for downtown development, for subdivisions, for anything that’s dining, where the tables go on Purchase Street, in the business district, tree removal, steep slopes, wetlands, coastal reviews, you name it, anything that has to do with how we manage our land has a series of processes that we go through and they can go on for months and months. I think we spent—was it 11 meetings? I could be getting that wrong, Doug. But we’re talking dozens of meetings around the big projects like Rye Country Day, like Rye Nature Center, the Osborn. There’s an incredible amount of work that goes in, and it’s dependent on our ability to tap the talent of our planning department and our building department, and tap the talent of engineers and consultants that either the developers have to hire or we decide to hire because it matters. And that’s a negotiated conversation. Conversation. But it really is an incredibly responsible group.
MyRye.com, Doug French [06:30]
So if I’m a resident, some of those decisions can be made right by the building department themselves, right? Well that you qualify, you don’t qualify, or they give advice at the building department level, then some rise to the Planning Commission, then some ultimately will have to go to the council, correct?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [06:45]
Well, if there’s a house being built and somebody comes up to me on the street and says, Jamie, there are houses being built on I don’t know, someplace over here in Ryegate, like off Halstead, and they’re upset about it and I will look at them and I’ll say, Well is there a wetland? Are they taking down some trees? Is it near the coast? If it’s not in that stuff, it’s basically going through the building department. It may go through the Board of Appeals because they’re asking for a variance. So they’re asking for something outside of what’s considered as of right. But it won’t come before planning unless it’s a big site development or if it fits one of those criteria, which have been, and I know you know this, Doug, over the years, additions to the code around particularly tough conversations we’ve had to have around steep slopes. Flooding, wetlands, that kind of thing.
MyRye.com, Doug French [07:33]
And in the comprehensive planning process, you’re gonna revisit some of that code, right, to see if that needs to be changed?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [07:40]
Absolutely. I mean, in some ways I think If I were to have my druthers, we’d already be doing that. We’d already be looking at code. I really respect the process. I’m really thrilled. We’re at this point. We’re revisiting the comprehensive plan. We’re doing something that hasn’t been done in 45 years. We’re waiting for studies to come in on the new FEMA maps and some sort of reviews of our resources. There’s kind of all kinds of environmental studies that are coming in for us to look at. We have a design business—a firm hired from the Midwest that’s looking at our historic designs downtown that are going to be coordinating with the comprehensive planning committee. So there’s all these kind of folks, consultants, individuals, everyone’s leaning in, and you have a huge range of people that have been here for forever and really understand these issues, and new, more engaged and interested younger committee members, and everyone’s sort of wrapping around this and saying, okay, when this is all done, we’re actually going to be doing some zoning codes. Change. There’s gonna be some zoning code change. I don’t know what it will be, but it will clearly be happening.
MyRye.com, Doug French [08:45]
And the balancing test is how do you balance the regulatory environment with people’s private property rights, correct? Yeah.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [08:52]
Absolutely. I mean I think when you talk about a plan that comes before the council and you have to ask for a tree permit and you come forward, that’s classic balance, right? This is my private property. I need to make this repair. I need to take this tree down and you’re telling me. But I actually will give credit to those individuals that worked on that code change and they really did try to find a balance. It needs to be reviewed and the comprehensive plan will help us review that. But they really did try to find a balance. There’s a lot you can still do with removing trees on your property before you have to go to the Planning Commission. It’s not all, you know, strict.
MyRye.com, Doug French [09:32]
Right, right, right.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [09:33]
Very reasonable people in this town and I’m glad that we have staff like our tree arborist on staff that are really understand a lot of these issues and can help.
