Somers Town Board Race: Q&A with Anthony Cirieco

Editor's Note: We asked the candidates for Somers Town Board –Christopher Foley (D), Harvey Kriedberg (D), Anthony Cirieco (R), Bill Faulkner (R) – a series of questions before the Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Faulkner did not respond to the questions. Below are Cirieco's responses. 

Patch: Why did you decide to run for re-election?

Anthony Cirieco: I served two terms, totaling 6 years, as trustee on the Somers School Board. I was elected to the position of Somers Town Councilman for a one- year special term. I am presently campaigning for the four-year term for Somers Town Councilman. As a family, we have a history of participation with the schools, town and Somers community. I believe that community leadership is a “life example” for our children and our youth.

Patch: What personal or professional experiences qualify you to serve as a town board member?

Cirieco: I have lived in Somers since 1983 with my spouse, Carol and three children, Elizabeth, 26, Jacqueline 24, and Matthew 20. My qualifications include a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and MBA in Finance, with over 25-year career in a corporate setting and experience as a CFO in the telecommunications industry. I previously served as a CFO for Genesis Networks; a small venture capital backed communications company and held the position of global CFO for MCI International, a $4 billion enterprise, for a decade.

Presently, I am an investment manager at a major wealth management firm. As a community leader, I have continuity serving the Somers Community, lowering costs and maintaining service level priorities in challenging times. My experience on the school board, activities on various committees and community organizations uniquely situates me to leverage my relationships to advocate for coordination of government between the town, school, government agencies and community organizations. I have demonstrated the ability to manage expectations, be “up front with people” and bring people together.

Patch: What are the top three issues facing town residents?

Cirieco: Somers like most municipalities is experiencing low “revenue growth” and “declining property values.” This creates tremendous pressure on the tax rates as “rising expenses” associated with pension costs, heath care costs, fuel and utilities that are increasing beyond the state mandated property caps. 

Somers is an economically diverse town. I am concerned about our senior citizens’  ability to manage on fixed incomes, the portion of our community that may be  unemployed, our youth that needs to be kept engaged in activities and our families that hope to retire here in an affordable fashion.

Patch: Describe your campaign platform or how you differentiate yourself from your opponents' platforms?

Cirieco: I bring an enormous amount of financial, business and government experience during challenging economic times. I have proven management skills, budget and planning experience. I have been an active community leader in Somers. During this time, I have consistently advocated a vision of maintaining academics as a priority, preserving service levels for our families, children and seniors. Regarding our platform, the priorities in front of us are clear during this challenging economic recovery. 

• We must “Prioritize Resources” focusing on what is urgent and important.

• We want to “Preserve Existing Service Levels” and meet our commitments, with safety and security at the top of the list. 

• “Protect the Tax payer” by supporting projects that generate revenue, assess proposals for the lowest cost solution and assure that expenditure proposals are within budget.

• Pursue grants where appropriate, and make sure that everything we do provides measurable added value.

Patch: Should you be re-elected, what would you like to achieve over the course of your term?

Cirieco: 

• First and foremost maintain Somers status as one of the lowest taxed towns in Westchester

• Continue to advocate for emergency preparedness

• Advocate for better service levels from the utilities that serve our time

• Maintain the vision of keeping our schools and town campuses the center of our community activities and keeping our youth engaged

• Coordination of government between town, schools, state, and county to reduce costs

• Fulfilled our environmental mandates and commitments for affordable housing

• Update the master plan

• Support road paving efforts over the coming years

• Continue our efforts to raise grant money 

• Preserve Somers status as a desirable place to live

Patch: Is there anything we haven't asked that you would like the public to know about you or your candidacy?

Cirieco: I want to thank the community for their support over the years. With your support and encouragement, I look forward to continuing my service to the community.