Puglisi’s Stewardship Has Left Cortlandt in Strong Financial Position

September 28, 2021 Examiner Media Cortlandt

Cortlandt Republican Party Chair Dan Pagano seems to believe that he has uncovered a wide-ranging conspiracy by the entire government of Cortlandt to “lie to everyone about the financial conditions of the Town.”

Fortunately for Cortlandt residents, Dan is just a little bit confused. Maybe Dan’s just engaging in wishful thinking because it’s an election year and he’s desperate to find an issue for the misleadingly named “Cortlandt United” slate, which is really just another name for the Conservative-Republican slate.

We’ve been lucky to have decades of effective Democratic leadership by retiring Supervisor Linda Puglisi. Over Linda’s 30 years in office, property tax increases have averaged just under 1 percent per year; over the last 10 years that number is less than 1.4 percent. We’ve never broken the tax cap and our tax base has grown. That’s why our most recent audit won an award from New York State, and it’s why Moody’s just increased our town’s bond rating to Aa1. At the same time, we’ve made huge investments in our quality of life and the quality of the public services we provide.

That strong record is a big part of why Supervisor Puglisi was either unopposed or won in a landslide in every recent election. Now that she’s not running, Dan seems to think that if he repeats a set of untruths loudly enough, he can make them come true and win her seat.

It is difficult to know where to start with a set of claims as outlandish and untrue as those Dan is making. But let’s make it simple: Cortlandt has NEVER had a budget deficit at any point in recent memory and has a growing fund balance. The idea that town taxes are up 25 percent in the last few years as Dan claims is pure fiction.

Don’t fall for it. If you want to build on Linda’s legacy of strong fiscal management, vote for the Cortlandt Forward slate on Row A, the Democratic line. Early voting begins Oct. 23 and Election Day is Nov. 2.

To be fair to Dan, perhaps he’s so confused because one local entity has raised taxes in recent years: the Hendrick Hudson School District under the watch of former trustee and current Republican candidate for Supervisor Laurie Ryan. If Dan wishes to complain about those tax increases, I’m sure he knows where to find Laurie. There’s no need to send a letter to this paper or post more misleading or outright false attacks on Facebook.

Maria F. Slippen
Chair. Cortlandt Democratic Committee