Candidate Profile: John McCown For Pound Ridge Town Supervisor

POUND RIDGE, NY — Election season 2023 is here and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Name: John D. McCown

Age: 69

Hometown: Pound Ridge, New York

Running for which office: Town Supervisor, Pound Ridge

Education: AA, Marion Military Institute (Marion, Alabama); BS, Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana); MBA, Harvard Business School (Boston, Massachusetts)

Political experience: None as a candidate

Work experience: More than four decades in the shipping sector as both an operator and an investor, including 15 years as the CEO of a publicly held container shipping company I co-founded and 5 years managing transport investments worldwide for a large hedge fund. I’m currently a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Maritime Strategy, the Navy League’s think tank, where I write and lecture about topics at the intersection of commercial maritime activities and national security.

Family: Married for 35 years to Kathleen, two children now 30 (Jack) and Caroline (29); moved to Pound Ridge 25 years ago from New York City

Campaign website: www.poundridgeparty.com

Why are you seeking this office?

I have a deep and abiding love for Pound Ridge, my family’s home for the past 25 years. Like many residents, I took for granted that I could trust my town leadership to care for the town — to responsibly manage its finances, to include residents in major decisions. When I discovered that my trust was ill-placed — that there are major problems with the town’s financial reporting, that major decisions were being made without public knowledge and input — I became concerned and compelled to take action. I am running for Supervisor to bring competency, transparency and inclusion to our town government. I am running for Supervisor to ensure that the future of Pound Ridge is determined by the people of Pound Ridge.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidate(s) seeking this post?

My opponent and I significantly differ on our concept of vision for the town and in our experience to fulfill the obligations of the job of Supervisor. I believe the vision for Pound Ridge should come from the people of Pound Ridge. My opponent, Mr. Hansen, seems to believe that a small group of individuals who keep the public out of their plans can determine the town’s vision. That is what they did when they decided not to opt-out of allowing marijuana stores in town without seeking public input. That’s what they continue to do in planning a wastewater treatment project that would be character-altering to the town when most residents are in the dark about it. I believe residents should be asked, should be heard, should be included as standard operating procedure in making all major decisions for the town. Anything less is a failure of leadership. Crucial to the job of Supervisor is the ability to manage the town’s finances and workforce. Although he has been in the job for six years, Mr. Hansan significantly underperforms in those responsibilities. He has failed to file with NYS legally required financial reports for almost 3 years. The independent auditors have criticized the town’s accounting and control practices. Under Mr. Hansan’s tenure, town workers complained of management failures in overseeing insurance and retirement benefits. The town highway maintenance workers sought protection by unionizing. I have significant work experience in finance. As a former CEO, I will bring proven expertise at managing both fiscal and personnel responsibilities. I co-founded a company and brought it public to the NASDAQ so I know something about having a vision and seeing it actualized. Most important, I know that competency makes transparency very easy. I know that inclusion is a respectful and powerful way to govern.

What is the single most pressing issue facing your constituents and what do you intend to do about it?

The most pressing issue facing Pound Ridge residents is their concern about the future of Pound Ridge. Enhancements to the look of our small business district have been appreciated. However, rumors about development, about changes to the town the incumbents call “transformational” but are largely unknown to residents have people worried and justifiably so. When residents were purposefully excluded from the incumbent’s decision not to opt-out (referred to as the cannabis debacle) people lost trust in their leadership. When Mr. Hansan repeatedly refused to publicly address the issue, despite multiple requests for a public forum and/or an in-person debate for all candidates, residents’ distrust increased. The presence of surveyors in town as part of a wastewater treatment project raised suspicions about exactly what is underway, raised fears about what else is being kept from residents. Lack of inclusion and transparency on the part of the incumbent slate has people worried and anxious. Pound Ridge has a long history of being valued as a laid-back, rural retreat just one hour north of Manhattan. Its appeal has always been in its open spaces, small business district, low population density, wealth of trees and dearth of sidewalks. No stop lights. It is, and always has been, a unique gem. Residents are concerned that the incumbents are working to change that. They want to put Pound Ridge “on the map” when many residents moved here precisely because it was not “on the map.” Residents are worried, will the Pound Ridge they love today be the Pound Ridge of tomorrow? What would I do to address this issue? I would conduct the business of the town with competency. I would actively seek out public opinion and provide forums for discussion and debate. I would require transparency of all initiatives of material importance to the town. I would restore the public’s trust.

How would you address the affordable housing issue in the community?

Better management of the business of the town would be a foundational benefit for everything including more affordable housing. My focus would be on listening to all initiatives being advanced. An important factor would be determining how initiatives would fit with the character of the town. Public input would be sought for all discussion.

How would you protect the drinking water in the community?

Pound Ridge does not have a central water system and all residents obtain their water from private wells like 23 million other Americans. While private wells are not regulated and the owners of the wells are responsible for the safety of their water, we need to be mindful that nothing is done to jeopardize our water supply. Because water has always been an important necessity in our town, we benefit from the rules and regulations that have been developed to protect it. We will remain good stewards of those rules as our water is not only important to residents but to exponentially more people who rely on Pound Ridge water beyond our border.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

In addition to key issues discussed earlier, we listed quite a few additional issues that are detailed in the FAQ page of our www.poundridgeparty.com website. Rather than just list them, I encourage people to visit our website, which includes a more complete discussion.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

As I noted in answering the second question, I built a company with an annual budget and a number of employees significantly larger than the town. In doing that, I managed to satisfy all of the constituencies that I served, from customers to employees to shareholders to regulators. I was personally known, respected and liked by almost all of more than 200 employees. If elected, I would intend to handle the job of Supervisor with the same level of competency and effectiveness that marked my tenure as CEO of a large and innovative transportation company. In a current example of experience with local relevance, I’ve been on the board of our home owners association for over 15 years, one of the largest HOA’s in Westchester County. I’ve been re-elected President each year over the last decade, in large part because homeowner fees under my management have remained the same over that period and services continue to meet expectations.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My father always told me to be honest, to respect others, to work hard, to make a positive difference. He also said, “Along the way, have fun!”

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Everyday I’m grateful for the privilege of living in Pound Ridge. I’m a bicyclist and spend as much time as I can on town roads, appreciating the openness and rural beauty that surrounds us here. My focus and passion is to preserve the timeless nature of our unique town for generations to come.