The apparent dynamic between political party-backed mayoral candidates Josh Nathan and Bill Henderson and independent Rick McCabe played out on the debate stage on Monday, echoing a campaign theme that has seen McCabe’s candidacy largely ignored by his opponents.
During the night, Nathan, a Democrat, and Henderson, a Republican, repeatedly referenced bipartisan initiatives they led during their fouryears serving on the Rye City Council, including decreasing Rye Golf member fees and creating governance reforms — emphasizing their ability to collaborate effectively.
“I worked a lot with Josh Nathan, and the other people on the council, to finally get to consensus,” Henderson, 66, said of decreasing golf membership fees. “We had to wait for an election until we got there, but we stayed at it for two years, because it was wrong, but we got there.“
By contrast, both Nathan and Henderson rarely interacted with their opponent Monday night, and even when McCabe would engage with the pair, he received little acknowledgement.
McCabe, 53, ran for city council as a Republican last year, but dropped out for health reasons. This year, he spurned the political establishment when he announced his run for mayor as an unaffiliated candidate in March.
“I’m running as an independent so I can take office with allegiance only to the voters of Rye, ready to work with all members of the council to get things done,” McCabe told the audience at The Osborn, which co-sponsored the forum with the League of Women Voters.
He positioned himself as a listener and bridge-builder, noting his experience as chairman of the Rye Recreation Commission and his efforts to find consensus on the contentious Nursery Field artificial turf project, which he supported. The discourse over synthetic turf sparked debate and animosity between supporters who argued it would improve playability and opponents who cited environmental, flooding, and health concerns.
McCabe and Henderson were supporters of the turf project, which was completed earlier this year. Nathan, 59, ultimately supported the project after advocating for the consideration of alternatives such as improving the field’s grass playing surface.
The candidates also disagreed on several issues during the night, with Nathan and Henderson taking different positions on the local environment. Henderson opposed the city’s contract with Westchester Power, which aims to provide renewable energy, while Nathan supported it. Henderson opposed a measure to restrict tree cutting that Nathan supported, and Nathan has pushed for the faster banning of gas-powered leafblowers.
Nathan, a lawyer, cited his years on the council and as president of the school board, and his experience advising nonprofits; Henderson highlighted his time on the council and as a federal prosecutor; McCabe cited his time as head of the council’s Recreation Commission and as a corporate executive.
Henderson and Nathan diverged from McCabe over a proposal to allow members of the City Council to participate in meetings remotely. That measure — voted down last November — was opposed by Nathan and Henderson.
They both argued that in-person meetings build accountability and unity. The proposed measure only garnered support from Mayor Josh Cohn and Deputy Mayor Julie Souza, who has missed meetings while traveling for her work with Amazon Web Services.
Henderson, who is retired, said the proposal would have allowed the public to join remotely instead of bringing their concerns in-person to City Hall.
Nathan felt it “creates incredible divisions.”
“We are a tiny town, we can all show up,” Nathan said. “Being in a room together and working together is absolutely critical to … work towards consensus, if you’re looking each other in the eye and you’re looking at the public in the eye and you’re having a conversation.”
Although McCabe agreed that in-person council meetings should remain the gold standard, he said flexibility should be available in exceptional cases, such as emergencies.
Souza, who leaves office at the end of the year, has been a big supporter of McCabe’s campaign, including donating $1,000, the maximum allowable contribution under law.
The controversial handling of Playland was another point of disagreement among the candidates, now that Westchester County has reasserted control of the historic park after its handpicked private operator, Standard Amusements, abruptly backed out of its 30-year contract.
The candidates agreed that Playland should compensate Rye for emergency services. While Nathan expressed confidence that the Democratic-led county government is committed to being a good partner to Rye, McCabe questioned the county’s reliability, arguing that its past performance does not inspire great confidence in how the county will manage things moving forward.
“I think they recovered nicely, but I’m not sure if their track record is close to adequate,” McCabe said. “I think we need to be good neighbors, but honest neighbors about how the park gets run in the future.”
One of the biggest issues of the mayoral campaign, the city’s lack of an updated master plan, was again center stage as the candidates tied that absence to increasing concerns about housing affordability and future development. Rye’s master plan hasn’t been updated since it was created in 1985.
Henderson said his ticket is committed to beginning the comprehensive planning process right away to grapple with the lack of affordable housing and ongoing development in Rye, among other issues.
“The comprehensive plan is by no means a kind of cure-all, but given the time that has passed since the 1985 plan was put together when we were told that Rye is fully developed and a one-family housing community, enough time has passed,” Henderson said.
He said the document can be a guide to addressing zoning laws, downtown development, and a slew of other community concerns.
Nathan also said his campaign is committed to beginning the process of updating the comprehensive plan immediately, saying it will help with the issue of parking, small businesses, store vacancies, and traffic.
Through comprehensive planning, one can figure out “the design issues in your downtown,” he said, pointing to the intersection at Purdy and Purchase, and other areas that are “very challenging down there.”
Henderson and Nathan said hiring a new city manager to lead the city’s day-to-day operations is a top priority, as is the importance of leadership and building consensus.
McCabe also highlighted the importance of leadership, yet argued that his independence from the political parties in town would allow him to help Rye rise above political factions.
