Lifelong village resident Ruben Torres, a 43 year-old Ulster County warrant officer for the Division of Parole and United States Army veteran, is running as the Republican candidate during this fall's mayoral election against Democratic incumbent Jeff Kaplan. No stranger to politics, he has been a committeeman for District Two of the Town of Wawarsing for the past seven years, and if elected mayor of the village, Torres says he intends to act as a "voice for the people."

"Many people have come to me with their concerns over time and the belief that there is a lack of equity [within the village]—they're not treated equally," he says. "I feel that to have a Hispanic voice in a community that has so many Hispanics in the area would be a very good thing." Torres believes that there are changes that need to be made in the village of Ellenville, and he's the person to make them—changes ranging from the relationship between villagers and ordinances, the threat of crime, and ever-increasing taxes.

Torres says that villagers have told him about their problems with what he calls the overly strict nature of policy enforcement regarding village ordinances. "One of the constituents told me of a situation where a neighbor of his had his yard in disarray," he recalls. "But [enforcement officials] came to him about a trailer being parked too far in front of the house. Certainly the codes and ordinances are there for a reason. But some of these codes and ordinances are draconian in nature. To be told where in your driveway you can park your trailer? When your neighbor's yard is full of garbage? It just doesn't make any sense."

If elected mayor, Torres will make it a priority to change this kind of procedure. "I would create new policies. I would want them [enforcement officers] to be more knowledgeable, and have policies that are followed. Then that in turn would build confidence in village residents."

According to Torres, he also wishes to tackle the village's crime problem by focusing on Ellenville's youth. "One of the things I stated at the caucus was that the Crips and the Bloods have programs for our youngsters. They've got things that they'd like our youngsters to do with them. So we need to have things for our children to do to keep them busy, keep them occupied, to direct them away from that type of lifestyle, because if we don't, that's where they're going to end up—on the streets with these hoodlums."

Torres also wants to ensure that the village keeps its "hand out of taxpayers' pockets," believing that the current village government is spending money first, then raising taxes to cover the expense. "I'm a homeowner, and something has got to be done about the increasing taxes. I feel that we are spending money unnecessarily. We need to be more fiscally conservative."

But what Torres feels will truly set him apart are his character and reputation, both as a US Army veteran with seven years of active duty under his belt, and as a law enforcement official. "We have people here in the village who don't feel that there's honesty in village government; that there's shady dealings going on," he says, adding, "Certainly, this is totally speculation. I can't say that I've been attacked or wronged in a significant manner." However, he says, "I'm a veteran. I'm a Republican. I'm an honest individual. I have integrity."

While he hasn't attended village meetings yet, Torres assures that now that he's officially thrown his hat into the ring, he'll begin making appearances. This will be interrupted by a trip to Brazil for a few weeks in August, during which he and his wife will visit her family, whose father has recently undergone cancer treatment. After his return to Ellenville, it's full speed ahead for Torres, who believes that voters across party lines will see that he's the right man for the job.

COMMENTS about this article (8)