MyRye.com, Doug French [09:41]
Yeah. So what’s been in the news when it comes to the items, major items that are on your docket or your agenda and what’s been in the news? Can you give us any updates on what those projects are, where they stand?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [09:52]
Well, for those folks who were curious, it looks like, and it’s just from observation, there’s been no discussion, but just from observation, it looks like the construction of the apartments on Purdy Avenue, where the Town Dock restaurant used to be, is finally moving forward. Oftentimes what people don’t realize is there’s an expectation that stuff will happen quickly, and then all of the infrastructure issues come forward and the engineering issues, and how are we dealing with the electric company and the water company and the street furniture, and how are you going to park these cars? And so all of that plays out, and then suddenly folks are looking around and going, Wait, I didn’t know that street between the pizza place and the Old Tuck is gonna be closed off. I didn’t know I’d be able to walk on that sidewalk, and then that becomes the balancing act. That’s when you kind of have to meet the people on the street when they walk up to you and go, Jamie, why is this happening? What’s going on? I’m like, Well, we discussed that about
MyRye.com, Doug French [10:49]
Mm-hmm.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [10:49]
Nine months ago, and yes, it took a while. While for it to get off the ground, but this is what we agreed was gonna happen. This is what happens. I think for most people construction is what brings folks out. It’s after the permits have been given, it’s after all of that. And then when they have to live through however brief or long, that makes them anxious.
MyRye.com, Doug French [11:09]
So what about what are the specs on that? Is that a three, four story building? Apartments with ground-floor commercial space?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [11:13]
Yes, it is three stories. Yeah, yeah. Three story. I mean that was a tough one, and everyone who followed that realized that was a tough one for the community. Because we care so deeply about the historic character of Rye and Planning Commission is not legislating taste. That’s not in their purview. Maybe the Board of Architectural Review would. But you can really talk to folks when you’re on planning about bulk and mass. So how big does the thing feel, right? So you can push back in those areas. There’s a lot of talent, a lot of architects and engineers on the Planning Commission who in informal ways really get the folks coming before us to talk seriously about changes that could be made. And I appreciate it. They take it to the outer limits and always respect the law, but they take it to the fullest limits they can. Really? You can’t consider putting a different tree in there? That kind of thing.
MyRye.com, Doug French [12:10]
Yeah.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [12:11]
I it’s really wonderful to watch because it is a balancing act.
MyRye.com, Doug French [12:15]
What about Rye Country Day, that development. Anything you could share?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [12:19]
I think that what I would like to say to whoever is listening is that as a City Council member who has the privilege of being there first to hear the conversations when they first come in, I watch, I think I’ve been on that property three or four times now to walk every last inch to talk about all of the issues and really push back from the beginning. And it was, and it’s still just the beginning. But as soon as it gets out into the public conversation and the community conversation, people start to panic and they think Westchester Crossings up the street, Rye Country Day is over here, Rye Park is this beautiful neighborhood that feels surrounded. You know, they don’t want trucks driving through and the speeding. And so it becomes another really important place to have conversations with people. And I will say to you a million times a Sunday, I think I probably walk every street in this City every month. I’m an extemporaneous speaker, so I’ll stop and I’ll just find a way to start chatting with somebody to really read the room. I kind of like to be ahead of what’s coming rather than to be blindsided. So I knew that this was going to be hard conversation. It wasn’t hard to figure out. But I do think that Rye Country Day now is doing what most of us think of when you think about a big site development is doing that kind of storefront process. Where you make sure anybody who wants to learn about what they’re doing will do. Last time I saw the head of the school, I said you should reach out to the superintendent of Rye City Schools and invite them over to see. Invite anybody you can. Show them your plans, talk to them about what you’re doing. The staging of construction will be a huge conversation because it’s not just what the plans are, but it’s also how the construction be staged to create the least amount of adverse effects on the surrounding community.
MyRye.com, Doug French [14:08]
Any comments on the moratorium?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [14:10]
My vote was out there. I was one of the few people that didn’t support the moratorium. Once again, I acknowledge that I am In an advantaged position because I sit on the Planning Commission for two years now and I see how rigorous this process is. So my tendency is to say if we know what we want to change in the code, let’s get to changing the legislation versus stopping everything cold until we figure out what we don’t know. But I respect my Council colleagues who really said, you know what, we’ve got a lot of studies coming in, we have this plan happening, the community doesn’t know what. They don’t know. Let’s just take this moment. And so I ask for a balancing act. We lose revenue from building permits and from builders if we’re slowing down the building process. And so it is a very, very careful and cautious balancing act, and I think that we can make it work. I have no problem voting differently from my colleagues when I have so much respect for them. Cause I really know we’re all in it for the same reasons. We’re just having a different conversation.
