Fight for the right

Lopez helped put together the active shooter training program at Cahill Elementary in March, which simulated a school shooting to help local police walk through the response plan. Though he has some politics in the family (his grandfather co-crafted the Philippines constitution), he didn’t decide to get involved until Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s gun control law was passed earlier this year. Lopez, a competitive shooter with the Marine Corps, was shocked. He said he thought, “the world’s all crazy, what can I do to help out?”

He decided to run for local office because, “this is where my family is, where my friends are. This is where I can make a difference.”

We reached incumbent Jimmy Bruno the week after the candidates night. He was hard at work on his legendary Christmas and Halloween decorations, which he says keeps him busy late into the night for most of the year. (Anyone thinking of challenging him this year should take note — you have to start pretty early in the year to beat Jimmy.)

Bruno considers himself a people person, and he thinks that’s an important quality for someone in local government. He has his home phone and mobile phone numbers posted to the town’s website, and encourages residents to get ahold of him. “I’ve made myself available 7 by 24,” he said. “I pride myself on returning all my phone calls. I don’t care what time of day.”

He said he recently received calls about crime at Skyline Apartments. He also got a call from someone who was late on a payment for the water bill because his wife was in the hospital. Bruno was able to work out a payment plan with the tax receiver. On the local level, you “gotta work with people,” he said.

He said as a manager at IBM, he “wasn’t very technical, but I prided myself as a people manager.” Some of his colleagues still call him for advice.

He said his experience in business is helpful. “A business person has a better perspective on how to save money and run a business,” he said.

What can Saugerties do to reduce taxes and bring in new jobs? Bruno doesn’t see much room for cuts. When services are cut, that’s when people start screaming, he said. The answer is to offer tax incentives, similar to those offered in southern states, and encourage development, said Bruno.

“The only way you’re going to reduce taxes is to build up your tax base,” he said. “And the only way to do that is to attract businesses.”

He mentioned the GEIS [general environmental impact statement] the town funded for Kings Highway, which will make it easier for new businesses to get through the review process.

Bruno’s message to Republican Caucus voters: “Four years ago it was an honor to be nominated and supported by them and I just hope they give me the same honor this time.”

During the candidates night, William Schirmer made several references to a need to return to Republican principles. He later said he was referring to free enterprise and private property: he believes some town initiatives, particularly the Comprehensive Plan update and water resource protection law, are taking the town in the wrong direction. He cited some of the same complaints outlined previously: that these proposals will negatively affect property-owners and businesses in ways town officials don’t seem to be aware of, and, in general, they represent an unnecessary layer of regulations. With myriad state and federal regulations governing the environment, land-use and housing, the town doesn’t need to wade into those waters — especially when the most recent attempts have been fraught with seemingly unforeseen consequences.

“The more regulation you create, the more red tape there is; you create new layers of bureaucracy,” he said. “That’s not the Republican principle.”

(Schirmer said that while it’s true the town has had a Comprehensive Plan in place for over a decade, the new one is, “for lack of a better term, more comprehensive.”)

He mentioned the need to encourage high tech manufacturing and light industrial businesses in town, though he is less eager to offer big tax breaks in the short term. He said the town can’t afford to do that just yet because of its lack of a fund balance.

While local officials would probably describe their economic development strategy as “all of the above,” Schirmer believes the town spends too much time on tourism and not enough on other kinds of business.

“Our focus on economic development in Saugerties has been so focused on tourism that we’ve lost sight of everything else,” he said. “Tourism is great but it doesn’t create a lot of high-paying, quality jobs. It creates seasonal and service-sector jobs.”

He said that lack of focus, combined with restrictive land-use regulations, is the reason Kings Highway isn’t booming with new businesses yet.

Why him? He said his business experience applies because title insurance is directly related to real property. “I’m often in contact with real estate agents and brokers, attorneys,” said Schirmer. “Information travels through the grapevine. I can draw on information from these people. Obviously I can’t do anything on my own.”

Voter info

Also on the ballot: Three candidates for highway supervisor: incumbent Doug Myer, Mike Mower and Ray Mayone.

Unopposed are: Lisa Stanley (town clerk), Dan Lamb (town justice) and Suzi Filak (receiver of taxes).

The Republican Caucus will be held Wednesday, June 19 at 7 p.m. at the Frank D. Greco Senior Center located at 207 Market Street. The purpose of the caucus is to nominate Republican candidates for Saugerties town offices to be voted for at the Nov. 5 general election. For more information, call Joe Roberti Jr. at 246-1285.