Ciffone to Compete for Yorktown Council Seat
Ed Ciffone of Yorktown Heights has spent the past 25 years acting as a watchdog over his community. He has now decided to take an even more active role by submitting his name for consideration as a Republican candidate for Yorktown councilman in the 2011 election.
“Two town council seats are up and held by two longtime incumbents. It’s time for them to go. The town needs new honest blood on the Town Board,” Ciffone stated, referring to councilmen Jim Martorano, who has served since 1991 and Nick Bianco, who has been on the board since 1996.
Ciffone, who is president of the United Taxpayers of Yorktown, which boasts a membership of more than 600, want to incorporate some of the group’s platform into governmental actions. “I would strive to minimize the taxes and town spending,” he said. “I would accomplish this by investigating the town’s finances, collecting and disseminating information. I want to educate the public on town issues such as what is in the town budget and its impact on taxes.”
Ciffone is a Tea Party supporter who has spoken at the group’s rallies and has featured Tea Party members on his local cable talk show “Taxpayer Watchdog.”
Professionally, Ciffone is a retired police officer from the Village of North Tarrytown now known as Sleepy Hollow. He has been the court attendant in the Yorktown Justice Court since 1991 and was also a substitute teacher for 12 years in Peekskill. Additionally, he was a safety and security officer at the high school in Scarsdale for eight years.
Serafina Mastro, chairwoman of the Yorktown Republican Committee, stated that it the nominating committee was in the process of conduction interviews for candidates interesting in running for town supervisor or town councilman and that it was too soon to endorse any particular person.
Bianco and Martorano declined to comment.
Beyond Martorano, the Democrats have yet to name any potential Town Board candidates. The council members are voted in at large to a four-year term.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.