Candidate Profile: William Bongiorno For Lewisboro Supervisor

LEWISBORO, NY — In 2021's general election, residents of the Hudson Valley will be voting for local officials. In anticipation, Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

William Bongiorno is seeking election as the Lewisboro Town Supervisor in November. The 52-year-old is running as a Republican.

Learn more about Bongiorno on www.billbongiorno.com

Check out Patch's full Q&A with William Bongiorno:

Position Sought

Lewisboro Town Supervisor

Party Affiliation

Republican, Conservative

Family

Wife Robbin, son Will, 10, daughter Sarah, 16

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Communication, SUNY Buffalo

Occupation

30 years of public relations experience, 17 years as founder of Blue Chip Public Relations, Inc.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

N/A

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am very unhappy with our current town board on every level. I believe it has lost its way and focus on town issues and matters of importance to our people. It has also created division in our town between people that needs to end. In addition, I am very disappointed in the condition of our town, from its buildings to ball fields, parks, lakes and its drinking water.

I saw this as an opportunity to lead the town to a better future on every level, so I decided to run for public office to serve the people of Lewisboro. I’ve already make a difference and have had a positive impact on the community.

I worked as a private citizen with a donor in town to bring $100,000 to the Lewisboro Baseball Association for field improvements at the Lewisboro Town Park. Along with my running mates, we stopped a very bad real estate deal by Supervisor Parsons and his confidential secretary which was not in the town’s best financial or otherwise interest.

I have brought attention to the failing health of our lakes, the disrepair of our town’s physical assets and now they are getting some token fixes. It’s not enough. I want to monetize our town’s assets to turn them into recurring revenue streams and bring money and excitement into town through community centers and partnerships with businesses, volunteers and donors.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Our town’s infrastructure is in dire shape across the board. This means our buildings, our ball fields, our parks, and our roads. We need to make investments to fix these problems and turn them into ways for the town to make money.

We also have a major water problem at the Oakridge that needs an independent engineering study to determine a final solution, cost and ways to pay for the fix. There are several ways we will do this. Grants that are available that have not been pursued. The town needs a full time grant writer so that we are applying for every grant we can.

We also need to work more closely with our county, state and federal elected officials to ensure that we are getting our fair share of the monies available to go to Lewisboro. Every level of our government is in control of Democrats: County Exec, Assembly, Senate and the Town Board, yet we have only gotten a tiny amount of money into Lewisboro.

Also generous donors and volunteers are the backbone of our community. Without them, the town could not function given the small town budget. Sadly, donors to our town who have contributed millions of dollars have been treated very poorly and have stopped donating. I’ve already begun mending fences and I will work to make them feel welcome, appreciated and shown the gratitude they deserve. We need to work together on these levels to ensure the town is restored to a high quality standard.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I’m a strong leader who is not afraid to stand up to people and fight for what is right and in the town’s best interest. I have always been in leadership positions from the time I was a teenager until now. That means I can work with different people on common goals and delegate when necessary. I understand compromise and building a consensus, but do not waver on core principles or bend to pressure inside or outside of an organization. I inspire, manage and lead through example, giving recognition and praise. I do not just go along to get along. As Margaret Thatcher said, "It takes a certain amount of steel to be a leader." This I have.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

The current Deputy Supervisor has been silent again and again when asked to raise his voice for Lewisboro. His silence has been deafening.

He sat silent when his running mate Jane Crimmins diverted $100,000 of grant money away from its express purpose of improving Lewisboro Town Park Field. In fact at the last board meeting of 2020, he not only did not oppose the move, but said, “Well done, Jane.”

He was silent on shutting down the ethics board and silent again as his fellow boardmember Dan Welsh continued to pitch his employer’s programs for personal gain on Town Board meetings. His only answer, “our attorney says it’s ok.” Changes were made after I called for reconvening the ethics board and he no longer persists in this unethical behavior.

Councilman Goncalves was silent on the transfer of taxpayer-owned property to Supervisor Parson’s Confidential Secretary. While he voted against it, he knew it would pass and never spoke out against it, nor signed the petition to put it to a public referendum.

He has also been silent on the need to restore the health of our lakes or even starting a committee for a Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan for Lewisboro.

He is silent even on common sense, when his running mate and fellow board member Jane Crimmins, said during a recent board meeting that “Common sense doesn’t work for me.” It sure doesn’t work for Tony who has voted 99% of the time with her. Other than the land vote, the only other time was to deny taxpayer funds for a town sponsored Pride event.

He has allowed his running mate to divide the town by introducing incredibly offensive resolutions and calling citizens derogatory names on social media and calling them out during board meetings. This is unacceptable and needs to stop.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Most recently Supervisor Parsons and this town board saw fit to institute an “emergency” mask mandate that has lasted for months. He even had the audacity to abuse his power by walking into a business in Vista without a mask, breaking his own mandate, and accusing them of not adhering to the mandate. He then sent the police there. I strongly oppose mask mandates that are arbitrary and capricious.

We live in a time when we can get virtually anything delivered to us. If someone is uncomfortable going to a store, they can ask for outside service or order online. It just doesn’t make sense at this point in time when we have high levels of vaccinated people.

He only lifted the mandate last Saturday, just in time for early voting to start. His mask mandate was political and not based on any science. Surrounding towns in the county had no such mandate.

Our elected officials fail to take into account the mental and emotional health of their citizens and also the economic impact on our small businesses with such a mask mandate and other restrictions. Our local officials followed state and county guidelines during the height. Once those were lifted, our local officials kept our town offices closed way beyond the time they should have.

