Election 2013: Westchester County Legislature District 9: Borgia vs Tripodi

 

The contest for the District 9 seat on the Westchester County Board of Legislators features two candidates with roots in Ossining, Democrat incumbent Catherine Borgia and Republican Peter Tripodi, an Ossining town councilman.

Prior to being elected to the county board two years ago, Borgia served two terms as town supervisor in Ossining. She had served four years on the Ossining Village Board and was a longtime chief of staff for state Assemblywoman Sandra Galef.

Tripodi was the youngest serving elected official in the county when he was elected to the Ossining Town Board in 2009 at the age of 24. Two years later, he ran unsuccessfully for town supervisor.

District 9 encompasses Ossining, Briarcliff, Croton, and parts of Cortlandt and Peekskill.

Catherine Borgia

In her first term on the county board, Borgia has served as chairperson of the Government Operations Committee, which provides legislative oversight for the Department of Public Works and Transportation, Parks and Recreation, Housing and Labor. Under her leadership, she said the committee has evaluated and approved over 200 capital projects, which has led to infrastructure improvements and hundreds of new jobs.

Meanwhile, Borgia said she has sponsored major legislation initiatives to improve Westchester’s green economy, protect the watershed by banning hydrofracking byproducts, and enhance government efficiency and shared services.

“It’s an exciting time in Westchester County, where we have the opportunity to work hard, work smart, and work together to create a better future for our county,” Borgia said. “My first term has also been one of legislative success, as bills I introduced and sponsored became laws after receiving bipartisan support. Although we have many challenges ahead of us, I believe the people of Westchester have the talent, skills, and determination to rise to meet those challenges. I look forward to continued collaboration with you to secure Westchester’s bright future.”

Peter Tripodi

As the lone Republican on the five-member Ossining Town Board, Tripodi said he has worked in a bi-partisan manner to market and sell the town police building, ending $300,000 in annual bond payments; saved $1 million in “wasteful spending” on a part-time consultant; and led the effort to film town work sessions.

The active Ossining firefighter said he decided to run for the county board because he was tired of the “partisan games taking place” in the county legislative chambers in White Plains.

“I intend to perform as a professional legislator, accountable to residents in Legislative District 9, not party bosses,” Tripodi said. “We need a county legislator that does not demand local governments dismantle their zoning and planning rights. We need a legislator that will stand up for property owners and local governments as I have done in the Town of Ossining as a councilman. We need a legislator that will take a stance and blindly follow party leadership.”

 

Kaplowitz Seeks Ninth Term in Rematch with Kane 

By Neal Rentz

Veteran county legislator Michael Kaplowitz is facing fellow Somers resident Gregory Kane in a rematch of the 2009 race in the Board of Legislators’ District 4. The district includes New Castle and portions of Yorktown and Somers.

Kaplowitz, 54, an attorney and certified financial planner and investment adviser, is on the Democratic and Independence party lines. Kane, 56, a retired Wall Street trader, will challenge on the Republican line. In 2009, Kaplowitz defeated Kane by 12 points.

Budget issues

Kaplowitz received much publicity–and some flak from his own party last year–when he was one of two Democrats to join with Republicans to pass the $1.7 billion 2013 budget. He defended his decision as being fiscally sound.

“I have actually lost a couple of friends over it,” he said.

Kaplowitz said he agreed with County Executive Rob Astorino against raising taxes and taking money from reserves to balance the budget. It was the correct decision to borrow $10 million, if necessary, to pay tax certiorari refunds, he said. If the $10 million had been taken from fund balance the county’s AAA bond rating would have been lost.

Kane said county government has grown too large and Kaplowitz hasn’t done enough to limit spending.

“In 15 years he voted all along to expand government,” Kane said. “And one time he voted to rein it in and they gave him a ticker tape parade.”

