#16: November 2005

Meet the Candidates

This November
8, the citizens of Beacon have a rare opportunity to decide on the makeup of a
new city council. Every one of the six seats — 4 wards and 2 at-large — are up
for grabs. Many of the candidates have gone door-to-door to make their case, but
if you weren’t home there were few opportunities to learn more. There was a
debate scheduled at the Howland Cultural Center, but as we mention in this
month’s editorial, it was canceled. The subsequent "Meet the Candidates"
meetings were poorly publicized and attendance was relatively sparse (roughly
the same 40 people showed up at each meeting.) How are concerned voters meant to
form an intelligent opinion on the candidates?

Below we
present some more information to help you make a smart decision on Tuesday. If you want to know more about your ward candidate’s record, give them a call. We’ve included their phone numbers below for your convenience. There’s still time to learn who you want to lead Beacon in the next two years. Once you’ve
reached a decision, be sure you come out to vote on
Tuesday.

City Council, Ward 1

Liz Foster (D)

831-2029

Background:

Foster, a native Beaconite, is a
Beacon homeowner and taxpayer. She
worked for several years as a software
engineer at IBM in

Poughkeepsie

, and
as a Computer Science lecturer at the
Stamford College of Further Education in

England

. Foster’s history of public service includes
two years as a Peace Corps volunteer.

Foster attended

St
  John

the Evangelist primary school and
Beacon High, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from
Mount Saint Mary College with a degree in Computer Science and Math. She has done graduate work at Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute. She lives in Beacon with her husband, Bill,
and their daughter Gracie, 8. She is currently a volunteer with
the American Red Cross.

Issues: 

Foster has identified the key
issues that she will focus on if elected to the City Council. One of her priorities is economic development
of

Main

Street, where she sees the need for
more businesses for everyday needs, and improving community infrastructure,
especially roads and sidewalks. Open communication would be another
focus: "The citizens of Beacon care passionately about local issues
like taxes and jobs. But it can be difficult to find the time and the
means to keep informed. I want to make it easier for the citizens in Ward
1 by sending out a quarterly newsletter summarizing the issues that come
before the Council."

Personal Statement:

"All government, and
especially local government, needs to be open, honest and fair. As your city council representative, I will
be your voice in local government."

Dieter “Fritz”
Ohloff (R)
831-6532

Background:

Fritz Ohloff has been a beacon resident for 35 years, has
served in the U.S. Army, receiving an honorable discharge. He is a life member
of American Legion, Post 203 in Beacon and has served as Vice-Commander and
building chairman for many years. He lives in Beacon with his wife Catherine
with whom he raised their children, who all attended Beacon City Schools.

After retiring from the

Texaco

Research

Center

,
fritz began volunteering for many community organizations in Beacon. He is a
member of the Lewis Tompkins Hose Company and the Southern Dutchess chapter of
the NAACP. In 2001, Mayor Clara Lou Gould appointed Ohloff to serve on the
Charter Review Committee. He also volunteered his expertise in the building
trades to the construction of the playground at the

Beacon

Community Center

several years ago.

A regular attendee of City Council meetings for more than 10
years, Mr. Ohloff has unique insight into the problems that Beacon faces at this
time.

Personal Statement:

I believe that we need to save our historic past and develop
or future. We need to keep our taxes as low as possible, while continuing the
progress Beacon has made under the leadership of Mayor Clara Lou Gould.

City Council, Ward 2

Beverly Phillips (R)
831-0987

Background:

Beverly

has
lived with her family in Beacon’s 2^nd Ward for the last 25 years
where she and her husband Dave raised two daughters who graduated from Beacon
Schools.

Beverly

attended and
graduated from Beacon City Schools and has worked for IBM since 1977.

Mayor Gould has endorsed Ms. Phillips stating that she is,
“Impressed by

Beverly

’s energy and
willingness to work hard for her constituents in the 2^nd Ward. She
understands our needs as a small city, and I’m confident that she will get the
job done.”

