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Politics & Government

From Town Finances to Project Home Run, Local Candidates Share Their Thoughts on Key Issues

Comparing the Republican and Democratic positions on hot-button issues.

Have you ever noticed that as most elections approach, all the candidates’ rhetoric starts to sound alike regardless of the political party?

The parties on the left become less strident and more mindful of business owners and big money voters, those on the right become more socially aware and moves are made to include more liberal voters.

The result is that we end up with candidates who sound similar and have little real debate on the major issues. Of course that all changes when they are in office and their real political stance and objectives come to light.

Find out what's happening in Harrisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So it is somewhat refreshing to hear Harrison's Democratic and Republican candidates expressing vastly different views on what needs to happen in town over the next two years. Their diverse platforms allow us to really think about the issues and vote for the team we feel has the best approach and methodology.

Patch sat down with both sides recently and walked through some key issues that the town is facing, hoping to get an idea of what voters can expect from this year's candidates.

Find out what's happening in Harrisonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

First off, the economy.

The Democrats are all for holding the line on spending, focusing on rebuilding the town’s general fund to what they believe are healthy and safe levels.

Incumbent Mayor Joan Walsh said part of her reason for seeking re-election is to continue the spending cuts that she said have improved a difficult financial situation.

“I don’t want to see what we’ve accomplished in the last few years be reversed," she said. "I came into office in the worst of financial times and with the town not only heavily bonded but also in debt.”

She said that position has been reversed during her administration because of strong financial management.

“Despite the severe economy, with the help and cooperation of all the town employees, we have been able to not only hold spending back, but have actually reversed that situation,” she said.

According to Walsh, her spending cuts have resulted in the town beginning its financial recovery and a rebuild of the general fund. For that reason, Walsh does not plan to make any changes to the town's financial strategy.

“Despite major increases in many non-negotiable expenses, we have managed to reign back total spending to 2007 levels. As a result of that we have gone from being in debt to having a strong expectation of having a surplus in the town general fund by year end,” Walsh said.

“Our financial strategies have accomplished wonders in even the toughest of economic times," she added. "We will continue with what has proven to be successful until the town is fully returned to healthy and safe financial levels again.”

The rest of the Democratic team said they are in agreement.

“I’ve had 24 years in office and my focus has always remained the same,” said incumbent Councilman Pat Vetere. “Controlling spending to ensure the town is financially stable and people can continue to afford to stay in their homes remains the top concern. After that’s done is the time to look at when and where spending can be made to best help the town and residents.”

Walsh summarized her party's focus for the next term:

“I will continue to watch every penny and I do it for good reason," she said. "If I’m not here to keep a lid on spending then taxes will keep spiraling. I’m very proud of the budget cuts we have achieved and I want to make sure that we hold those levels and achievements that the employees and administration worked so hard to achieve.” 

But that detailed financial oversight was criticized by the Republican candidates who say that micromanagement has contributed to more problems than it has helped.

“A mayor shouldn’t be counting paperclips,” said incumbent Councilman Fred Sciliano. “You don’t have to look at every purchase order in that position. That’s what you have a controller and department heads for.”

Stephen Malfitano, a former Harrison mayor who will run for the other town council seat on the Republican ticket, agreed.

“The counting the paperclips mentality needs to change. The mayor needs to focus on changing the negativity about town and bringing Harrison back to being a place where people are happy to work and live," he said. "We need to get back to being a town that attracts young couples to move to rather than turning them away by negative newspaper headlines.” 

The Republicans said they hope to focus on implementing responsible spending to reinvest in town infrastructure and other necessary projects.

“Every town needs investment, but it has to be responsible and planned,” said Malfitano.

Such talk of finances inevitably leads to a discussion of taxes. The Democrats stand strongly against further tax raises, hoping that new ideas can generate funds necessary to make improvements without increasing spending.

“Taxes are out of control and a degree of money management is needed along with fresh ideas for generating income," said Howard Hollander, a newcomer to the Democratic ticket who is seeking a council position. "I have been inputting ideas for additional income generation that have been well-received and hope I can make a good contribution in that area.”

The Republicans feel that necessary investment in town may require further tax increases, but bring up the new state mandated 2 percent property tax cap as a limitation.

“We have to look at what that will mean to municipalities going forward,” Malfitano said. “There are exemptions where the tax cap can be overcome but no one is clear when or how those exemptions will apply in practice yet.”

Malfitano went on to say that, as town taxpayers themselves, the Republican candidates are well-aware of the hardship tax rate increases cause, but explained that it is a financial necessity.

“We are still suffering from income declines and property value declines. As that happens we have to look at raising the tax rate to compensate,” he said.

Malfitano agreed that the town needs to consider alternate revenue streams.

“To mitigate the tax increases we would look at innovative ideas for increasing revenue. For example, a hotel tax alone could add $600,000 a year to the town revenues,” he said.

Belmont added that he would like to involve the thoughts of residents while brainstorming for financial innovations.

“I would like to use more volunteer and resident boards,” he said. “We have a huge amount of high-level financial knowledge within our resident base and I would like to use that knowledge and experience.”

Interestingly enough, one project both parties agree on in terms of spending is the MTA project, known as “Station Plaza”. The project promises to rejuvenate Harrison's downtown area by adding stores and other attractions to the area near the MTA train station. 

Both parties would proceed with the project and in fact, requests for bids will go out in the next few weeks, well before the November election.

“Station Plaza will do for downtown what the streetscape and park did for West Harrison,” Vetere said.

Republican candidate Sciliano voiced the Republican’s support for the project as well.

