Taxes, Spending, Government Reform

      As a homeowner and a small business owner, As a homeowner and a small business owner, Pete understands that the current property tax levels are crushing our families’ ability to stay in Westchester and hampering business’s ability to remain competitive. As a fiscal conservative, Pete has a proven record of cutting taxes, reducing spending and shrinking the size of government through consolidation, departmental merger and streamlining, while at the same time maintaining vital services.

• Delivered 2011 budget that reduced County taxes -2.2%, cut spending by $30 million vs. 2010, and protected vital services in public safety, health and the environment from reckless budget cuts;

• Fitch’s rating agency reaffirmed the County’s AAA rating based on the final 2011 budget.

• Successfully passed two voluntary separation plans for County employees that reduced the size of the County workforce by 10%, saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually going forward;

• Successfully passed groundbreaking County employee benefits reform package that will save taxpayers millions of dollars;

• Opposed county executive’s plan to give $18,000 raises to two political appointees;

• Slashed $20 million in spending from the 2010 budget but voted against the 2.9% tax increase because he felt, through more cost savings, the budget could be brought down to a 0% increase;

• 2010 budget ultimately produced $67 Million Surplus;

• Successfully reduced Board of Legislators (BOL) budget by 11% in ’09 and ’10;

• Successfully passed term limits legislation limiting the number of terms for legislators and the county executive;

• Supported legislation restricting County’s use of Eminent Domain to seize private property for private development;

• Successfully cosponsored legislation granting property tax breaks to volunteer emergency first-responders and veterans;

• Successfully opposed stipend increases for legislative leadership;

• Successfully opposed pay increases for top County management;

• Coauthored report tightening BOL spending, procurement and personnel policies;

• Voted against increases in filing fees for the county clerk’s office;

• Served on BOL Stimulus Task Force, steering over $50 million in funds to Westchester County.