Catalina Gets GOP Nod for Mayor in Peekskill
The Peekskill Republican City Committee last week unanimously endorsed attorney Frank Catalina to run for mayor in November.
Catalina, 55, lives in Chapel Hill and is a 1975 graduate of Peekskill High School. He served as deputy corporation counsel for the city from 1982 to 1990, counsel to the Peekskill Housing Authority from 1992 to 1999 and corporation counsel from 2000 to 2001 under Mayor John Kelly.
“I sincerely thank the Peekskill Republican Party for their endorsement and I look forward to setting forth an aggressive agenda for Peekskill’s growth in a positive campaign of ideas and look forward to a vigorous debate with the incumbents without the personal attacks that have become so prevalent in politics,” Catalina said. “I believe Peekskill residents expect and deserve much more from our elected officials.”
Republican City Committee Chairman Vincent Vesce, a former mayor himself, pointed out Catalina’s lengthy involvement in the community, including being a Life Member of the Peekskill Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps, a member of the Salvation Army Board of Directors, a member of the Christopher Columbus Society, and Vice President of the Peekskill Rotary Club.
“Mr. Catalina brings his lifelong Peekskill roots to this race, which includes 32 years of varied experiences as an attorney,” Vesce said.
Catalina believes the city is hemorrhaging financially under the leadership of Mayor Mary Foster and, if elected, his first orders of business would be hiring a qualified city manager, comptroller and economic development director.
“The past five years the members of the current administration have led Peekskill into the most serious financial condition the city may have ever faced with absolutely no plan to turn this dire situation around,” he said. “The incumbents in City Hall didn’t foresee that their shortsighted financial decisions, like demanding $41,000 from the Peekskill Celebration and a similar amount from the Italian Feast organizers, would lead to the discontinuance of these longstanding and beloved community events. These foolish decisions are further compounded by hiring a public relations firm and ‘spokesperson’ to deliberately misrepresent these failed strong armed tactics.”
He also maintained the policies of the Foster administration that have led to Peekskill’s current state “can only be characterized as an outrage to our citizens.”
“Reasonable people can debate, in good faith, the pros and cons of a statue or a nature walk but what is not open to debate is the city’s fundamental obligation to provide basic services such as garbage collection, safe roads, adequate police, fire and emergency services, and a safe reliable water system,” Catalina said. “Unfortunately, the record of the administration that has been running City Hall with an iron fist the past five years will show that basic city services to all of our citizens have been reduced, while unfair and insulting fees have been added to our tax burden.”
Vesce said the Republican Committee expects to endorse candidates for City Council at its next meeting.
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