MyRye.com, Doug French [15:13]
Okay, and what about well we had Matt Anderson on and you talked about the length of the process. I mean, they’re going through the process of the Osborn, but it’s gonna be two, three years before they actually break ground and start to build. I mean that’s how long the process really takes, correct?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [15:27]
It takes an incredible amount of time. I mean, because they also have to do the capital and we don’t even have any idea what their capital campaign is looking like. I don’t spend my time trying to suss out. When you sit on planning, you’re looking at the engineering reports. There were I can’t even think at this point ’cause it’s been a couple of months now, but there was an 80-page document with endless numbers of recommendations from that engineering report, everything you could imagine was being asked of them. The cost to the cost of this kind of work is incredible. And I feel very strongly that we make that process as smooth and competent as possible. It really, it is what you said earlier, Doug, it’s a balancing act, right? This is a really important project. We have to make sure all of our neighbors and everybody who might be affected by it understands everything they need to understand about this process. We need to hold them to account throughout the whole process, and yet we really need to make this happen for them. This is a good thing for Rye.
MyRye.com, Doug French [16:24]
Okay. I’m gonna make a comment and you can just react. But when we had the deluge of flooding on Midland Avenue these past couple of days ago, all of the planning and work that went around redesigning the whole Thruway entrance over by the hotel, and this is the net result. Something to me, just from an outsider, I mean something is amiss when you have that amount of water not kinda planned for, if that is in fact the case. So any comments on that?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [16:50]
You know, Doug, I was not around when that development I wasn’t engaged actively when that development happened, but Sunday’s storm, and I think all of us understand this. We live in a community that is at the bottom of a 14 mile watershed with a high water table. You’re not getting away from flooding. We wanna blame people for whatever it who did this and you didn’t do this, and you put that basement in, or you and some of that stuff might be right. But that was a lot of rain that came down really quickly. I was driving home from Rhode Island and I was grateful I was on 95 because if if you pulled, if there was any chance you would pull off anywhere in Westport, in anywhere in Fairfield County, you would be, your car would be underwater. That kind of rain is unpredictable. And I don’t know if you I worry more about clean water. I worry more about downstream issues with all of the runoff, but I don’t worry about the flooding in that respect. That was quick and it dissipated quickly. It is what it is. We have to live with it, Doug.
MyRye.com, Doug French [17:48]
Yeah. Right. Right. Gotcha. No place for the water to go. Yep. Yeah, no. Believe me, I know I know all too well. Alright, so let’s shift to parks. Even though you’re not on the parks commission, that’s really where you spend a lot of your time at the park. So if we were to just go through the different parks, like Rye Town Park, what’s happening, the lease,, the tower, the grant, what’s going on with Rye Town Park?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [18:13]
I mean, Rye Town Park is having a renaissance. It’s just really fabulous. I left the Friends of Rye Town board when I was elected. I can’t even remember. Maybe I was on it briefly. I stayed on for a while. They have raised an incredible amount of money. This community loves that jewel. I don’t know what happened overnight. I’m so glad they don’t call it the dog park anymore. And yet the dog owners are tremendous supporters of the park. You
MyRye.com, Doug French [18:42]
Absolutely.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [18:42]
See kids over there playing, it can feel both passive at times for quiet walks and at other times you can sort of look out across and see young kids playing flag football with their dads and all kinds of stuff. It’s really, really, really a tremendous thing. They’re managing the parking. It was a big bit of a dilemma this year with
MyRye.com, Doug French [19:01]
Yeah.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [19:01]
The Monday night volleyball. That kinda blew up because all those people pay their volleyball permits and they want to come park on the park, but there’s not enough parking. So the old stuff started surprisingly showing up again, Doug, if you remember from those days and part and there were a couple days where people
MyRye.com, Doug French [19:16]
Absolutely. Yeah.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [19:17]
Got really upset and they put stakes in the ground and there was all kinds of hullabaloo. But in the end it’s a well-managed park. There’s a lot of love for the park. And the Town of Rye administration really managed to get some big grants. So we got a big grant and now the parking lot and all of the water issues that relate to runoff into the pond and out to the Long Island Sound and all the piping is gonna be redirected and there’s gonna be and I have not been following it closely. It’s a good question for the mayor. He’s on the commission. But it’s a big deal. They’re going to redo that parking lot, and then and then the friends, you know, use the resources and move some of those resources to refacing the towers and they’re beautiful.