Issues:

Ms. Phillips believes that the progress Beacon has made over
the past 15 years is a result of our public officials’ ability to work together
without regard to party affiliation. As a member of the City Council she plans
continue to work every Council member to better the serve the City of

Beacon

.

Personal Statement:

I pledge to sever the residents of the 2^nd Ward
to the best of my ability. Keeping our taxes low will be a priority for me. I
look forward to working with Mayor Clara Lou Gould as a member of the City
Council.

Charlie Kelly (D)
831-8721

Background:

Charlie has been active in public affairs both as a lifelong
resident of Beacon and as a full-time member of the Political Science faculty
at

Kean

 

University

.

As a part-time professional consultant to not-for-profit groups in

New Jersey

, Charlie believes
he understands the importance of economic forces on budget making. His experience in public administration and
labor relations, he believes, will serve the City and taxpayers alike in
shaping a carefully planned and cost effective budget. Born in Beacon, Charlie has resided in Ward 2
since 1974. He is married to Mary Sue
(Steffanci), a retired

Hyde Park

 

School

teacher and is
the parent of Stacey and Sean Kelly, graduates of Beacon public schools.

Issues: 

He believes that taxes will be a major issue in this election and
contends that the Mayor’s budget cannot continue to grow and increase taxes.
“Taxpayers are rebelling” Charlie feels. He believes that the recent vote on the new library should send a
powerful message to all local public officials and candidates for public office
that “business as usual” regarding taxation and public spending will not fly. People waited in long lines on a hot humid
day to vote overwhelmingly against new taxes. Elected officials and candidates for public office “need to listen to
the voters and pay attention to changing conditions” Charlie assets.

Personal Statement: 

Accepting the nomination for City Council, Ward 2, Charlie Kelly
stated that if elected he would make his goal a “plan for smart and balanced
growth, inclusive of all its citizen’s needs.” 

City Council, Ward 3

Phil Shea (D)

831-4158

Background: 

Phil Shea is a 19 year Beacon resident, home owner and
taxpayer. He has owned and operated a
painting and contracting business for 25 years and is presently an estate
manager in Phillipstown. Phil has served
the community as a volunteer in youth athletics, including Beacon Junior
Baseball and St. John St. Joachim C.Y.O. Basketball. He is an active member in the Mid-Hudson
Alliance and NAACP. As a husband and
father of two boys one reason he is running for City Council is because: “I’m
concerned about their future in our community. We need to keep our city affordable for those who are getting started,
first time home buyers, and renters”. 

Issues:

Phil has identified several issues he will focus on if elected to
the City Council. â€œDevelopment must be
good for all of Beacon’s residents, not just a select few”. He would like to
see Beacon continue to be a place where both current and new residents can
afford to live and raise a family. As a
Council member Shea plans to study in great detail “all issues concerning Beacon,
from updating our Master Plan to responsible taxing and spending”. 

Personal Statement:

One of his priorities is to help oversee smart development through
better communications with the City administrations, the Beacon Public School
System, the Planning Board and city residents. Beacon has been growing at an amazing rate. â€œI want all of our citizens to be aware of
the changes, both positive and negative. There is too much at stake here, environmentally and socially. Residents must be informed. I hope to open more communication channels
for everyone involved and to improve coordination on our City boards and
commissions”.

Phil Shea believes in a non-political city government. Democrat,
Republican, Independent, Green, or Conservative, decisions should be based on
“what is good for Beacon, period”. “When I take the oath of office it will be
to swear allegiance to all of the people”. 

Bob Werlau (R)
831-2019

Background: 

Bob Werlau is a 23 year resident of the City of

Beacon

where he and his wife Karen raised their two children and educated them in
Beacon City Schools. For the past eight years Bob has worked at Fire Systems,
Inc. He has served in the U.S. Marine Corps for the last 21 years including
both active and reserve duty.

Bob has demonstrated his commitment to the community by
volunteering in a variety of capacities. He has coached and managed in the
Beacon Junior Baseball program for several years. He has also served in several
leadership positions with the Dutchess County Council of the Boy Scouts from
1989-2001. 

