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Community Corner

A Love of Harrison in Action

From shoe shines to politics, Bob Amelio looks back at half a century of community service.

From a hard-working childhood as the son of an Italian shoemaker, to becoming an influential figure in local politics, Bob Amelio has done a lot during his 85 years in Harrison.

In the early 1920s Bob's father Raffaele Amelio repaired shoes from a small storefront in downtown Harrison. Raffaele and his wife raised eight children on the small profits from the store.

While money was tight, the family was raised with a close bond to the community and a sense of duty and service for those less fortunate. In keeping with that love of community, Bob Amelio, is now patriarch to the fifth generation of the family being raised in the same streets of Harrison where Raffaele first wielded his trade more than half a century ago.

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“I love this town and the people in it. I grew up in these streets with these same families and neighbors and each of them hold a special memory and feeling for me,” Amelio said.

Amelio recalls how the town looked to a small child in the '20s and '30s.

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“We used to watch the lamp-lighters doing their rounds, turning the gas lamps on and off each day. The town streets were all brick back then with trolley cars running through them and we would wave at the street cleaners who did their job by hand with a broom. When it snowed, the streets were ploughed by a man with a little wooden plough,” Amelio recalled.

Amusements were simple and the children would join other kids in the streets.

“On Sundays we used to gather around a man who used to walk along Main Street with a pet monkey. He would take off his cap and we would drop a penny in it to see the monkey up close,” Amelio said.

All the children were expected to help out with the business.

“My father worked 12 hour days and we were expected to do our bit. We used to drag the shoeshine chair out into the street and do shoe shines for a nickel,” Amelio explained.

And when times were tough the whole family worked extra hours to help those who were struggling even more.

“We kids would be sent to pick out shoes from second-hand shoe stores and my father would repair them all so they could be worn again. We would work alongside him to finish the shoes once he did the repairs. Then we would send them to people in greater need,” Amelio said.

The small shoe repair shop that sat across from the old movie theater on Harrison Avenue soon became a gathering place for the town’s politicians. Young Bob Amelio would sit in the hall adjoining the store and listen to his elders ponder the important topics of the day.

“The storefront was small but it had a pot belly stove that always had a freshly boiled kettle on it. At the end of each day, the town politicians would sit in front of the stove and debate the issues affecting local residents. It was the most wonderful introduction to community politics a boy could have,” Amelio recalled.

The chairman of the Republican Party in Harrison and vice chair of the Westchester County Republican Party, Amelio has held an office for more than 52 years, making him the longest running Republican chairman in New York state.

“I am only there for only one reason and will be there for that reason until I am not able to be there any longer,” he said. “That is to help as many people as possible, at a time when they are not able to help themselves.”

Amelio has passed on that same passion for public service to the next generation. His daughter, Harrison Councilwoman Marlane Amelio, was elected to the town board in 2009 and is currently serving her first four-year term.

“Dad always tells me I cannot save the world, but clearly, one can see, both my grandfather and my dad were determined to help as many as they could and were therefore my role models,” Councilwoman Amelio said. 

In his positions with the Republican Party, Bob Amelio oversees the party administration in the 30 villages throughout the county. Representatives meet monthly to discuss issues and action plans. Having such a large geographical area, Harrison  has a total of 17 electoral districts with 34 party representatives, two from each district.

Amelio and fellow representatives play a key role in the upcoming November elections, determining who will be allowed on the final voting ticket.

Currently they are getting together the names of people who would like to run for supervisor and the open council, town clerk and judges positions. Then they will move on to interviewing the candidates.

The party representatives then vote on who will be placed on the final ticket and follow that up by actively working to promote the ticket. It is a powerful position  as it determines the people and issues voters will be exposed to.

 Amelio has high hopes for the Republicans in this year’s elections.

 “I think the party is going to do great this year. People are fed up with tax increases and the other economic issues we are facing as a community. Many people who love this community and have spent their lives here are facing being priced out and that just cannot be allowed to happen,” he said.

Amelio also has great concern about the struggling downtown area where, at age 85, he continues to have an office from which he oversees a building management business.

“They need help and we need to give it to them by providing more parking, attracting pedestrian traffic and bringing in additional businesses that will increase traffic,” Amelio said.

Amelio is aware of the constraints of running a business. He is the owner of Sha- Mar Construction, a partner in R + D Amelio Builders and has built more than 200 homes during his long career in construction.

But what he remains most proud of are the values his father taught him: family, service to country and to community. After serving with distinction during war time with the Merchant Marines he remains invested in the well-being of local families and the town, which after 85 years, he continues to call home.

“You can travel a lot further in life, if you travel with others than alone,” Amelio said. “I love this town and all the families and individuals in it. If I can continue to reach out a hand and help someone along the way, I will feel privileged to do it for as long as I possibly can.”

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