MyRye.com, Doug French [20:03]
Great. Gagliardo Park has been in the news? What’s the issue with Gagliardo? Is it moving ahead? Is it not? If not, why
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [20:09]
Gagliardo is the park that deserves some TLC. It is
MyRye.com, Doug French [20:13]
Absolutely.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [20:13]
The one area of our town in which there is not an easily walkable elementary school for young kids. Most kids who live out by Milton or over by Midland, they all have a place they can go and play in a playground in those neighborhoods. And Really, that neighborhood needs some TLC. Ryan Coyne has done some great. He is our head of the buildings department. He’s an engineer and everything you could imagine his talent if you’ve looked at what he and his team have done over at Rye Rec. They have started developing some ideas and now they’re just kind of bringing the community in and they have not yet scheduled the community conversation, but it is due to be scheduled any time in the next couple. Couple of months to bring out the community to look at some preliminary plans. The budget will be discussed during budget season this fall. There’s no question about it.
MyRye.com, Doug French [21:03]
Good. And then Playland, how’s the relationship going with Playland? Did they have a good year, do you know? Are you guys working together?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [21:11]
You know, this is another one of these walking things. You walk on the boardwalk and you see. Village trustees from Port Chester you see the mayors. I see both. I see the Mamaroneck mayor, I see the Port Chester mayor. You walk along that area. This is an area in which all of those communities care about that piece of property from all the way from Rye Town Park all the way over to
MyRye.com, Doug French [21:30]
Yep.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [21:33]
Edith Read Sanctuary. And there’s a presence there that people care about. I do not know the financials on Playland. I think it’s terrific that Friends of Playland. Has kind of formed and they’re focused on it. There’s always a new event happening down by the beach. The noise is always gonna be the noise. That’s part of living where sound travels over water. But I think it’s looked busy.
MyRye.com, Doug French [21:57]
Yeah, good. Good. I love the boardwalk. So you’ll also see former mayors there as well. I’m gonna let you take a pause while I just remind the audience. If you have a topic or a person that you would like to see on the MyRye.com podcast Conversations with Doug French, email me at French at MyRye dot com or just tell me around town. Also, if you have a question for a previous guest, email me as well. I’m going to start an after-the-conversation segment. So we send emails to former guests and ask them for follow-ups that we can share back with the audience. We are here every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, and YouTube. You’ll also find every episode at MyRye.com with links to all those platforms. These conversations don’t expire, so you don’t have to just live in Rye. Local issues are really pretty much the same everywhere. So if a topic matters to you, just go to the site, find the archive, and you’ll get up to speed quickly on the people that are the experts and actually make the decisions. And ultimately, please share and subscribe this podcast. Word getting around helps us grow the audience. So, back to our guest, Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council member. You also had a lot of work-related and family-related organizations in your background. What are some of those issues and really how do you balance school-age families and seniors and how do you get that balance in the community?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [23:16]
You know, it’s interesting, the comprehensive plan just did their demographic study and for folks who don’t know that, you can go onto the webpage and look at some of these summaries. It’s hard to tell how our town is growing, right? Seniors want to stay put. They often have the conversation we’ve all had this: like, well, if I sell my house, where am I gonna go? Right? Housing. So housing affordability is a conversation that we need to have in Rye, and we need to have in Rye in the context of the development going on in Port Chester and the development going on elsewhere in the area. We’re landlocked. We don’t have a lot of land to develop. But every single one of us has a friend or a neighbor who has a child who could not afford to move into Rye. And so talking about what that looks like, I quickly glance at some of the data, and I was surprised to see that we have a little bit of growth in the younger category, eighteen to twenty-four, but not as much growth in the sort of kindergarten age, right? Maybe that’s going to change, and obviously we have growth in the seniors, sixty-five plus. So what does that mean? How do we balance that? We really need to talk about access to childcare. We have to talk about access to affordable housing. We have to talk about the kinds of things we can do to help seniors stay put. Seniors are probably some of our best volunteers who care the most, who get out to vote the most, that really are paying attention because they may have more time on their hands. We need to be expansive in how we think about families. We have a lot of unfortunately single-parent families. Not a lot, but enough that we should care, right? Whether through divorce or death, people are struggling, even in a place like Rye, and we can’t afford to forget that. And so we have to think expansively about how we talk to people and how we listen to them. That’s why, as I said, and I always say when I walk around town, I find a way into a conversation. I’m sitting in Anna Maria’s bar, or I’m over with Gerry at Poppy’s, or I walk up to somebody who’s taking really good care of their rescue dog and being very courteous on the sidewalks, and I start up a conversation and then next thing know, they tell you what they’re worried about. And they’re worried about all the things they’re hearing on the news and then trying to translate that to, but I love Rye, it’s so beautiful, and how can I afford to stay here?