Issues:

As a member of the Beacon City Council Mr. Werlau promises
to preserve as much open space as possible at the Ursuline property and to keep
taxes as low as possible.  

Personal Statement:

I look forward to working on issues that concern my
constituents in the 3^rd Ward. I believe that my managerial
experience will benefit the taxpayers as I examine our budgets each year.
Beacon’s success over the past 15 years has been due, in large part, to the
fiscal restraint applied by the Gould administration during this period of
time. I intend to continue this approach as a member of the City Council.

City Council, Ward 4

Jack Cahill (R)
917-640-6739

Background:

Over twenty years ago Jack and his wife Natalie chose the
City of

Beacon

to raise his
children Karen and John. During his time in Beacon, Jack has served on the
Beacon School Board for three terms and has also hosted the cable talk show, Conversations, so he knows the
importance of listening to the community and bringing people together. Jack has
spoken before the city Council and the

County

Legislature

on local issues and has
lobbied before legislators in

Albany

for the City of

Beacon

. Jack has
taught outdoor education at

Montclair

State

University

in

New Jersey

and urban sociology
at Mount Saint Mary College in

Newburgh

.
He is retired from the Department of Corrections where he worked as a
counselor.

Issues:

Jack believes in fiscal control and accountability and is
concerned about spending in the City of

Beacon

.
His motto is, “Don’t spend what you don’t have.” And zero-based budgeting is
his mantra. As a former member of the beacon Conservation Advisory Council,
Jack cares very much about preserving the beauty found in this part of the

Hudson

Valley

. An updated master plan is
also of great importance to Jack and he has been an advocate for the update since
1989

Personal Statement:

I want to be your voice on the Council in the City of

Beacon

.

Steve Gold (D)
831-4261

Background:

Gold has a distinguished record of service to the Beacon community
as a four-term City Councilman in both At-large and 4^th Ward positions
that spanned the years 1996 to 2003.

Gold’s Council career is highlighted by action. He focused his
attention on driving Beacon’s economic revival towards tourism, art and
appreciation of Beacon’s natural beauty. In his first year Steve and Lee
Kyriacou worked together to close the city’s toxic sludge incinerator. In 1996,
he founded the Mt. Beacon Incline Restoration Society to draw on

Dutchess

 

County

tourism revenues.
In the same year, to stimulate business on

Main Street

, Gold founded the
“Beacon Street Fair Central”, a weekly arts and crafts street fair at

Veterans Place

. In Council discussions he was one of the most
outspoken supporters of DIABeacon. And he successfully marketed Beacon’s image
by designing www.cityofbeacon.org along with Jason Fisch. Today Gold continues to maintain the website,
“it is a helpful source of information that has attracted over 118,000
visitors”.

Gold worked to serve the people of the 4^th Ward. He was
the first and only councilperson to publish a periodic newsletter to keep his
constituents informed. For the safety of children walking to

Sargent

 

School

he
single-handedly led the council to have sidewalks installed on both sides of
the new 9D construction on

Wolcott Ave.

 And one of Gold’s most lasting
accomplishments resulted from his efforts to work with Scenic Hudson to
establish the Gateway to

Mt.

 

Beacon

 

Park

, located in the 4^th
Ward. Steve also worked on legislation to preserve the Craig House Great Lawn
and it’s Fishkill Creek waterfront.

Issues:

When asked why people should vote for Steve Gold in this election he
responded: “It’s about balanced planning. There are several major developments
on the horizon in Beacon that may impact our quality of life and overwhelm city
services or schools. We need to pass a
building moratorium until the Master Plan Update process is complete and the
Council carefully responds to protect its residents.”

Personal Statement:

“When you live here you understand what community service is all
about. It transcends politics, culture and income. The common denominator is a
love of Beacon. That is why I hope to
return to the City Council in the 4^th Ward and have the honor to
serve the people of Beacon.”

City Council, At-Large

Lee Kyriacou (D)
838-2663

Background: 

Lee
Kyriacou is running for a sixth term on the Beacon City Council this November,
making him the longest serving councilman since the change to the council form
of government. 