The average annual property tax increase over Kaplowitz’s legislative career is 2.75 percent. He added that he opposed the 2004 budget, which included an 18.8 percent tax increase, and the 2010 budget, which saw a 2.9 percent hike.

Economic development

Establishment of a Local Development Corporation (LDC), which provides access to low-cost financing to nonprofit institutions, is a key accomplishment, Kaplowitz said. An LDC allows nonprofits to raise tax-free capital, which is funded by bonds. Northern Westchester Hospital, SUNY Purchase and White Plains Hospital are among the institutions that have been assisted.

About a year was spent negotiating its creation with Astorino and the Board of Legislators.

“It really sums up the role that I play as a legislator,” he said, adding he “brings parties together.”

Kane said lower taxes will encourage more businesses to come to Westchester. The county needs to promote itself to attract new businesses and individuals to visit, he added.

Affordable Housing

Kaplowitz said he has taken a practical approach in dealing with the county’s affordable housing settlement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The settlement, which Kaplowitz supported, called for Westchester to set aside $51.6 million to construct 750 affordable units. Failure to accept the settlement could have cost the county $180 million, he insisted.

The county is on its way to building the 750 units. However, it still needs to comply with an Analysis of Impediments, Kaplowitz said. Once officials in the seven communities found to have exclusionary zoning make revisions to their codes and the 750 units are built, the settlement will have been satisfied. Then the county can work with developers to construct additional affordable units, he said.

Kane said he would have voted to reject the settlement and added that county officials who misused HUD funds “should be held accountable.”

In some areas, zoning doesn’t allow for affordable housing. “There’s no discrimination here,” he said.

“The whole (real estate) market right now needs to find its own bottom,” said Kane, who added affordable housing would undermine the housing market.

Day Care

The current year’s county budget has a provision that has raised the contribution for parents eligible for child care assistance to 27 percent. When he first took office those parents paid 35 percent, but it was eventually reduced to 15 percent during former County Executive Andrew Spano’s administration.

The county needs to afford the subsidies it provides to day care facilities, Kaplowitz said. Many entities, including New York City, require a 35 percent parental contribution to day care, he said.

Kane acknowledged that some families need assistance. He did not have a position on what percentage a family should pay toward child care.

 Other Issues

Kaplowitz  pointed to his accomplishments for his work on sewers. For example, one of his achievements has been to expand the county sewer district into three areas of New Castle, which took 15 years.

Kane said the county should fight to end the MTA payroll tax and should assess “the real value” of the New York City watershed property in Westchester to obtain additional property taxes from the city.

 

Five Vie for Two Seats on Cortlandt Town Board

By Rick Pezzullo

The retirement of longtime Democratic Cortlandt Town Board members John Sloan and Ann Lindau-Martin has led to increased interest in the two open seats as five candidates are vying for the four-year terms.

Running on the Democratic ticket alongside Supervisor Linda Puglisi are Debbie Carter Costello and Seth Freach. The Republican/Conservative endorsed candidates are Theresa Knickerbocker and John Lentini. Knickerbocker will also appear on the Independence line with Domenic Volpe, who has Working Families backing as well. (Brian Pugh is also on the Working Families line but is not actively campaigning after falling short with Volpe in the Democratic primary).

Each Town Board seat carries an annual salary of $20,435.

Debbie Costello

The daughter of Edward Carter, who served on the Town Board and owned a successful funeral home in town, Debbie Costello is currently employed by TDX Construction Corporation, is founder of the Hendrick Hudson Leos Club and serves on the Westchester County Youth Board.

A lifelong town resident, Costello, who ran unsuccessfully for town clerk in 2009 as a Republican/Conservative, created the Stay-Awake-a-Thon, an annual event at Hendrick Hudson High School that has raised $300,000 to fight cancer and help patients in the community.

“We have two great long time council members leaving, and that’s a lot of institutional knowledge. It’s important to make sure those taking their place have the experience with budgets, contracts, and the proper use of taxpayer dollars to ensure we can keep our taxes low,” she said. “Both my professional and personal working experience will enable me to make the tough choices that are good for Cortlandt by doing more with less.”