MyRye.com, Doug French [25:30]
Right. Are you hearing taxes at all? City taxes specifically.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [25:34]
No, but I think the council’s very cognizant of it. We’re about to go into budget season and we had to raise the taxes last year and so there’s a conscious concern about what all of these things that people say need to happen are gonna cost. And we just have to, people love being in a safe community. They care deeply about fire and safety and you know, having to purchase a new vehicle, a new fire truck, or having to consider increasing police Staff. All of those conversations require real thought and energy.
MyRye.com, Doug French [26:06]
Yeah. So the secret sauce to Rye as far as I’m concerned and many others is that you’ve got this triangle of the schools, the churches, the nature center, the art center, Rye Rec, downtown, and I’m leaving a few, but that is a great closely knit area where people can walk, the restaurants. How are you managing the relationship with the art center, with the library, with the nature? How do you guys how are those relationships going? Anything you can share as as far as
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [26:34]
I mean I think all of our nonprofits are incredibly skilled at admitting what they don’t know and wanting to talk to the council about how do we make this happen, because we need to grow, right? We have more nonprofits probably per square mile than many other towns do, right? And they’re all going after the same donors and they’re all worried about their livelihood and turning on their lights and all of that is justified. This is a town that loves their library. We’re all gonna be out buying books this weekend. I mean I walked in there the other day and the books are you know halfway up the walls that are being donated. The art center is starting their purchase program on Purchase Street tonight, right? With a reception at Anna Maria’s and they’re selling art from their artists along the main street of Purchase. So everybody’s really good at making you feel like, aren’t we amazing? This is great. We have all this stuff. And yet we don’t have a lot of land to expand, right? We don’t have a lot of land and we don’t have a lot of land to even expand our population, but we have these really vibrant nonprofits that need to be supported.
MyRye.com, Doug French [27:43]
All right, so let’s pivot that’s great. Let’s pivot to public safety because you are on that on the police committee, right, where you’ve got residents and police sitting together talking about crime issues as well as operational issues. So just tell us how like how’s that what are the issues that you’re talking about? Anything coming out out of that committee?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [28:00]
So the Police Advisory Committee came into existence after a state law and then it was a good idea, so it kept going, kept moving. And it is represented by not only residents but business owners and clergy. So it’s really got a lovely mix of people who depend on our public safety officials to keep them in business, operating, living a healthy life. And so the issues vary. They tend to be about quality of life issues. So those kinds of things come up. Noise, leaf blowers, e-bikes,
MyRye.com, Doug French [28:36]
Cell
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [28:36]
Cell coverage, all of the things that people worry about because safety is the first thing you think of as a family or a parent, right? You think, is my kid gonna get hit on the way to school? If I have a 911 emergency and I go to make a cell call, is it gonna reach the ambulances, which is a cell service issue? I can tell you my story from a number of years ago. I was at a part of a strategic planning meeting that we were hosting at Shenorock and somebody had a mild heart emergency. And fortunately it was with Open Door Family Medical Center, so we had actually doctors at the meeting. But we must have waited forty minutes for the police to get there, the ambulances to get there. And that was I don’t know. Seven years ago, but the cell issue’s been a problem for a really, really long time. Everyone knows the story of calling 911 and ending up with a Long Island dispatcher if you’re down by the shoreline, right? We know all these stories. I think that the police are doing—the commissioner always does a fabulous job updating the advisory committee on the technologies that they’re using. To manage the demand. So the use of drones, the use of all of these kinds of AI, everything we all talk about in the real world, so that we can have officers out on the streets ready to deal with crime or anything really serious like what happened last week when they were deluged with rain and we needed to be saving people from their cars.
