Congratulations to Mayor-elect Ron Belmont and the Belmont Team. The Republican candidates scored a resounding victory over the Democratic slate leaving little doubt who the winners were. On January 1, 2012, all elected positions in Town Hall will be held by Republicans. They will be given the opportunity to prove to the voters that they voted for the right people. Even with inroads made by Mayor Walsh, Harrison's fiscal health continues to require attention and the operation of the Town needs to be run more efficiently. There will be some hard choices to be made, but only time will determine if Mr. Belmont and his Republican Town Board are up to the task.

The results of the election can be interpreted in a few ways. Some would say it was a popularity contest, others would say it was a referendum on Mayor Walsh's performance. We think it was somewhere in between. Others would say it heralds the return of the "good ol' boy" methods of the previous administration that brought the Town to a financial crisis. Arguably, the campaign never really dealt with the real issues or competencies of the candidates, but rather with the personalities of the candidates. That was too bad. In our view, too much time was spent on "I love Harrison" or the question of fairness of campaign mail pieces than the issues. The most important issue was, and remains, Town finances. There is little doubt that the financial information provided in the Walsh mail pieces is indisputable; Town financial documents show that clearly. The media apparently never even checked those documents out. Even though the New York State Comptroller's audit did not name names, the responsibility for the financial failures clearly lies with the Republican-controlled Town Boards of 2002 through 2007. The fact is they have had control of the Town's pocketbook and checkbook for over a decade. A mayor, as a town's chief executive, has the responsibility to lead and is responsible for what happens on his or her watch. Singling out an individual for blame may be debateable, but the financials, bonding, and tax increases for that period are real and indisputable.

In January, the Harrison Town Board will be controlled not by a simple majority, but by a 5-0 Republican majority. Action needs to be taken on many matters: employee health care, pension costs, Town debt, and spending, to cite a few. Rhetoric will not get the job done. Since the start of the last decade, the Republican majority has never had the will to make hard fiscal choices with regard to these matters. They equivocated on what needed to be done. For example, rather than demand real contract concessions in recent negotiations, the Board negotiator only secured a $1 million deferral of wage increases until 2012, rather than a real budgetary reduction. That $1 million needs to be accounted for in Mayor Walsh's 2012 budget calculations, which means, unless $1 million can be found in expenditure cuts, taxes will go up around 3% just to cover this item. The negotiator could not even secure a health care concession on how much of a co-pay employees pay. The co-pays are the lowest that we have found for any municipal employee. The unions have not even responded to most of the requests for concessions. If one was a cynic, one might suggest the unions played a waiting game until a more sympathetic mayor was elected. Whether that is what has happened will be seen in the 2013 budget preparation, Mr. Belmont's first budget.

What remains a huge concern is the potential for a return to uncontrolled spending and fiscal mismanagement that placed Harrison in a dangerous fiscal position when the recession occurred. What should concern the taxpayers is that the architect of that mismanagement now will sit on the Town Board, again. The difference is with a 5-0 majority, there will be no checks and balances of any kind, even by a minority. The saying goes a leopard does not change its spots. Harrison taxpayers will just need to wait and see if that proves to be the case.

It would be very unfair to prejudge what will happen with the new administration. Circumstances will dictate what Mr. Belmont faces during his term as mayor. We wish him great success. That success will translate into what is best for Harrison, which is what we all want.