Costello has vowed to promote local businesses, support continuing services at the FDR VA Hospital in Montrose, and improve playing fields for youth.

“Cortlandt already has great programs for our youth. My passion for helping our youth is evident in all of my volunteer experience. I plan on maintaining and improving the programs that we have as well as looking into new programs as requested by our families,” she said.

Seth Freach

Seth Freach, a small business owner in the technology field, served as chairman of the town Democratic Committee for four years. A volunteer youth sports coach, the Crugers resident serves on Cortlandt’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and was recently appointed to the town’s new Master Plan Committee.

“On the Town Board, I will use my technology and startup business experience to help attract professional well-paying jobs to Cortlandt,” he said. “I will advocate new technologies for town government to save money for taxpayers.”

Freach has vowed to work with Puglisi to keep taxes low, create smart business growth and preserve open space.

“I will work with Linda Puglisi to keep our town affordable and how down taxes,” he said. “Together we can preserve all that makes Cortlandt the town we love and where we choose to live.”

Theresa Knickerbocker

Theresa Knickerbocker is the lone candidate in the race with any experience as an elected official. A lifelong town resident, she has served two separate stints on the Village of Buchanan Board of Trustees (1994-98, 2009-present) and is currently the deputy mayor. She was reelected to a two-year term in March.

“It’s the same job. I’ll be doing the same thing but there’s more people and it’s a larger area,” she said. “Two experienced people are leaving and I’m the most experienced person running. I’ve worked with Republican boards. I’ve worked with Democratic boards. You work together to get the job done.”

She was recently appointed as a member of Cortlandt’s new Master Plan Committee. As a Buchanan trustee she said was proud of the road work and repair of the village’s sewer plant that have been completed.

“We have a very good working relationship with the Town of Cortlandt sharing services,” she said. “I think people look at the qualifications of the person and what they want to do. This is our community. This is my home. Of course we want to make it the best place possible.”

John Lentini

John Lentini is an architect who has served on the Cortlandt Board of Assessment Review for 18 years. He has lived in Cortlandt for 24 years.

“I believe that I can lend my extensive experience, in general and locally, to the board as an asset in order to best serve the town,” he said. “A key responsibility that the board has is the drafting and amending of local laws or codes. A problem that I find exists everywhere, and not particularly Cortlandt, is that, often, well-meaning laws do not affect everyone fairly.”

Lentini said he would strive to preserve services for veterans at the FDR VA Hospital and feels the Master Olan should be “progressive, sustainable and realistic.”

Domenic Volpe

Domenic Volpe has run five times in the past for elected office, twice unsuccessfully for town board in Cortlandt. The longtime Peekskill dry cleaning business owner serves on the Jan Peek Homeless Shelter, is a former chairman of the Pride in Cortlandt Committee and was recently awarded a special citation by the Military Order of the Purple Heart for his work helping veterans.

Over the last few weeks, Volpe said he has received encouragement from all parties and some high ranking officials to go full throttle with his campaign despite not having the luxury of being on a major line.

“The body of work is there. If people appreciate all the time and effort I have put in this town, then they can go out and vote for me,” he said.

 

Foster Looks to Fend Off Challenge of Catalina in Peekskill

By Rick Pezzullo

There have been no head-to-head debates in the Peekskill mayoral race between Democratic incumbent Mary Foster and Republican challenger Frank Catalina, just a war of words between two camps that see the direction of the city very differently.

Foster, who has been mayor for six years, has championed sustainable commercial and residential development to support her administration’s vision of Peekskill as a vibrant cultural and economic draw.

“From the beginning, we were targeting young professionals, young families, people that would want to put down roots. That has been the target from day one,” Foster said. “We’ve never seen this city as a bedroom community. We really see a vision with a vibrant, culturally rich downtown and a very exciting waterfront with mixed use. You can have a rich city life but feel like you’re still living in the suburbs.”