A
businessman who commutes to

New York City

, Kyriacou has 20 years of experience as a budget director, planner,
manager and consultant in the banking industry. Kyriacou is active in many community organizations, including

Clearwater

(where he has been Board Treasurer), Scenic
Hudson, and the Beacon Democratic Committee, which he has chaired. He has also been an active supporter of the

Martin

 

Luther

 

King

 

Cultural

 

Center

,

Beacon

 

Community Center

, Habitat for Humanity, Hudson Valley Shakespeare
Festival and The Children’s Annex (a school for children with special needs).

The
son of Greek immigrants, Kyriacou attended public schools and state college at
the

University

of

California

, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in
History and Economics. He won
scholarships to attend graduate school at

Yale

 

University

, where he received graduate degrees in Law and
Economics. Kyriacou lives in Beacon with
his wife Elizabeth and their two daughters Annie and Sophie, who attend Beacon
public schools. They live in an 1880s
Victorian home that they have been restoring for a dozen years, and are about
to begin restoration of an historic

Main Street

building.

Issues:

Kyriacou
has voted against every proposed property tax increase – pushing instead for
ways to use existing funds more effectively. Kyriacou expressed dismay at the school district’s 23% tax increase,
which followed on the heels of the county’s 20% increase. â€œWhile the city tax increase was only 4%, I
thought we could do better. The property
tax is horribly unfair – burdening seniors and others on fixed incomes – and
double-digit increases are just unacceptable.”

Councilman
Kyriacou has been a leader of the bi-partisan council effort to reduce
unnecessary overtime and improve management in the police department – the
city’s largest budget item. Said
Kyriacou, “Our officers deserve better leadership. Our taxpayers deserve the best use of every
tax dollar. And our citizens deserve
more officer time on the beat and less in the office. Sadly, the process of change – even with the
help of the U.S. Department of Justice – is taking much longer than I would
like.”

As
a professional planner, Councilman Kyriacou’s long-term focus has been on
Beacon’s economic revitalization, which has been a huge success. â€œSince my election to the Beacon City Council
in 1993, I have worked tirelessly on the economic redevelopment of our
community – pushing for non-industrial uses of waterfront properties, closing
the city’s sludge incinerator, rezoning to protect older residential
neighborhoods and scenic view sheds, and bringing businesses back to

Main Street

.”

Kyriacou
has been pushing since 1993 for a comprehensive update of the city’s 30-year
old master plan, which the entire city council recently agreed to. â€œMuch of Beacon’s revitalization has been by
luck as opposed to sound planning. We
are now at a critical point, where we need manage our growth and preserve our
quality of life. That includes
reconnecting

Main
  Street

to our Riverfront, preserving open space and historic landmarks, providing
adequate parking for

Main Street

, and providing a variety of housing options for
our diverse community.”

 

Michael Witkowski (R)
629-1411
 

Background:

Mike Witkowski is the chief operations officer of Regional
EMS, a not-for-profit paramedic ambulance service located in

Orange

and

Rockland

counties. He began his
paramedic career while in high school, volunteering for Hudson Valley Ambulance
Service in

Sullivan

County

.
After moving to Beacon, Mike attended college on a part-time basis while
working full-time as a paramedic. He also found time to volunteer with the Beacon
Volunteer Ambulance Corps, where he met his wife of the past 14 years,
Christine. Mike and Christine have a daughter, Kayla, who attends Beacon City
Schools. 

Mike obtained a bachelor’s degree from

Kaplan

College

in

Clearwater

,

Florida

with a major in Public Health. He
is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Public Health and Emergency
Management. Mike also severs on several committees on the federal, state, and
local levels in the area of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Mayor Clara Lou Gould supported Mike in his candidacy by
stating that, “Mike Witkowski has the right kind of experience, both personally
and professionally, for our city government. He is a civic-minded individual
who has give his time and ability to the community. He is an excellent choice
for the City Council.”

