Carroll Feels Finance Background is Good Fit to Lead Cortlandt
On September 11, 2001, Liam Carroll was working in the south tower of the World Trade Center on the 72nd floor when the second hijacked airplane crashed into the building a few floors above.
“It literally was like an earthquake,” Carroll said.
Having been trained to evacuate the tower, Carroll was on his way down when he came upon a woman who was injured. He carried her out of the building and into an awaiting ambulance. They both survived the terrorist attack. Eight of Carroll’s co-workers at Morgan Stanley weren’t as fortunate.
“I think someone else was looking out for both of us,” Carroll said. “I said it wasn’t going to get the better of me.”
Fast track 16 years and Carroll is facing another challenge by trying to unseat Cortlandt Supervisor Linda Puglisi, who is running for a 14th two-year term on November 7. The trained Municipal Credit Analyst and Portfolio Manager is confident his expertise in state and local finances and governmental financial operations and management makes him a well-qualified candidate to be the leader of Cortlandt.
“I intend to use my financial expertise to serve the people of Cortlandt,” Carroll said. “I’ve worked hard for decades to ensure that sound financial decisions are made when it comes to investing in the public sector, infrastructures, school districts, water systems, and building projects that promote growth. I’m honored to have the opportunity to apply my expertise locally and to serve my fellow residents of the Town of Cortlandt.”
Carroll, who has never run for political office, is heading the eight-person “Cortlandt Together Team” and will appear on the Republican, Conservative and Reform party lines.
“Having been a resident of the town for nearly 25 years I see what’s going on,” he said. “I am on the streets daily, talking to the people. The people are telling me what needs to be fixed. I am voicing their opinion about what they require and are entitled to as the people of the Town of Cortlandt.”
Carroll said he regularly watches Town Board meetings on television and has attended some Indian Point Task Force meetings. He contended the Task Force meetings have produced very little so far “just words, not actions.”
“From the existing Town Board level this is not being managed properly as evidenced by the governor’s blindside announcement to the Cortlandt supervisor of his intent to close the facility, without any input on the part of the supervisor or the Town Board prior to the announcement,” he said. “The supervisor learned of the closure from a newspaper article. Blindsided!”
On his first day in office, Carroll pledged to commission a study on having sewers installed throughout Verplanck, which he maintained would spur commercial and residential development in the area. That development would help offset losses created by the plant’s closure. Carroll said the sewers could be financed by state and federal grants and developer contributions.
“I would also recommend commissioning a study of the expungement of the nuclear power facility and the ultimate conversion of the 250-acre site to a mixed-use energy facility utilizing: a solar farm, natural gas turbine generation and a water desalination facility located on the shoreline of the Hudson River,” he said. “Desalination converts salt water into fresh drinking water. No such plan exists—you heard it from Liam Carroll first.”
While conceding Cortlandt was in good financial condition, Carroll challenged Puglisi’s much touted tax record of town property taxes rising only an average of one percent annually. He contended taxes have increased steadily over the last eight years.
“To say taxes have not gone up is preposterous. That’s not factual,” he said. “Let’s be more transparent with taxes on what they actually are. The Town of Cortlandt has very strong credit, but we face a lot of challenges moving forward.”
Carroll said another pressing issue facing the town is the opioid epidemic in Westchester, which has more than doubled in the last five years.
“The current Town Board is not doing enough offering ‘prescription drop off” and undefined ‘prevention programs.’ This is a Band-Aid for a bleeding artery, not a cure for the disease of addiction,” he said. “And why is the current Town Board opposing a hospital/treatment center that will serve the residents of the Town of Cortlandt? I intend to address this topic unrelentingly, having witnessed two of Cortlandt’s good children enter drug-related rehabilitation. There’s nothing wrong with ‘rehab.’ It is a course of treatment to become healthy again.”
Carroll noted he has a lifetime of community service with the United Way, UNICEF and the Croton Lions Club and he and his wife are benefactors of the Children’s Hospital in Harlem.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/