A Response to Mayor Pontieri's Attack Ad: My Qualifications to be the Mayor

Mr. Pontieri recently placed an advertisement and sent a letter to residents attacking me. He will be spending a fortune in the coming weeks of his campaign because he has raised a tremendous amount of money from developers and vendors doing business with the Village of Patchogue.

Pontieri is Taking Staggering Contributions from Developers and Vendors Doing Business in Patchogue

Mayor Pontieri recently had a $250 per person fundraiser hosted by the developers who constructed the Riverwalk development on West Avenue. He raised thousands of dollars from the developers and vendors who contributed towards this fundraiser alone. Over the years Mr. Pontieri has solicited and accepted contributions from Tritec (Four Corners Development), Capital Management (Bay Village and Checkers development), and numerous other developers and vendors doing business with the Village totaling more than $60,000.

When you see Mr. Pontieri’s advertisements and receive his mailings, think about the developers paying for those ads, and consider that these developers and vendors have bought and now own Mr. Pontieri. These developers and vendors now firmly control Village Hall.  

Our Grass Roots Campaign will Win on Ideas and Ideals

The Resident’s First team will not be able to compete with Mr. Pontieri’s advertising campaign. Our budget consists of our own personal contributions and the collective small contributions of Village residents and small business supporters.

Nonetheless, we will win this campaign on the strength of our ideas and integrity of our ideals.

I welcome the free exchange of ideas, and I am delighted to have this opportunity to respond to the Mayor’s attacks.  In order to give these issues the detailed response they deserve, this is a multi-part blog. 

1. Mr. Pontieri questions my abilities and experience.

I am confident in my abilities, I am proud of my experience, and I am certain that I can excel as your Mayor.   

I am a former member of the Village Board and a former member of the Zoning Board of Appeals. 

I have been involved in Patchogue’s community and government for close to 15 years, and have been a volunteer and advocate for many causes during that time.

As an Executive Vice President for a major international jewelry firm, I manage $40 million dollars in accounts – 4 times the Village budget. I give major business presentations for Fortune 500 companies in the United States and around the world.  Last year alone I secured $18 million dollars of new business for our company.

The three Mayors prior to Mr. Pontieri were hardworking individuals. No one questioned their ability or experience to do the job. One was a former school teacher, another was an insurance sales representative, and the third was an employee of the Long Island Railroad. 

Mr. Pontieri himself was a former school teacher and administrator. (He also owned and operated a small business that went out of business.)

Mr. Pontieri has announced that if I am elected the residents will have a “wife.”  Rest assured that if I am elected, the Village residents will have a Mayor, one who will stand up and fight for them, a Mayor that will put the interests of the Residents First.

2. Mr. Pontieri wonders where I will find the time to be the Mayor.

Paul Pontieri worked other full time jobs while he’s been the Mayor

Mr. Pontieri didn’t worry about how much time he would have to be Mayor when he was a full time school administrator for most of his first term as Mayor. He didn’t concern himself with the time he had to be Mayor when he took a job as a Deputy Town Supervisor for a large part of his second term as Mayor. He didn’t worry about how much time he had to be Mayor when he took a political appointment to the Suffolk Community College Board.

I have the time and the qualifications to excel as your Mayor

I have the blessing of my employer and my family, and I am committed to serving the residents of the Village of Patchogue.  

I manage my accounts and conduct business for my employer by working with and directing employees located in New York, India, China, and throughout the United States. I do all of this from my home office in Patchogue and my company’s office in New York City.   

I have had no trouble handling the rigors of the debate and fight over the future of the Four Corners; I have had no difficulty dedicating the time required to conduct this campaign; and I have plenty of time and an abundance of commitment to excel as your Mayor.  

I believe firmly that good management technique requires hiring competent, ethical individuals to work for you. You provide them with the proper oversight, you impart upon them your vision and agenda, and together you accomplish your goals. That is how I grew my accounts last year by $18 million dollars. 

I will work with my Deputy Mayor, the Village Trustees, and the dozens of hardworking, full-time Village employees, to make Patchogue the best it can be.

The Mayor’s position has historically been a part time job

The Mayor’s position has historically been a part time job. In fact, until Mr. Pontieri became Mayor, the job only paid $15,000 per year. He proposed and acquired two separate raises for himself, increasing his salary to $36,000 per year. Then, he took a job at the Town of Brookhaven making $60,000 per year, double the amount allowed under state limits.  See “Patchogue Mayor’s Town Pay Exceeds State Limits” as reported in Newsday on July 15, 2009.  www.newsday.com/news/breaking/spin-cycle-1.812042/patchogue-mayor-s-town-pay-exceeds-state-limits-1.1310180?print=true

3.  Mr. Pontieri claims that we have engaged in “dirty politics.”

All of the matters that have been raised about Mr. Pontieri are related to his performance and his actions taken in his official capacity as Mayor of the Village of Patchogue. We make no allegations about his personal life, or about things he has done outside the scope of his employment. We intend to keep it that way.

Conclusion:

We assert that integrity matters. We know that elected officials don't have to break the law to be successful. We are certain that the future of the Four Corners and the are critical to our future. I will address these and other matters further in my next blog.