I am a firm believer in personal responsibility and liberty. People are free to wear a mask if they so choose where they want, but we should not be forcing anyone to wear one inside or out. Let’s let parents and citizens choose what’s best for themselves and their families. I will not be having town board meetings with masks on. There will be a virtual option for anyone who does not want to attend in person. These will have high quality audio and visuals and agendas and attachments will be available online.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

We should stop labeling people and just be fellow Lewisboro townspeople. Having knocked on doors of many different people and different parties, I can say without a doubt that people want unity and not division. They are tired of the fighting on social media and the disrespect shown by people towards one another.

We need to focus on what unites us and I have been running on a platform of fixing the problems that affect everyone in Lewisboro. We have quality of life issues that need addressing: we need clean water, healthy lakes, safe ball fields, maintained parks and buildings. Those are issues that need fixing for everyone. We need government to be transparent and open for people so they will want to be engaged and feel heard.

Rather than have events that just target one group of people, we should be having events that are for everyone. The Lewisboro Playground group is the perfect example. Their events and goals are for everyone. It’s no wonder, the Octoberfest was overflow capacity and such a success. Their incredible hard work was on display, but also the fact that they include everyone. It’s not just about one group.

I also want to acquire a building through donor contributions for a community center in the middle of town. This will give us another recurring revenue stream, while creating space for various events that would bring our six hamlets together, so we can be one Lewisboro. I will bring the community together again by focusing on what unites us. I can’t solve every problem, but I can listen to everyone. We can disagree and still be neighbors, friends and fellow townspeople.

We need to revitalize Lewisboro, reimagine community involvement and listen to our citizens, bringing them in the conversation so they can reclaim their ownership of town government.

I don’t wait to be told what’s a problem. I see something that needs fixing and I get it done. Like painting over the graffiti at the East Street bridge with a community group in town. Lewisboro needs a strong leader and a self starter as its next Town Supervisor. We’ve seen an influx of different people moving to Lewisboro from New York City. We also want people there to realize they don’t need to travel upstate to get to the country. Lewisboro has great natural beauty here for people. Using my background in public relations, I want to put Lewisboro on the map by marketing its hiking trails, preserves, charming shops and friendly people. Together we can make Lewisboro an even greater place.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Having worked with many leading money managers and investment companies for 30 years, I not only understand sophisticated finance, but have an ability to break it down and simplify it so anyone can understand the process. I believe that’s important when communicating the town’s finances to taxpayers, so they can have a better grasp of the numbers. I have worked with stock pickers, as well bond fund managers that invest in corporate and municipal debt. I was an editor at PR Newswire for four years out of college and responsible for transmitting public company earnings reports to investors, analysts and media around the world.

I’m an entrepreneur, having started my own public relations business 17 years ago, working with investment companies. I’ve advised CEOs of private investment and public companies. I want to put my leadership skills and proven track record to work for Lewisboro. The town needs a CEO now more than ever. We are at a cross roads and planning for the future is critical now to ensure that Lewisboro stays the way we love it, but improves across the board. I will employ SMART strategies, (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely). I will communicate with townspeople through town halls, weekly emails and an annual State of the Town Address each March.

Regarding my community service, when my son first joined our Vista-Lewisboro Cub Scouts it was lacking organization and parent involvement. I jumped in to help our Cubmaster and became Assistant and then Cubmaster, working together to organize the group and bring parent volunteers in to fill specific roles where we thought they would well suited and would benefit everyone.

We underwent extensive planning and training to make the pack the best it could be. I took Wood Badge training which is an extensive 6 day course that includes much corporate training in addition to scout training. In 2019, under my leadership we attained the Journey to Excellence Award.

Our Pack is thriving and growing. I’m proud to say as Cubmaster last year, I ran a full outdoor scout year, which included campouts, pack meetings, outings, events and an outdoor pinewood derby for our scouts. Parents have told me how much they appreciate that I found a way to make this happen for their children at a time when virtually everything else stopped. I’m proud to say that while other units folded, we are still here and thriving. I received the rarely awarded Unit Leader Award for Cubmaster by our District for my efforts. I will bring those same skills to bear as Lewisboro Supervisor.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

First by my mother, my hero, “do your best.” So I always try to live up to that. Second, was when I entered into running for this public office, “stay true to yourself.” Great advice from a friend and former town board member in North Salem. It’s easy to get pulled in many directions and try to make everyone happy. This leads to making no one happy, least of all yourself. I will do what I believe is in the best interest of the town and its people on the whole. Not everyone will be happy with every decision, but I will explain my thinking and why I decided to go a particular route.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I’ve lived in Lewisboro for 19 years with my wife Robbin and we have raised our two children here. For the last five years, I have been a Head Coach for the Lewisboro Baseball Association, as well as Cubmaster for our Vista-Lewisboro Cub Scouts. I’m proud to be a leader of an organization that welcomes everyone and have worked with scouts with special needs in our pack, as well as our Troop, to work towards Eagle Scout requirements as a merit badge counselor. I’ve earned the Conservation Good Turn Award for my work to enhance our environment by helping to conserve wildlife, energy, forests, soil and water.

As a Republican, I’m proud to be the endorsed candidate by two local unions, the Westchester Putnam Building & Construction Trades, as well as the Westchester/Putnam Central Labor Body of the AFL-CIO.

Find information about absentee and early voting here: Election 2021: New Systems For Early Voting In Westchester. To find all your candidates, as well as statewide, county and local propositions, follow the links offered by the Board of Elections:

• View the 2021 General Election Candidates List.
• View the 2021 General Election State Propositions.
• View the 2021 General Election County and Local Propositions.