Gallo: Why you Should Vote for Me as Glen Cove Mayor

Patched asked Glen Cove Mayoral Republican candidate Tony Gallo to submit a Letter to the Editor to explain why residents should vote him to the position.

With Primary Elections taking place on Thursday, any candidate running for an elected position is invited to submit a Letter to the Editor to Patch.

You can read Glen Cove Mayoral Republican candidate Reggie Spinello’s letter here.

See Gallo’s letter below.

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To the Editor:

Two years ago, Glen Cove thought they were electing a different kind of mayor. Unfortunately, we were right.

I was elected to my second term on the City Council on the mayor’s slate in 2013, a team I joined because I believed in his message of stopping tax increases, cutting wasteful spending, and bringing transparency to government. But evaluating the mayor by his own standards, he has failed every metric.

Taxes have continued to increase. Wasteful spending has worsened. We continue to rely on tens of millions of dollars in debt to plug the holes in our budget and the mayor wants to borrow another $100 million in shadow debt to pave the way for new high-density housing.

A cynic might say this makes the current mayor no different from any other, since these are hardly new trends. What sets this administration apart is its refusal to engage in even the most basic transparency.

The mayor says that taxes are lower, that wasteful spending has been reduced, and that no short-term debt has been used since he took office, while a quick look at the city budget proves otherwise.

Most troubling of all is the administration’s smokescreen on the YMCA, which is on course to lose its lease at year-end. The mayor insists it’s not a city issue and cuts off debate by asking armed police officers to escort vocal critics from the podium at public meetings. But his own appointee has led the fruitless negotiation on behalf of the Y’s landlord, which according to press reports, approached the Democratic chairman (who cross-endorsed the mayor) about his taking over the facility. Questions about these and related conflicts go unanswered.

I’m asking for your vote because I not only believe in but will implement the promises this mayor abandoned upon inauguration. My team and I are setting concrete goals, including a 10% cut in spending, which will allow us to begin paying down our crippling debt and fund significant tax relief. Lower taxes across the board will help fuel sustainable business and job creation, a much smarter approach than offering special tax breaks to large developers, which are in turn subsidized by higher tax burdens on small businesses and homeowners.

Growing up, I learned from my father the discipline, creativity, and frugality required of successful business owners. I learned that you need to treat people fairly, respect different opinions, and learn from your mistakes. As an educator in our school system, I’ve spent my professional career as a public servant to the people of Glen Cove. In City Council, I’ve continued to build bridges throughout our diverse community and local economy.

As mayor, I promise to maintain the same high standards that I set for myself, that I expect from my students, and that we should all demand from our elected officials.

Glen Cove is and will remain a great city. But we seem to have grown accustomed to stagnation in our economy, to cronyism in our halls of power, and to indifference to the everyday problems of our citizens.

This town deserves something more. And I intend to deliver it.