First Time Candidate Eyes District 7 Leg. Seat
A first time candidate that’ll represent the Democratic Party this November announced his run against the current chairman of the Putnam County Legislature last week as the petition period to get on the ballot gets underway.
Scott Reing, an attorney and Mahopac resident, confirmed to The Putnam Examiner he is running against current lawmaker Joe Castelleno for the District 7 legislative seat, which represents the Village of Brewster, part of the Town of Southeast and a slice of Mahopac.
When Reing moved to Mahopac in Feb. 2017, he said he wanted to get involved in local politics. When the local Democratic Party was seeking a candidate to run against Castellano, Reing jumped at the opportunity. Currently, the county legislature is filled with all Republicans.
He said there is “room to be better” with regards to current county government and stressed anytime a government is run by one point of view, in this case all- Republican, it can lead to rubberstamped decisions. He said the county Legislature is not engaging in the proper type of debate or intrigue to get the best results for residents.
“There’s too much waste, too much spending, not enough review of what’s being spent,” Reing said.
The $5,000 pay raise legislators voted through last year for themselves was too steep, Reing argued. He would like to cut that salary down to $30,000, instead of the current annual salary of $40,000
(Castellano was one of the six lawmakers that voted for the raise.)
Reing said the county should lower the sales tax they currently impose on items and services, which makes businesses in other surrounding counties, like Westchester and Dutchess, more appealing to customers.
“We pay more for the same items,” Reing said. “I think sales tax is too high.”
Reing, who grew up in Mohegan Lake, is a tax/real estate attorney and is actually a former Republican until a few years ago. He owns a firm with his father.
Reing said he wants to bring fresh ideas to the legislature that are currently lacking from current office holders, including Castellano.
“I’ve always been involved mostly nationally in terms of my interest in politics, but for me that was true until I started learning more about local politics and I seeing there are things I feel strongly about and it’d be nice to actually have some kind of say to help represent the people like me,” Reing said.
Castellano is seeking his third term in office after six years on the county lawmaking body. He was vice chairman the previous two years and this year he is the chairman. He’s running again, he said, because he enjoys working for Putnam residents and believes he has helped make the county a better place.
“I think Putnam County is doing great,” Castellano said. “We’re doing good things and I hope to continue to improve the county.”
Castellano said the legislature has spent money wisely, approving every budget proposal that falls under the New York State tax cap. The county also has a strong bond rating, indicating Putnam is a solid financial footing, Castellano said, adding that facilities and infrastructure have been upgraded.
Castellano wholly disagreed with Reing that the legislature rubberstamps every initiative from the county executive’s office or from a fellow lawmaker. He said the legislature has committee meetings that are filled with conversations and questions about different topics
“Not everything is 100 percent every time,” he said. “We all have our own opinions and we try to fight for our areas of Putnam County and fight for Putnam County all together.”