Catalina, an attorney and lifelong resident of Peekskill, has maintained the city is on the verge of financially hemorrhaging under Foster’s watch and feels he has the cure to stop the bleeding.

“I love this city, but the city has really gone down,” he said. “Things that are happening, this mayor had nothing to do with. There really is no record of achievement. If you really poke holes into it, the emperor has no clothes.”

A managing director at Grant Thornton LLP in Manhattan, Foster believes the city is in better much financial shape than a year ago when nine employees were given pink slips. She blamed much of the problems on a 34% increase over two years in the city’s pension costs and the difficult economy.

“We knew we had to shrink the workforce and that became very difficult here,” Foster conceded. “We held up having to do that for as long as possible, but when we saw the pension numbers we knew we had a problem. We’ve paid out $3 million in tax refunds since I’ve been mayor. You have to take a look at the whole picture, and the auditor’s reports don’t say we’re going bankrupt.”

Catalina, who served as the city’s deputy corporation counsel from 1982-1990, counsel to the Peekskill Housing Authority from 1992-1999 and corporation counsel for 14 months from 2000-2001, said one way he would look to improve the city’s finances is by selling the more than 50 properties Peekskill owns.

“The city should sell this property immediately. The city should not be a landlord,” he said. “I don’t know where you can cut much more. She has been a surgeon. The city also has $54 million in outstanding bonds. It’s crazy.”

The recent City Showcase the Westchester County Association held in Peekskill to give developers and investors a glimpse of what the city has to offer was a snapshot of the kind of economic activity that has been occurring, according to Foster.

She said at least 36 new businesses have opened in Peekskill and at least 12 existing businesses have expanded.

“There’s a pipeline of entrepreneurs that want to come into the city. The types of businesses you have moving in are young owners. They are creative and they are risk takers,” Foster said. “Central Market has received 73 applications for 12 kiosks.”

Catalina maintained most of the new businesses in the city simply replaced others that left, so there has been no net gain in the commercial tax base. One plan he has to stir up interest in the downtown is to set up kiosks and close down Division Street on weekends from April through October.

“We can be known more than a flea market on Sundays,” he remarked. “There’s nothing happening in Peekskill.”

Foster claimed Catalina was withholding information from the public on what his real intentions are if he were to get elected mayor.

“Frank doesn’t want to be honest with what his plan is because he doesn’t have a plan. He doesn’t know how the city runs,” she contended. “He wants to bedazzle people with outlandish statements. He’s spending a lot of money on smog and a smokescreen. There’s nothing wrong with outdoor kiosks. That’s a niche strategy to make sure you bring people into the downtown. To say that this the economic plan, I don’t think it is. That’s nonsense.”

Both candidates support the building of a Central Firehouse, but Catalina is not sold on the proposed location. He also said Foster promised a Central Firehouse when she took office in 2008 and has yet to deliver.

“Meanwhile there’s been six years of neglect to existing firehouses,” Catalina said. “This is where we are, nowhere.”

Meanwhile, Catalina blamed Foster for Ginsburg Development Corporation walking away from a large piece of land it owns on the waterfront.

“Foster said it’s my way or the highway and Ginsburg put a fence around his property,” he said. “He said we want to do something there but not with her. That large scale development with stimulate everything. I think we can stimulate this real quick.”

Foster said Ginsburg pulled back its plans because of the recession, not because of any disagreement with her.

“When I first ran for mayor Martin Ginsburg sent out a mailing that said if I was elected nothing would be developed in Peekskill and it would be a ghost town,” Foster explained. “After I was elected we had a friendly meeting. Then the recession hit. He had approvals. He’s been back in the Planning Department. Time has given him a better plan.”