Personal Statement: 

I have always liked talking to people and I feel privileged
to have a career where I help people in their greatest hour of need. Having
lived in Beacon for the past 15 years, I have witnessed the many advances that
Beacon has made under Mayor Clara Lou Gould. I would look forward to working
with the Mayor on projects such as the waterfront development that is currently
being reviewed by the planning board. I love this City, its people, and its
rich history. I believe that Beacon can become an even stronger, safer, and
more progressive City. I will work for the people and make their wishes known,
whether they live in a second floor apartment on

Main
  Street

or in a $500,000 home in the foothills of
Beacon.

Eleanor Thompson (D)
838-4261

Background:

Candidate Thompson has worked diligently with the

Martin

 

Luther

 

King

 

Cultural

 

Center

after school
program. MLK provides tutorial support,
cultural and historical activities, and field trips for the students. She is known for her dedication in helping to
establish the Eleanor Roosevelt at Valkill and Martin Luther King Partnership
with Schools and Businesses. This is a
job skills enhancement and placement internship program for

Beacon

 

High School

students.

Over the past four years on the Council, Ms. Thompson has listened
carefully to the concerns of her constituents, and been an effective voice in
addressing those concerns. She says, “Regardless of the issues, I will do my
best to make sure my constituents’ concerns are addressed and that viable
solutions are found”. She has also
worked to promote a process of bi-partisan collaboration and respect on the
Council.

Issues:

Council Member Thompson has identified the key issues she will focus
on if re-elected to the City Council: advocating quality of life issues for
seniors and children; keeping city taxes down; protecting open space and the
environment, and promoting and stabilizing businesses on

Main Street

.

Known for her no-nonsense approach to getting the most for taxpayer
dollars, Thompson plans to stay committed to keeping taxes down. “I have been
on the City Council for four years, and the average increase in our taxes has
been 4%. As Councilman Kyriacou said, “
4% a year over the last four years is not bad compared to school, and county
tax increases”. I wish it were 0%.” Thompson, a former teacher and graduate of

Columbia

 

University

’s Teachers
College is big on questioning and researching topics that are on the workshop
agenda. She refuses to vote for anything
she feels her constituents will not benefit from. She is a strong promoter for
fiscal and ethical accountability.

Personal Statement:

Council Member Thompson states that it is an “honor to once again
represent the residents of Beacon as a candidate. The citizens in Beacon are my family. We
share common values and these values transcend economic status, religious
beliefs and race. When the system fails,
it fails us all of us. Our values constitute the framework of our society and
community life, and we strive for the best possible quality of life. Quality of
life issues are at the center of who I am, and what I work for as your
representative.

Michael Fasano (R)
629-0406

Background:

Michael Fasano is presently the city Council member
representing Beacon’s 4^th Ward. Mr. Fasano has served as the
Chairman of the City of

Beacon Industrial Development
  Authority

. He is also a life member of the W.H. Mase
Hook & Ladder Fire Company and a Third Degree member of the Knights of
Columbus, Trinity council #445 in Beacon. Mayor Clara Lou Gould appointed him
to serve on the Charter Review Committee and he is also a member of the
Southern Dutchess Chapter of the NAACP. Mike is a Beacon native, graduated from

Beacon

High School

and has worked at IBM for the last 25 years.

Mayor Clara Lou Gould has praised Fasano stating that, “Mike
has been a valuable member of the Beacon City Council over the past two years.
His attendance record is excellent and e contributes solid ideas to our
discussion regarding planning for Beacon’s future. He agrees that we need to update
our Master Plan for Beacon and will work hard to keep our budget tight.”

Personal Statement:

I intend, as councilman at-large, to work closely with mayor
Clara Lou Gould to continue the progress that we have made as a city in the
last 15 years. We need to keep our city taxes as low as possible, while
maintaining our current level of services. I have enjoyed serving my fellow
citizens for the past two years and would appreciate their support as I serve
another two-year term. My priority is to vote for projects that are good for
Beacon.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

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© 2005 the Beacon Dispatch.