2019 Candidate Profile: Chris Garitee For County Legislator

TUCKAHOE, NY — Westchester County will have several contested races in this fall's election, including the race for County Legislator for District 10. Bronxville-Eastchester Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Chris Garitee, 31, of Tuckahoe, is running on the Republican, Conservative and Independence party lines to represent Westchester County's District 10, which is comprised of Tuckahoe, Eastchester and most of New Rochelle. His opponent is Democratic incumbent Damon Maher.

Garitee is an attorney and is a member of the zoning board of appeals for the Village of Tuckahoe.

The single most pressing issue facing our community, and what I intend to do about it.

Westchester County is the most heavily taxed county in America. Talk to your neighbors: their kids cannot afford to return to Westchester after college, their parents cannot afford to retire in Westchester and so many people here need to leave Westchester once their children graduate. The tax and spend madness is artificially increasing the cost of living to the point where people are leaving the county in droves. My opponent has voted for every single tax increase since he took office. He even voted for a tax increase that was triple the tax cap while on the New Rochelle Library Board! He also voted for a regressive sales tax hike that disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable residents with a 14 percent higher sales tax rate. His baseless claim that he is “fiscally responsible” is transparently false; his voting record proves that. I intend to hold the line on spending so that you can retire in your own community surrounded by your family instead of being forced to move to Florida.

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

My opponent has taken an extreme anti-safety position following an incident where he verbally assaulted a County Police Officer which resulted in calls for his removal from the Public Safety Board. His views are so radical that he published an article at the Board of Legislators calling for prisons to be abolished (Board of Legislator’s item ID # 11870 dated 5/20/19). At a time when we are facing an opioid crisis, escalating violence in schools (which includes the murder of a New Rochelle High School student), and targeted violence against the police, we need to support our law enforcement officers more than ever. I support law enforcement at all levels, support public safety, and want to help protect your children in school and in the community.

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

As a representative of the people, your job is to represent everyone, not just people who look and vote like you. My opponent calls himself the “Progressive Champion of the County.” His views do not comport with the moderates who overwhelmingly make up this county. My opponent is neglecting moderate Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, Independence and non-affiliated voters in order to pander to a small group of extremists. Damon has failed to represent this district, he has failed to keep the cost of living down by voting for every tax increase since he took office, and has failed our children by supporting a Sanctuary County law that has resulted in pedophiles being released back into our community despite federal detainers. My opponent also campaigned against one-off deals when he first ran for County Legislator but has since voted to sell a piece of revenue generating county parkland in the previous County Budget. He has hypocritically failed us by going against his campaign promises and reducing the amount of green space we have in Westchester. We are worse off as a county because of his actions.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I will fight to hold the line on taxes. I will not vote to sell county parkland. I will support law enforcement and public safety. I will represent the people of our district and not just a small handful of voters who want to tax you out of your home.

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

I am a first generation American who has worked his entire life, starting at the age of 13. I opened and managed a law firm on Huguenot St. in New Rochelle for about two years; I only closed the firm for the purpose of moving to a larger firm in Manhattan. I was appointed to the Tuckahoe Zoning Board of Appeals and have been the sole attorney on the Board for over a year. I am the founder and president of the Westchester County Chapter of the Republican National Lawyers Association. I have also been involved in multiple political campaigns, including Mitt Romney and Ron Paul's presidential campaigns. Collectively, my experiences as an attorney, an entrepreneur, and a community leader all serve as examples of my ability to handle this job. That being said, the biggest qualification that I have, which my opponent seems to lack entirely, is an understanding that you cannot tax a population to prosperity. I understand how to manage a budget and control spending. While this may seem like common sense, my opponent has voted in favor of increasing spending in the recent budget by approximately one hundred million dollars while raising taxes and selling irreplaceable parkland to offset this inexcusable increase. I understand the hardship caused by unjustifiably high taxes and pledge to do everything in my power to hold the line of taxing and spending. A vote for Chris Garitee is a vote to restore fiscal sanity to the most heavily taxed county in America.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

"With great power comes great responsibility."

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

My mother is an immigrant from Italy. I got my first job at 13-years-old mopping floors and scrubbing toilets. I understand the value of hard work and I am fortunate enough to embody the American Dream. We came here in poverty and within a short time we have earned a place in the middle class. I am running for County Legislator to make sure the opportunities I enjoyed are available to the next generation. Our greatest strengths are our families and community and everyone in Westchester deserves the opportunity to succeed. Our unjustifiably high taxes force families apart and make social mobility extremely difficult. I want to help our community be the best it can be. I want to offer relief to families struggling with high taxes, struggling with the opioid epidemic, and encourage public safety.

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