MyRye.com, Doug French [30:04]
Right.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [30:05]
Technology has actually become a real benefit for the police department and they’re using it really well.
MyRye.com, Doug French [30:12]
And I don’t wanna overextend you, but a lot of people don’t want to reach out to the commissioner with an issue without bothering him. Would it be safe to say, hey, I have an issue, just email you about something you could bring up with the committee? Like double parking on Purchase Street, right? Or something like that.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [30:27]
So I think people should use 311 more if it’s an issue. Three one one’s a great service and I think our City staff has gotten really good at figuring out what needs immediate attention and what doesn’t need immediate attention. I do think when there’s an issue, you could reach out to a City Council person. I got one recently about the noise from RowAmerica and I just reached out. The commissioner was happy to address the conversation. He doesn’t hesitate. He’s a real public servant that way.
MyRye.com, Doug French [30:54]
Yeah. Yeah.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [30:57]
And so I don’t think there’s any reason anyone should be afraid of reaching out to their City Council using the 311 system or calling the police department. Call the police department and they’ll tell you. People should always feel like they when in doubt they can call.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:15]
Good, great. Alright, so let’s move to our one-word question, one-word answer segment. I’m just gonna throw out some words to you and you give me a one-word answer, preferably. Okay? So this
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:25]
Okay.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:26]
This is what we call our one-word Q & A Council.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:29]
Proactive
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:31]
Staff
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:33]
Competent.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:34]
Residents
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:35]
Community.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:37]
Downtown.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:38]
Vibrant.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:39]
Planning.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:40]
I mean, I wanna say competent again, but I gotta come up with a better word. Committed.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:42]
Parking..
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:48]
Mm-hmm. A challenge.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:50]
Flooding
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:51]
Priority.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:52]
Deer
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:53]
Balance.
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:55]
Taxes.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:55]
High
MyRye.com, Doug French [31:58]
Rye
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [31:58]
The best
MyRye.com, Doug French [32:00]
And we’re gonna end on a personal note. I’m gonna it’s two words, Urban Coyotes
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [32:04]
Two words, Paul Jensen.
MyRye.com, Doug French [32:08]
For those that don’t know, Jamie’s husband is the leader of a band, right? The Urban Coyotes?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [32:12]
Yes, but he’s now out on his own and he’s got gigs. He’s gonna be at Locals in Larchmont tonight. He plays once a month at Anna Maria’s. He’s played at Barley Beach House. He’s releasing his album at a show in New York City in November. He’s all over the place.
MyRye.com, Doug French [32:27]
Well, Jamie, thank you. This was really insightful. I’d love to get your perspective. You’re really well connected around town. It’s great to get your insight. Any final thoughts for the listeners?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [32:36]
If I could say anything, I really hope that people will take the time to come bring their input to the Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee October 14th. It’s a big deal. We don’t want this to be a piece of paper or a white paper that sits on a shelf and is archived in 20 years. We want this to lead to some real conversation about how we need to change in balanced ways.
MyRye.com, Doug French [32:59]
And that’s what, a public hearing for people to come and talk to the steering committee?
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [33:03]
So the Steering Committee—this will be the first public workshop of the steering committee. So they will be doing an overview. I do not go to the steering committee meetings. I want them to not feel the pressure of any City Council members. We eventually have to vote and approve it. But I really think this is a fabulous group of 15 that are really dealing with a lot of issues. We’re also going to be looking for, and I’ll let you go in this, we’re also going to be looking for neighborhood leads, and you’ve heard that in other podcasts, but really having community leaders that want to rally their particular neighborhoods around the issues that they’re facing so that we see the diversity of how people live. It’s like what I said about walking. It looks very different to be walking in Glen Oaks than it does to walk in Rye Park. It’s just a different experience.
MyRye.com, Doug French [33:52]
Alright, well that’s a terrific way to end. So let’s just thank you again, Jamie. And to our listeners, you can find the full podcast, episode transcripts, local news, and more at MyRye.com, as well as link to all podcast formats. Please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Please spread the word as we build our audience. Thank you again for listening to MyRye.com. Conversations with Doug French. We are here weekly, so we will see you next week. Thank you.
Jamie Jensen, Rye City Council [34:19]
Doug, you’re amazing. Thank you.
