Catalina Has Helped Positively Change Direction of Peekskill
The public perception of the City of Peekskill, in and outside its borders, has dramatically changed for the better over the last few years, thanks, in part, to the leadership of Mayor Frank Catalina.
People are not afraid to walk the streets or be downtown after dark. On the contrary, Restaurant Row on Division Street, is booming on the weekends, and Paramount Hudson Valley on Brown Street is offering quality entertainment on a weekly basis, and bringing customers to local businesses.
At the same time, businessmen and developers are investing again in Peekskill, responding to Catalina’s invitation that the city is open for business. Currently, eight major development projects are before the city going through the proper channels, a positive sign that Peekskill is a place on the rise. Even Councilwoman Kathleen Talbot, a Democrat running for reelection, admitted at a candidate’s forum, “Right now everything is on the upswing in Peekskill.”
In his two years in office, Catalina has delivered on the main promises he made. He has worked tirelessly to reverse the city’s financial ills, and has succeeded, cutting the operating deficits significantly without decreasing services. He also was instrumental in reducing the cost and size of the new Central Firehouse.
In addition, Catalina, an attorney whose office is across from the Paramount, put a stop to the city utilizing costly outside consultants and special legal counsels, and restored a civil environment back to Council meetings at City Hall by not putting a time limit on citizens and eliminating the intimidating presence of uniformed police.
Remarkably, Catalina has been able to move the city forward in many ways with a Council controlled by Democrats. There have been plenty of personality clashes, and Catalina probably should have handled his issues with former City Manager Anthony Ruggiero more behind closed doors, but differences of opinion are not a negative, nor does it make someone a bully, as Democrats have tried to paint Catalina.
Catalina, who was born and raised in Peekskill and has spent most of his adult life in the city, wears his heart on his sleeve. His devotion to his late wife, who he lost seven years ago to cancer, has been painfully evident by his frequent Facebook posts. He has said she hated politics and would not have given him her blessing to get into the ring, but Catalina is passionate about making a difference, and she surely would be proud of the job he’s done, as should voters when they go to the polls on November 3.
Democratic challenger Ken Martin has mounted a respectable campaign, but has offered no compelling reasons for residents to support him over Catalina.
Common Council Race
Catalina has earned a chance to govern with a majority Council, and voters should give him that opportunity by electing two of his running mates, Brendon Fitzgerald and Tina Fischer.
There have been few candidates in recent memory who have appeared as eager to serve as Fitzgerald. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Fitzgerald enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps for two tours of duty. For the last three years, he has served in the Air Force National Guard. His family has a 100-year history in Peekskill, giving him a unique knowledge of what Peekskill was and what it has become. Fitzgerald offers a promising future that voters should embrace.
Fischer also offers a unique perspective of having worked for Peekskill for 12 years in the Finance Department before taking her skills to the Village of Sleepy Hollow. Like Catalina, she experienced a personal tragedy a few years ago when her husband was killed on the back of a city garbage truck, but that hasn’t prevented her from wanting to help Peekskill get on solid financial footing.
The third seat up for grabs should go to Democratic Councilwoman Vivian McKenzie, who in her two years on the Council has shown plenty of fight, not just to be divisive, but to present an opposing view to Catalina with a rationale argument. As owner of Kathleen’s Tea Room, McKenzie has her ear to the ground and often brings issues to the table that otherwise could get overlooked.
Talbot has worked hard during her four years on the Council but hasn’t emerged as much of a leader. Democrat Andre Rainey is new to politics, and it has showed during the campaign. He has the makings of a councilman in the near future, but not this year. Herbert Reyes, Catalina’s third running mate, seems to have too much on his plate as an operations manager for a New York City transportation company to devote the time necessary to be an effective councilman.
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