Peekskill recently instituted new rules at Common Council meetings for speakers in an effort to gain more control of what sometimes becomes a circus-like atmosphere. If elected mayor, Catalina said he would immediately eliminate those rules, as well as doing away with police officers at meetings, which he contended are intimidating for some visitors. He also accused the council of unfairly enforcing the rules for some speakers who are overly critical.

“I don’t condone insults or profanity but she has lost control of the budget and the city. It’s clear,” he said. “It’s an abuse of power that this mayor is infamous for.”

Foster attributed a lot of the animosity at meetings to election season dramatics. “It didn’t change an election last time,” she said. “It’s really about we hate you, we want someone else. Haters are haters.”

 

Four Common Council Seats Up For Grabs in Peekskill

By Rick Pezzullo

The decision-makers for city government in Peekskill could change dramatically with four Common Council seats, plus the mayor, in the hands of voters on Election Day.

The Democrats, which currently control all seven seats on the council, have a trio of incumbents running for the three seats with four-year terms: Deputy Mayor Drew Claxton, Marybeth McGowan, and Andrew Torres. Vivian Cyndi McKenize, who was appointed to the council last month, is running in the special election to serve the last two years of former Councilman Don Bennett’s unexpired term.

For the Republicans, two candidates who ran in 2009, Chris Hanzlik and Joe Torres, are back on the ballot for another shot, along with Vincent “Boo” Vesce, son for former city mayor Vinny Vesce. Running in the special election is Leslie Detres, a school psychologist in the Peekskill School District.

The seats on the Common Council carry an annual salary of $8,686.

Drew Claxton

Claxton has the distinction of being the longest serving Democrat on the council having been elected in 2001 and reelected twice. She is an economic consultant in New York City and also owns the Beanrunner Café in Peekskill.

She served in the U.S. Air Force from 1975-79 and founded the Peekskill Reads program, which provides books and literacy support to city youth.

During her time on the council Claxton has worked to protect the city’s waterfront property and helped create the downtown historic district.

“My focus is on economic development—attracting businesses, increasing jobs and stabilizing taxes—all while protecting our historic and natural assets, and our community’s character,” she said.

Marybeth McGowan

One of the few openly gay elected officials in the region, McGowan was first elected to the council in 2009. She is director of medical billing services for BTQ Financial, a financial management company in Manhattan that provides not-for-profit clients with quality, affordable financial management services.

McGowan has lived in Peekskill for 18 years. She is the city’s liaison to the Peekskill Board of Education and serves on the governing committee of Hudson Valley Boat Works and the board of Peekskill’s Be First Boxing organization.

Her primary focus on the council has been economic development, but she has also been involved in several youth initiative programs.

Andrew Torres

Andrew Torres was first appointed to the council in 2008 and was elected to a full term in 2009. He grew up in Rockland County and was involved in assisting communities with housing development strategies and homeless prevention. He is a congregant and two-term vestry member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church.

He serves on the Peekskill BID Board and has been a soccer coach in Peekskill’s recreational program for several years, helping to expand it to more than 300 players and a travel team.

Chris Hanzlik

Hanzlik is a licensed professional civil engineer and president of the Peekskill Lapolla Little League. He served one year on the council in 2003, 14 years on the city’s Planning Commission, and unsuccessfully ran for mayor four years ago.

“When I last ran for public office, I stressed the importance of the city to be vigilant and keep its finances in good condition. Unfortunately, due to the fiscal mismanagement of the current administration, the city’s fund balance has all but disappeared and the city’s bond rating has slipped from the level the Foster Administration inherited,” he said.

“Our citizens deserve nothing less than highly professional management of the city’s finances and this will be a top priority of mine when elected to the City Council,” he added.

Joe Torres

Joe Torres has owned and operated Reliable Sewer and Drain Service in Peekskill for the last 29 years. He is a member of the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce and Peekskill Yacht Club. He ran for the council four years ago.

