New Rochelle has completed more than 4,500 units in the past decade, with another 6,500 planned—a potential 37 percent increase in its apartment stock. While rents in nearby cities have surged, New Rochelle’s are up just 1.6 percent since 2020.

Fully 84 percent of councils now pay at least a modest salary and the same share employ dedicated staff. The largest group is ‘hybrid-professional,’ showing that local legislatures are neither amateurs nor mini-Congresses.

Property tax reform should focus not on abolition but on modernization: levy limits, circuit breakers and valuation transparency preserve local budgets and protect homeowners.

There’s no substitute for the hard work of delivering core services efficiently and keeping costs down. Anyone telling you otherwise likely wants a subsidy—or works for someone who does.