Candidate Profile: Scooter Scott For Westchester County Clerk

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — In the upcoming general election, residents of Westchester will be voting for county and local officials.

Patch is asking candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns.
In Westchester County, the race for clerk is being contested. Scooter Scott, a Republican, is seeking to replace incumbent Democrat Tim Idoni.

Scott, 60, lives in Tuckahoe. He is married and has two children.

He is the shop steward at Carnegie Hall, where he has worked for more than 20 years.

Scott is a 24-year member of I.A.T.S.E. Local One, the stagehands union. According to his campaign website, he is a current member of the local Snow Angels and the Tuckahoe PTA and is a former participant in the Yonkers PTA.

Campaign website

Scooter4Clerk.com

Here are the answers to a series of questions as submitted by Scooter Scott. They were lightly edited for style and clarity — not content.

Why are you seeking elective office?

To improve the County Clerk's office by bringing 21st-century thinking and technologies into what is currently a 20th century culture.

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

Security. I plan to update the office through a modern approach that places security at the forefront of its operation. To address the ever-increasing, high tech, crimes of identity and home title theft. To actually know, through more thorough registration and identity techniques and technologies, who is accessing our online database. I will create proactive policies and programs to educate and safeguard our residents' homes, information, and privacy.

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

First of all, I come from outside of the world of politics, and therefore, I think outside of the traditional boxes of career politicians. The first job of government is the safety of its citizens. The next is to serve all of the citizens equally. I realize that the County Clerk's job is to create an office of service first and foremost, and so, I recognize the need to focus on keeping politics and political agendas out of its operation. In looking at how the office is currently operating, I see an analog approach in a digital age. I also see a lack of depth in the problem-solving. The current administration does not drill down on its decisions to anticipate the consequences and ramifications of its decisions. Which is why there are the current security flaws in its operations. I also want to take the politics and political agendas out of the running of the office. When you go to a restaurant, your server does not engage you in politics, and neither should the County Clerk when you utilize the office services.

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

By not having the visionary thinking that is necessary to effectively run the County Clerk's office in the 21st century, the incumbent has created an office that does not anticipate the needs and challenges of the high-tech world we live in. He has not addressed the real problems of identity and home title theft or even acknowledged the systemic failures that allow for deed fraud. Furthermore, he has focused on prioritizing the political operation of the office instead of excellent service. He talks about his hiring Spanish language speakers, but as I have been campaigning, I have had people who use the office tell me the forms are all in English. This is an example of the surface-level thinking that typifies the current leadership. It is a product of focusing in the wrong priorities. He does not drill down to the core of a problem to create complete solutions, just the surface level, leaving the residents of Westchester County with half-baked remedies and new problems that need to be recognized and solved. We deserve better and I will bring the type of 21st-century thinking that brings comprehensive problem solving to the County Clerk's office.

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

I think our local officials were all too happy to use the pandemic in a political fashion, instead of doing the hard work of protecting the public with sound science and reason. Too many discussions were shut down instead of thoughtfully debated. Much more could have been done to come up with creative solutions to the challenges of the time. Instead, our elected officials abdicated their leadership and kicked decisions up the chain of command out of a fear of making a mistake and a lack of courage in their convictions.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The mobile services of the County Clerk's office need to be better utilized, with targeted outreach and engagement with the residents that do not have fundamental identification. There needs to be a culture shift that looks to educate our residents on the challenges of living in the Digital Information Age. It is a cornerstone of protecting the identity, privacy and wealth of our citizens.

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

I am career technical, personnel and professional troubleshooter. In 40 years I have never had a show that was canceled or was late due to a production problem. In my business you either solve problems, or you get a new job, so I solve the problems.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

You don't have to be the one with all of the answers. You just have to be the one who's looking for them.

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

I have been married to my wife Diane for the best 20 years of my life. I am a 24-year member of I.A.T.S.E. Local #1 and have been employed at Carnegie Hall for over 20 years. I am currently the shop steward there. I am a bass-playing member of the praise team at Faith Church Yonkers. I have also been a singer in a community and prison outreach ministry.

Editor's note: The candidate's responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.