Peekskill Candidate Profile: Riley For Common Council

PEEKSKILL, NY — Westchester County has several contested races in this fall's election, including in Peekskill. Peekskill-Cortlandt Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles until election day.

Patricia Riley is running for re-election to the Peekskill Common Council. She is part of the Democratic Party slate with Mayor Andre Rainey, Deputy Mayor Kathleen Talbot and Councilwoman Vivian McKenzie.

They are opposed by a slate headed by Vincent A. Vesce for Mayor and including Lauren Brady, Marlon Mahon and Luis Segarra for City Council. They are running on the Peekskill Together ticket, which was endorsed by Conservative, Independence and Republican parties.

Riley, 58, graduated from Peekskill High School and earned a bachelor's degree and Masters of Science in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University. She is a retired teacher.

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

Making sure our city stays affordable so people can continue to work and live and raise their families here.

Peekskill is really booming and we continue to stay within our tax cap and our mindful of all our residents . From our young families moving in to our very important Senior population . We want Peekskill to be a place where everyone can afford to live.

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

This Democratic team represents Peekskill’s future. We are making this city a 21st Century city that celebrates our cultural diversity, embraces the arts and music scene, keeps housing affordable for all income levels and keeps attracting businesses to Peekskill. We have a positive, forward vision for whom we are and where we are headed.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

We are building a city that everyone can afford to live in. Our development strategy includes housing of all income levels that people can afford and we have consistently stayed under the tax cap.

Our city is going clean and green!

We are building a city that will substantially reduce energy costs for our residents.

We are also about jobs. We are in the process of implementing an Apprenticeship program in Peekskill so our youth and others can be trained in a trade and have not just a job but a career.

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

We have secured a $10 million economic development grant from the state because Peekskill is on the rise. The Governor sees that great things are happening here!

Moody’s has increased our credit rating to the highest level since 2013. We have built the city’s total reserve funds to over $3.4 million.

We have kept our taxes low consistently below the tax cap.

We have created a city that has become the envy of Westchester with accolades in many newspapers and magazines.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Be respectful, stay humble and work hard.

This is how I was raised and this is how I have always have lived my life.

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

I was born and raised in Peekskill and love my community. I listen and talk to my fellow community members to help them with their needs. I believe we all should be a part of Peekskill’s renaissance and all our community should be engaged in helping us make Peekskill a 21st Century city inclusive of all. I believe in labor and good union jobs and Apprenticeship programs to train our youth and others in a trade so they can support their families and themselves.

Let’s keep Peekskill moving forward.

Long ago, Peekskill was run by a small group of Conservative Republicans who acted like our City Hall was their own personal friends and family club.

Thankfully that is long past us. Democrats fought local Republicans to make sure all city meetings and work sessions were televised for the entire community. We’ve made it easier to get information online . We have made it easier to watch meetings from home. We have changed the tone at meetings so that people are treated with respect. Let’s keep Peekskill moving forward.

I hope you will consider re -electing me for the Peekskill Common Council.

Are you running for office? Contact Lanning Taliaferro at lanning.taliaferro@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and posting campaign announcements on Peekskill-Cortlandt Patch.

Previously on Patch:

• Peekskill Candidate Profile: Brady For City Council
• Westchester Candidate Profile: Outhouse For County Legislature
• 2019 Candidate Profile: Colin D. Smith For County Legislature
• 2019 Candidate Profile: Frank Catalina For County Legislature