“I love this city and due to my line of work I get to see many neighborhoods in every corner of the community. It is obvious in so many of our neighborhoods that homeowners are having to struggle to keep their neighborhoods together because of lax building code enforcement that has created housing conditions no one should be subjected to,” he said. “The city government has lost its focus on the important fundamental role that it should be playing in making sure that the integrity of our neighborhoods and the people who live in them are not put at risk.”

“This city is a family city. It’s a city where I raised my family and where I want more families to come,” he said. “We can create a place families want to raise their children, a place where more jobs will be created and more business will come.”

Vincent Vesce

Vesce is a lifelong resident who is entering the political arena for the first time. A former member of the Peekskill Zoning Board of Appeals, he is principal/CEO of V Squared Strategies, a business development consulting firm. He formerly worked for The Port Authority of NY & NJ for 14 years.

“I decided to get involved and offer myself to Peekskill’s voters because I believe in my home town,” he said. “The Peekskill I envisioned for my children, the investment that I have made in my community,and the true fabric of what this community once was, is being taken in a direction that will put Peekskill on the path that so many of our neighbors in surrounding communities have been able to overcome. That direction will lead to a depressed business community, further declining property values, rising taxes, and only a memory of what could have been. This has to stop.”

(Special Election)

Vivian Cyndi McKenzie

A Peekskill native, McKenzie was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Bennett. She worked in the insurance industry for 27 years. In 2010, she purchased the popular Kathleen’s Tea Room on Main Street.

She serves on the board of the Business Improvement District, participates in the P.I.E.S. Program at Peekskill High School and is a member of Park Street A.M.E. Zion Church.

Leslie Detres

A native of the Bronx, Detres worked for the Ossining School District before joining Peekskill. A registered Independent, she previously worked as a mentor at St. Christopher’s helping teens improve their education and social interactions.

“My family and I love Peekskill but it no longer seems like a city on the rise as it did when we bought our home here 13 years ago,” she said. “If elected, I pledge to work very hard to put the fundamental needs of all of our citizens as the first priority. Restoring basic City Hall services that have been cut back in favor of frivolous pet projects that in the end do nothing for our youth, seniors and citizens in need of assistance is what is most needed to once again make Peekskill a desirable place for people to move to and raise their family.”

 

New Era to Begin in Somers with Supervisor Change

By Neal Rentz

A new era is coming to town government in Somers.

Longtime Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy chose not to run for reelection, opting instead to run for Westchester County clerk.

Seeking to fill the open seat are Rick Morrissey, who has the Republican and Conservative parties lines, and Christine Robbins, who has the Democratic, Working Families and Independence parties lines. Morrissey is completing his first four-year term on the town board.

Rick Morrissey

Morrissey chaired the Somers Architectural Review Board for 18 years and co-chaired the Open Space Committee, which was responsible for the purchase of 654 acres, now known as the Angle Fly Preserve, as well as serving on the town Ethics Board.

Morrissey, 64, is deputy commissioner of environmental health for Westchester County. “I have gained a unique expertise in government efficiency and have built the necessary skills to effectively run a large government organization.” he said. ”I have real-time knowledge and experience in disaster preparedness and response, in which I helped to craft the county’s response to 9/11, and most recently, Super Storms Irene, Lee, and Sandy.”

“I have dedicated myself to serving the residents of Somers for over 34 years, and believe I’ve reached a point in my life where I’d like to utilize my professional skills for the good of my community.” Morrissey said. “I have been urged to run for supervisor by many people in the community due to my professional experience.”

“As supervisor my priorities will be to keep taxes as low as possible, while maintaining a great quality-of-life for our residents. Maintaining essential services especially for seniors will also be a major priority,” Morrissey said.” Promoting business and broadening our tax base will be a priority as well. There are far too many vacant stores in town and I will enlist the Chamber of Commerce and interested citizens to assist in an innovative solution to these vacancies.”

