Dear Friend

By Peter J. "Pete" Tripodi, IV

A letter about myself and why I am running for Town Council.

Hello, my name is Peter Tripodi, and I am a candidate for the Ossining Town Council. As a recent college graduate with a degree in American History and Political Science I felt my knowledge would best be utilized in the field of public service. While a career goal I had always wanted, my return to Ossining during every school vacation only enhanced that decision. I went to town meetings when I could, and vetted my thoughts to fellow citizenry. Upon my return it became apparent nothing had changed in the town where I spent my whole life, and in some instances it had gotten worse. It was extremely heartbreaking to know that I could not afford to buy property or start a family in the town that I had grown up in. In addition to this many people who had shaped my life or grown up with me had moved away due to this fact.

New York leads the country in out migration, many families are splitting and younger people's talents are being utilized elsewhere; property taxes are one of the root causes of this. While our current town board continues to raise taxes every single year, sometimes more than the rate of inflation, we as a people need a leader who will stand up to this excessive spending during a time of economic uncertainty. Seniors are also being taxed out of their homes. In an effort to keep and take care of the ones that matter most, I will give Seniors property tax credits for volunteering at town events. One of the reasons for our high tax rates is the multitude of services carried out by the three different parts of the Town of Ossining. A combination of these services would decrease cost and increase efficiency. There is no need for separate services that do the same thing in one town.
The environment is another key factor as to why I am running for the Town Council position. I will work with the private sector and elected officials to preserve open space around our waterfront, but at the same time utilize our waterfront for the betterment of our economy. I will also aggressively pursue state and federal grants to construct solar panels on town offices in order to cut energy costs and pass this savings to the tax payer. I intend to work with surrounding communities in an effort to create more "GREEN" initiatives as well as using these initiatives to save people money.
I believe my education and experiences have given me the vision and leadership capable of bringing fiscal responsibility back to Ossining. I intend to voice my opinion against excessive spending to the board and vote for the overburdened tax payer. I would greatly appreciate your support on Election Day!
Peter Tripodi