Politics & Government
Meet the Candidate: Steve Malfitano
Part two of a four-part series interviewing Harrison's candidates for town council.
Candidate: Steve Malfitano
Age: 54
Political Affiliation: Republican
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Education/Experience: Graduate of Villanova University, B.S. Economics with a concentration in finance. Attended NYU Graduate School of Business (did not complete). Former managing director of SG cowen securities corp. (Municipal Securities/Municipal Finance) Supervisor/Mayor Town of Harrison 2002-2007. Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney 2008 to present.
Patch: What is your platform for running for this position? What should voters know about you before making their decision?
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Malfitano: Voters should know that I am just as upset at the 35 percent tax rate increase we have experienced as they are, and they should know that this did not have to happen. There were better ways to have managed the extreme effects of the recession than just raising taxes. They should know that I will promote the following agenda if elected:
0-1. Fiscal responsibility. This means establishing a five-year fiscal plan that includes operating and capital budgets. It means finding ways to lessen the tax burden on residents. It means living within the 2 percent tax cap imposed by the State of New York and doing better than that if we can.
-1. Providing the highest level of services to the community that we can afford while living within our means and without compromising public safety.
-1. Active code enforcement of illegal property uses, including occupancy and building code enforcement
-1. Completing the Master Plan initiative and assisting residents who suffer from flooding by providing solutions.
-1. Maintaining our buildings, facilities and grounds and keeping our business districts clean.
-1. Working to advance the MTA project on our terms, exercising our control over the development and always with the best interest of Harrison in mind.
-1. Setting standards for improvements to both business districts and holding landlords to those standards.
-1. Restoring the image of our community.
Patch: Compare yourself as an elected official from your time as supervisor to now, what is different?
Malfitano: Certainly the economic times we live in now are substantially different and the effect the Great Recession has had on all families is something we continue to live with. So these are very different times and they require good leadership from people equipped with the skill sets to help. I am in a different place now career wise, but I still have a sense of public service to my community. I believe I can help and that I can make a difference and I am motivated to do so.
Patch: Past spending has been a key issue during this election season, with some campaign ads and statements pointing a finger to your administration as part of the reason for Harrison’s recent economic struggles. Do you think these criticisms are fair as you seek a term on the town board?
Malfitano: I think the criticism is unfair. While we borrowed money for projects, the improvements that were made town-wide will continue to benefit residents for many years to come. As an example, West Harrison’s business district is now a vibrant community as a result of the improvements made there. In downtown Harrison, we used $7.5 million in funding from the Sate of New York and the Federal Government (not the Town of Harrison) to remove a junkyard, recapture property and eliminate a blighted area that is at the gateway to Harrison (project homerun).
Contrary to Councilman Vetere’s statements, he and the rest of the board at that time supported all of the projects, and he is on the record as having voted in favor of 104 out of the 107 bond resolutions that authorized spending during my term in office. Residents should also know that Vetere and Paladino were opposed to borrowing money to pay for settlement of tax certioraris and litigation expenses that we settled, but were incurred by prior administrations, even though the borrowing of money to fund such expenses was common practice then as it is now under Joan Walsh. Their actions forced the board to use almost $4 million of fund balance (reserves) to pay for these unbudgeted expenses.
When I left office on Dec. 31, 2007, the Town had $3.2 million in reserves and the actual operating results for that year were within $25,555 of break-even. The NYS Comptrollers 2010 report acknowledges both of these statistics. The additional debt we incurred for all capital projects amounted to $26 million and was largely accounted for in the tax rate. Residents should know that the tax rate increased by less than 8 percent as a result of the additional borrowing. To put this into perspective, consider that a home worth $500,000 today is paying $150 more in taxes per-year as a result of the improvements that were made.
The question residents should be asking is: Now that spending is back at 2007 levels (my last year in office), why have taxes risen by 35 percent since then? There is no doubt that the Great Recession and the effect this has had on non-tax based revenues (interest income, sales tax receipts, mortgage taxes and building fees) and property values is at the root of the problems we have. Consider that by the end of 2008, these revenues were off collectively by almost $3 million and this further exacerbated 2009 and 2010 results.
So do I think that it is unfair for my opponents to point the finger? Yes and the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee does as well having just found their campaign practices to be unfair, misleading and untruthful with respect to this issue.
Patch: Negotiations continue at this point between town leadership and local labor unions over possible changes to the healthcare aspect of their contracts. Will you continue to pursue these changes? What are your hopes, if any, for the renegotiated union contracts?
Malfitano: While I won’t comment publicly on any aspect of labor contract negotiations, I will state that I will, as I always have, negotiate in good faith with the interests of taxpayers foremost in mind, and at the same time exercise consideration and fairness to labor’s positions. I am confident that by working together, future negotiations will lead to agreements that will be beneficial to the taxpayer and fair to labor. The key to success is trust.
Patch: What plans do you have for possible senior living centers in Harrison? Some of Harrison’s seniors have struggled to keep up with increased taxes and are considering moving from the area, how do you fix this problem?
Malfitano: This is an issue that we were looking at several years ago as part of the master plan process and I think our seniors should have access to housing that they can afford. There are locations uptown and downtown that could support senior housing. The questions are: How do you fund it and how do you limit residency to Harrison residents only? The only way I would move forward on this is by creating a public/private for-profit partnership that does not use any federal, state or county funding so that we can limit residency and not incur additional taxpayer expense in constructing and operating housing.
Patch: What is your biggest strength as a prospective town board member?
Malfitano: One word—experience. My educational background in economics and finance, business experience and six years in office as mayor separates me from my opponents. As the former chief administrator, I have a better working knowledge of how government in the town of Harrison runs. I also have many years of management experience from the private sector. I am experienced at managing people and process, and I have a financial background that includes accounting, budgeting and municipal finance. I would view my role on the board as a councilman to be advisory in nature and therefore my past business and public sector experiences a big plus.
Patch: What do you think your biggest weakness will be, how will you address it?
Malfitano: I am a hands on, can do person with a positive, the glass is more than half full attitude. While this can be an attribute, it can also be a weakness. I have been criticized for being too ambitious and for doing too much in too short a period of time. I accept that criticism. That was then. This is now and these are much different times.
Patch: What is one thing voters might not know about you that they should?
Malfitano: My family is paramount. I absolutely enjoy spending as much time as I possibly can with our two adult children, my beautiful wife and my terrific parents.
Steve Malfitano is one of four candidates running for two open seats on the Harrison Town Board. We will post interviews with all four candidates in the days leading up to Election Day.
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