Morrissey touted the town board’s budget process used by him and his colleagues. “The budget preparation process is a smooth one,” he said. “The town supervisor and board have been able to deliver a budget for the past three years that remained under the state tax cap. A recent independent audit of the town was exemplary. I will strive to continue to attain these same high standards. “

“As supervisor my priorities will be to keep taxes as low as possible, while maintaining a great quality-of-life for our residents,” Morrissey said.” Every decision I make will be in the best interest of all of our residents and my door will always be open. I promise that. What I can also promise is that the job of Somers town supervisor is not easy, and the decisions that need to be made are not easy one. But, I believe I have the experience and character to lead our town board.”

Christine Robbins

Robbins, 63, is making her first race for office.

“I have managerial experience with Haarmann & Reimer a former subsidiary of Bayer Corp, managing a real estate office and a small business,” Robbins said.

Robbins is a member of the Somers League of Women Voters, served as president of the Somers Newcomers Club, was on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the Somers Library and is a member of the Somers Historical Society and other organizations.

“I gave considerable thought before deciding to run for Somers supervisor,” Robbins said. “I decided that the time was right for a change in leadership. This year there is an open seat for that position and numerous people from all parties encouraged me to run for supervisor.”

“I strongly believe in open government and that elected officials are accountable to the residents of our town, and in many instances this has not been the case.” Robbins said. “The final straw came when the town board refused to answer simple questions put to them by the League of Women Voters because they were afraid of the political fallout.  An elected official in this town owes a resident the courtesy of an answer.”

Robbins said the town board needs to change how it funds capital projects.

“There has been zero dollars put into the capital improvement budget code,” Robbins said. “I would make sure that the town board starts addressing this issue so that we can responsibly repair and update our aging infrastructure. With proper budgeting we would not have to borrow two million dollars every other year to pave our roads.  Because of the 10-year bonds it means that the town will always be $10 million in debt to repave its roads.”

 

Four Vie for Two Seats on Somers Town Board

By Neal Rentz

Two Republican-Conservatives will face off against two Democrats in the race for two seats on the Somers Town Board.

There will be at least one new town councilman in 2014 because Republican Rick Morrissey, who is completing his first four-year term as a councilman, declined to seek reelection, choosing instead to run for town supervisor.

The Republican and Conservative Party candidates are Anthony Cirieco, who is completing the final year of an unexpired term, and first-time town board candidate William Faulkner.

The Democrats are two candidates seeking a town board seat for the first time, Chris Foley and Harvey Kriedberg.

Chris Foley

Foley, 45, an attorney with a private practice in Katonah who has been a member of the Somers Planning Board since 2008, ran unsuccessfully for a town justice seat in 2007.

He said he has been active in the town for many years, particularly in youth sports. The town needs to assure there are an adequate amount of athletic fields for the town’s youths, he said.

“I am seeking election as a means of expanding my proven commitment to lend my time and energy to promoting the town’s interests,” Foley said.

“If elected, my top three priorities would be to promote transparency in town governance, to seek out and address instances of wasteful spending and to prioritize problems/issues before attempting to set a course designed to address them,” he said.

Harvey Kriedberg

Kriedberg has been a Somers Board of Education trustee for the past three years. He is a retired teacher and administrator who worked in New York City public schools for 30 years.

Kriedberg, 76, is a former president of the Heritage Hills Society. He said the town should take control over the privately-held water and sewer plants at Heritage Hills, which would reduce water and sewer rates paid by residents of the condominium complex.

“There are serious issues that need to be addressed immediately,” he said. “Through the Angle Fly Preserve agreement that the town made with the Westchester County Board of Legislators in 2005, they received $2 million from the county and obligated the town to build 224 workforce affordable houses by 2015. So far, none have been built. Serious consequences in the form of fines can result for non- compliance by 2015.”