“The MTA projet is a great example of positive development. It will not only be a boost to the downtown area and merchants itself, but it has already encouraged other development projects downtown,” he said.

After hearing about the candidates’ shared support of a major development project, it made sense to ask about their stance on protecting Harrison’s green spaces.

“We recognize the importance of our parks and green spaces,” Walsh said for the Democrats. “While we were supportive of the development of Old Orchard Street as a subdivision, it was because it was out of the way and was being used as a dump site. It was out of sight and therefore a perfect location for development.” 

However, Walsh doesn’t foresee similar developments in the near future, saying that there aren't any other properties fit for it. 

The Democrats also expressed their stand against high-density development, which they define as any building more than six stories high.

“We already have seven high-density buildings in town and I would not want to see more,” Walsh said.

“High density is not for Harrison,” Hollander added. “It just doesn’t fit with our town profile.”

In line with this, the MTA buildings supported by the Democrats would be limited to four to five stories.

The Republican ticket is more open to development, but candidates say projects must be planned around protecting our green space and parks.

“Having been part of the recreation department for 35 years, I’m obviously aware and very appreciative of the importance of our parks and recreation areas,” Belmont said.

Malfitano and Sciliano both added that development is important to the town but needs to be properly managed.

The discussion of development logically led to talk of Beaver Swamp and its planned park development opposite Food Emporium. The field has long been a topic for discussion around town, but remains vacant after complaints of flooding in the area some say were caused by excavation.

The Democrats support a predominantly passive park in the space.

“I believe we need three inches of top soil, grass, a few trees and a walking path on the site,” Walsh said. “I would also like to see an informal ball field on the site but nothing else." 

Hollander supports improvement of the site, but said he is mindful of the flooding suffered by neighboring residents.

“I just want it not to be an eyesore without flooding the neighbors. I support a sitting park and something like a small skateboard area. Something very simple that will improve the area visually without causing any further flooding issues,” he said.

The Republicans are also supportive of the development. Malfitano was a proponent of the development during his term as mayor and continues to support a 15-acre open park initiative known as ‘Project Home Run’ on the site.

“Project Home Run is a perfect example of responsible development. We took a blighted area and got 90 percent state funding to make it into a park that would improve the entrance to town and also provide an important space for residents to enjoy,” he said.

Both teams were then asked why they feel they should get elected over the opposing ticket.

The Democrats focused primarily on the financial records of both parties.

“We’re fiscally responsible and our results speak for themselves," Walsh said. “We need to continue with the same strategy until the town finances and general economy are fully recovered.” 

Hollander also questioned the spending habits of Republicans in previous years.

“If you look at what the Republicans did financially in the past, it wasn’t good," he said. "We need to protect residents from rising taxes and ensure everyone can continue to afford to live in their homes and the town they love.”

The Republicans maintain that their advantage is the experience and knowledge on their ticket.

“I'm not one to boast, but our ticket is superior in every way," Belmont said. "We have my management experience, Fred’s  infrastructure knowledge and experience and Steve is our financial guy. The other team just can’t compare."

Candidates were asked about possible voter objections to their candidacy and how they would respond to those objections.

Vetere said a possible objection might be that he had been in office too long. But he was quick to respond.

“My years of office bring an understanding of the town’s history and what works and doesn’t work. I have a wealth of experience. I think that is an important contribution to the board,” he said.

Hollander’s response was the exact opposite, he said people might see his lack of experience as a negative, but said that he brings plenty of experience to the table outside of local politics.

“I bring many years of experience as chairman of the Airline Pilots Union, which has 63,000 members," he said. "In that position I dealt with everything from union negotiations to grievance and arbitration management and sat in on board meetings working closely with company management.” 

Hollander added that he actually saw his lack of previous board time as a positive.

“I think it’s useful and important to have a fresh viewpoint and fresh ideas on the board. I believe the town needs that now and I’m looking forward to making a strong contribution,” he said

Walsh said some people may feel she had not accomplished enough in some areas during her first four years in office.

“While we’ve achieved a lot, we were also hampered by not having the majority vote on issues," she said. "However I hope voters will appreciate the common sense I brought to town finances as well as the responsibility and transparency I brought to the office of mayor.” 

The Republicans were unanimous in saying they didn’t foresee any voter objections to their candidacies.

“If people know who I am and my motivation they can't have any objection to my candidacy,” Malfitano said. “I’m hoping that we’ll be extremely well-received.”

Sciliano voiced a similar belief.

“I don’t know of any specific objections. Of course you can't please everyone all the time, but I’ve always been honest and up front and bring a common sense approach to the issues,” he said.

Belmont laughingly only foresaw two votes he wouldn’t get.

“If people know me and what I stand for, I cant see anyone not giving me their vote except Joan and her husband,” he said with a grin. “And while I don’t think I can convince Joan to change her mind, I’m still working on her husband.”

The final question: what message would you like to see as the main thrust of your ticket's platform?

For the Democrats it was continuing with the financial initiatives they believe are key to the town’s recovery and long-term well-being.

“We’ve got a lot accomplished, but there’s still a lot more to do,” Walsh said. “We’ve achieved wonderful things and I want to continue with the strategies that are working for the town to ensure that everything we’ve worked so hard for is not lost.” 

Belmont summarized the Republican ticket’s focus as “restoring the prominence, pride and respect”.

“We have the best team in terms of background and experience, and just as importantly, we’re all here for the right reasons,” he said. "We bring a lot to the town and want to restore it to where it should be."

No doubt, further priorities and issues will develop during the next four months leading up to the November election. It will continue to be interesting to watch the two teams and how they respond.

In the meantime, they’ve given us all plenty to chew on.

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