I have always been endorsed by the Conservative Party for my record.
I am proud to have the endorsement of the Putnam County Conservative Party in the race for Putnam County Executive. My record shows that I have balanced the fiscal accountability to the taxpayers with being socially responsible to the residents. The proof is in the facts.
Fiscal Responsibility
- Putnam County has the lowest portion of a tax bill, at 9%, of any of the 62 counties in NYS. The average county portion is 21.52%. Putnam County averages at 9% and is only 8% of the property tax bill in the Town of Kent. This is based on the budget presentation given by the Town of Kent Director of Finance Yulia Kelly on Nov. 9, 2017.
- Maintained its Aa2 Moody’s Bond Rating for 6 years while keeping our budgets under the 2% tax cap.
- Kent is the highest taxed Town in Putnam County—where as Putnam County uses the lowest portion of a tax bill of any County in NYS.
Reduced the county’s debt by $40 million
- Reduced long-term debt by 15% since 2011, while investing in our aging infrastructure
- Eliminated the short-term debt from past administrations.
- Paid off the $8.5 million NYS pension amortization early and saving the taxpayers $775,000 interest.
- Saved the county over $200,000 by leaving the Deputy County Executive position vacant in 2018
- Uncovered thousands of dollars of Medicaid fraud and ensured that the services are only being used by those properly qualifying for it.
Shared Services
- Founded and co-chaired the Fiscal Vision and Accountability Commission as a County Legislator in 2007 to identify ways to reduce redundant costs and create efficiencies by sharing services with local municipalities and school districts.
- Putnam County takes the $3.2 million responsibility of community college chargebacks and $1.9 million for the Board of Elections to meet the requirements of the Help America Vote Act that are mandated for the towns and villages.
- Currently, the County shares services with the local municipalities through the East of Hudson Corporation, with the Sheriff’s Road and Marine Patrols, through the County Clerk’s Records Storage and Management and with inter-municipal agreements with the all the local highway departments and with the Town of Kent for Information Technology services.
- Developing additional ways to share services with the towns, villages and school districts—such using electronic video court appearances and a wash bay at the transportation department.
Keeping schools safe
- Funding the SROs—school resource officer program, throughout the county to help keep our schools safe for the students and staff.
- Supporting Active Shooter Training by our law enforcement to stay prepared and ready to react.
Opioid Crisis
- Tackling the opioid crisis by taking on Big Pharma for monetary compensation for its fraudulent and negligent practices, which caused immeasurable harm to residents and taxpayers.
- Funding an innovative drug treatment court that helps defendants overcome addictions
Investing in Infrastructure Projects
- Obtained millions in funding for our roads, bridges, bike path; such as the Morningthorpe Avenue Pedestrian Bridge Project, the Drewville Road Bridge, and the repaving of Route 6 in Carmel
Economic Development
- Putnam County Golf Course, which was purchased by the county in 2003 and mismanaged, has been reinvigorated to be sustainable via public-private partnerships.
- Tilly Foster Farm, which was purchased by the county in 2002 and allowed to fall into a dilapidated state, is transformed into a tourist destination and educational institute through a partnership with BOCES.
- Developing the Southeast-Danbury sewer line and the Carmel-Mahopac Route 6 sewer line, which will enhance our commercial corridors and promote economic development, which is important to our fiscal stability.
Seniors
- New Friendship Center in Philipstown and the revitalization of the Carmel Friendship Center.
- Provide transportation for shopping trips and medical appointments, which allow the seniors further mobility.
- Encouraging fellowship and socialization by hosting multi-center Holiday Luncheons for the seniors to enjoy.
Veterans
- Honoring our Veterans by becoming the first Purple Heart County in NYS, introduced the Memorial Day Weekend and Veterans Day Row of Honor display, Veterans’ Chow Down Dinner, Stand up for America rally and the Inaugural NYS Medal of Honor Parade.
- The Veterans Service Agency now has a full-time director, a deputy director and two NYS-certified service officers to assist more veterans receive the help they need.
- Partnered with the Mental Health Association of Putnam County on the PFC. Joseph Dwyer Vet2Vet peer support program.
- Spearheaded fundraising efforts to raise over $20,000 for United For The Troops to send packages overseas to our service men and women.
2nd Amendment
- Defending the rights and protecting the privacy and safety of gun owners and all citizens
- Appealing the court decision allowing The Journal News to obtain the data through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request filed by a newspaper reporter on May 15, 2013.
Establishing Incident Command Structure
- Manage all severe weather events with the Incident Command Structure
- Coordinating with multiple agencies to keep our residents safe and maintain essential services.
Debunking Rhetoric
- The benefits associated with the position of County Executive are comparable to those of a Town Supervisor because we are all based on the NYS retirement system.
- I was a small business owner and volunteer who got involved in government to make a difference. I was willing to risk not having a government job to take on political corruption.
- The County Executive is a 24-hour, 365-day position that has no room for outside employment.
I love Putnam County and I am proud of our record. We have worked hard to keep Putnam County’s finances fiscally sound while maintaining our fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers and balancing our social responsibility to the residents. There is more work to be done and I would like to serve you for another four years, so we can continue to move Putnam in a positive focused direction. I appreciate the backing of the Republican, Independence and Conservative parties, which are in agreement that I am the best candidate for Putnam County Executive.