Candidate for
Councilman; Town of Ossining

Pete's Political Philosophy:

I've never been one to align with a party, I'm not the party kind of guy. I see a good idea or take sides of a certain issue not based on my party's ideology, but on my own and whether my town would benefit or not. I believe the two party system in America is getting old and coming to an end. I believe people want leaders who vote and legislate due to what their constituents want, not what their party dictates. I believe in small government, efficient government, a government not run by party politics and individual gain, but on strong principles of public trust and open doors. I believe in strict term limits, not career politicians. I believe in a new way of governing and the fact that we must also utilize the old way as well. I believe America's system of democracy is the greatest of them all, but could use new people and new ideas.

Accountability:

We should hold all elected officials accountable for all the decisions they make, good or bad. The Town of Ossining has no ethics board as of this moment. In the field of accountability , creating an ethics board is my number one priority.

Transparency:

We must create a truly transparent government, as our founding fathers intended. With a transparent government present, a deep sense of fiscal responsibility will be reached. If all citizens are well informed of the financial decisions being made by our Town Board then there will be a reluctance to spend heavily. I intend to create a town email for every elected official as well as a profile with picture so citizens know who their representatives are and how to reach them. In addition I also intend town work sessions to be filmed live and replayed on public access.

Fiscal Responsibility:

Like a formula, increased accountability plus increased transparency equals greater fiscal responsibility. The more elected officials are held accountable and the more they are watched, the less likely it is that they will continue their "spenda-holic" ways. Our Founding Fathers never trusted government and valued the idea that government should work for the people. I would pass legislation to eliminate all salaries and health benefits for elected officials to truly show that no person should be elected for the extra income or healthcare. I would also create a bond cap to limit the amount of debt accumulated every year through bonds. In addition I intend to look for a combination of the multitude of services duplicated in the Town of Ossining. Through the process of the citizen referendum, I want to see what residents think, what they would combine and what they would not combine.