About Thom Kleiner

When Thom Kleiner was elected Orangetown Supervisor, he inherited a Town that was mired in bad spending practices, unaccountable budgeting and excessive cronyism.  In his time as Supervisor, Thom Kleiner has turned this around and built a Town Government that has been repeatedly recognized for its openness, transparency and overall fiscal responsibility.

Currently, Orangetown has received the highest bond rating in its history, having achieved this by maintaining the lowest or next to lowest taxes in Rockland County for the past five years.  Bipartisanship, fiscal conservatism and an unflinching pro-growth attitude have been the pillars of Kleiner’s service as Town Supervisor, leading him to strong re-elections for seven consecutive terms.

Kleiner’s history of fighting for taxpayers predates his election to Town Supervisor; for ten years he served as a prosecutor for the New York City’s Department of Consumer Affairs and its Department of Housing Preservation and Development, ultimately being promoted to senior prosecuting attorney.  Among the targets of Thom’s successful prosecutions were tow truck operators who were fronting for auto thieves; electronics stores who were cheating customers and landlords who illegally denied tenants basic services such as heat and hot water.

A Sparkill resident, Kleiner first ran for office in 1995 in response to Orangetown’s economic stagnation and high taxes.  He immediately instituted non-partisan screening panels for Town jobs and appointments, hiring professional fiscal experts to rein in skyrocketing property taxes and focusing new efforts on restoring Orangetown’s economy.

Since his initial election, Kleiner’s leadership has lead to a new era for Orangetown’s economy.  His administration has recruited significant commercial development to the Town, from small businesses to international corporations.   His work on the redevelopment of Rockland Psychiatric Center has resulted in the creation of new housing for seniors, new business opportunities for local businesses, and the preservation of hundreds of acres of open space for public recreation.

At the same time, adherence to fiscal discipline has resulted in the Town’s highly favorable Aa3 bond rating, which saves taxpayers money, while his conservative budgeting practices have enabled the town to build its cash reserves and to keep taxes to a minimum.  Orangetown’s financial management under Thom’s leadership has been recognized with successive awards for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

Kleiner has built a reputation for understanding and promoting collaboration between different levels of government as a means of better delivering services while maximizing efficiency.  The Rail Trail, a favorite recreational destination for families throughout the county, was made possible through federal funds that Thom successfully advocated for.  Kleiner secured funds from the State for the Sparkill Creek flood mitigation project, which will help preserve Rockland’s treasured prerevolutionary district in Tappan.  Finally, the close ties Thom has built with the Town’s villages, Nyack, South Nyack, Piermont, and Grandview, have produced commonsense solutions, such as the Town’s consolidating and taking over the local sewer systems, which in turn resulted in savings to all Orangetown taxpayers.

Thom knows that environmental protection and economic growth are not only compatible, but when done properly can effectively complement each other.   While bringing sensible development to Orangetown, Kleiner has preserved open space and promoted regional planning. Under Kleiner’s supervision, the Town purchased over 75 acres of open space on Clausland Mountain with funding from a variety of private and public sources. Most recently, Thom established an environmental committee to determine ways the Town can be both cleaner and more energy-efficient, which helps the environment and saves taxpayers money. New town legislation has been proposed to give tax incentives for new construction and major renovations that meet green standards.

Serving on several boards including the Nyack Hospital Foundation, the Rockland Economic Development Corporation, and the JCC of Rockland, Kleiner is also the head of the Rockland County Supervisors’ Association; a Board Member of the Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority, and a member of the Blauvelt Lions Club.

Thom Kleiner received his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a B.A. degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT where he led the student government. He and his wife Deborah live in Sparkill with their two daughters, Caroline, ten, and Susannah, nine, who both attend South Orangetown public schools. Deborah, a graduate of Spring Valley High school, was formerly a researcher at MSNBC. Thom’s mother Marlene lives nearby in Orangetown.