“Another important issue is the desire for Heritage Hills to have the town purchase the water and sewer companies that are currently owned by the builder of Heritage Hills,” he maintained. “The rates for residents and those hooked into the system in town are the highest in Westchester County. The Town Board has been discussing this with representatives of Heritage Hills for 10 years and are reluctant to do this. A faulty study that just completed and it was determined that the town purchase was not feasible. The study was flawed because it used the wrong figures for the average cost of water and sewer at Heritage Hills — $450 per year versus the actual $1150 per year. Money was wasted by the own.”

“A third issue is the town’s lack of prioritized long term planning and developing an adequate reserve fund for dealing with the needed planned project,” he added.

Anthony Cirieco

Cirieco, 60, is a former CFO of a technology company and has worked with his wife, Carol, on the Relay for Life, which raises funds for the American Cancer Society. He is a former Somers Board of Education trustee.

Cirieco said being a member of the town board is part of his family’s dedication to public service.

“As a family, we have a history of participation with the schools, town and Somers community,” he said. “I believe that community leadership is a ‘life example’ for our children and our youth.”

Cirieco spoke about his priorities for a full four-year term.

“We must ‘prioritize resources” focusing on what is urgent and important,” he said. “We want to ‘preserve existing service levels’ and meet our commitments, with safety and security at the top of the list. ‘Protect the taxpayer’ by supporting projects that generate revenue, assess proposals for the lowest cost solution and assure that expenditure proposals are within budget.”

William Faulkner

Though he is making his first run for elected office, Faulkner said earlier this year he has been working with the Somers Educational Foundation which holds fund-raisers throughout the year to provide funding for student programs. He was also a member of committees that helped recruit middle school and high school principals. Faulkner has also been a coach in the Somers youth soccer program for many years.

Faulkner, 45, is treasurer of SME Treasury and Cash Management, Bottomline Technologies. He did not return a message seeking comments.

 

Diana, Paganelli, Gardner Feel Well-Equipped to be Highway Super

By Rick Pezzullo

A trio of candidates has plowed ahead the last few months making a case why they are best qualified to replace longtime highway superintendent Eric DiBartolo in Yorktown.

Tom Diana, a lifelong town resident who will appear on the Democratic, Independence and Working Families lines, has maintained he has the mechanical, equipment, managerial and supervisory experience to run the 30-employee department.

“There is no learning curve for this job. You have to hit the ground running,” he said. “The Highway Department now is running with a very high degree of effectiveness. I will expand what is being done and improve where I can. It’s a diversified skillset that one must have and I feel I fit those qualifications very well.”

Diana spent 25 years in law enforcement in Yorktown, Cortlandt and Westchester County. He and his wife have operated a full service oil delivery company since 2003.

“I will do the job at a level that residents of Yorktown have grown to expect,” he said.

The other candidate whose name will be on the November 5 ballot for the $95,000 position is Councilman Dave Paganelli, who is running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

Paganelli, who is currently in the second year of his first four-year term on the town board, believes his 30 years experience operating Traveler’s Rest restaurant gives him the know-how to manage employees and a $5 million highway budget.

“It’s all about the money. If we don’t have the money to run the highway department, there is no highway department,” he said. “I’m not a new person on the scene. You know I can be trusted. I am a proven entity. I don’t believe I have all the answers. It’s not my way or the highway. I promise to always listen with an open mind.”

The wild card in the race is longtime landscaping and excavation business owner Steve Gardner, who is running an active write-in campaign after falling short in the Democratic primary to Diana.

Gardner, who as an independent contractor plowed Yorktown’s roadways for 18 years under five different highway superintendents, ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign four years ago after DiBartolo was cross endorsed by the Republican and Democratic parties.

“I still think I have the best qualifications of anyone out there,” Gardner said recently. “I believe I’m a person who has built roads. I can’t understand how the voters would pass up someone who built roads for someone who ran a restaurant or has been a police officer. It kind of boggles my mind a little bit. I would like to see this more than a popularity contest.”