VIDEO: Meet the Candidates, Richard Cirulli

Election season is upon us again, and White Plains has races on Nov. 8 for seats on the White Plains Common Council and Westchester County Board of Legislators.

Read below to learn more about one of the candidates, and click  to find out who else is running.

Meet the Candidate: Richard Cirulli, running for a 4-year term on the White Plains Common Council 

How Long in White Plains/Where: Has lived in White Plains for 2 years, lives on Martine Avenue

Age: 59

Family: Two grown daughters, Kimberly and Mary

Email: profcirulli@optonline.net

Job Title/Profession: Independent senior management consultant, specializing in healthcare administration; economics professor, College of Westchester

Education: Doctorate of business administration, Southern California University; Post Masters Certification and Masters in Health Services Administration, Iona College; Masters of Art in Business Administration and Public Policy, SUNY Albany; Post Masters Certificate Business Administration, Long Island University; Undergraduate degrees from Iona College, SUNY Albany and Westchester Community College

Other activities and involvement: White Plains Public Access Show “The American Economic Condition,” (suspended during campaign); performed benefit concerts for a local food pantry; former chair on the Wappingers Board of Architectural Review; formerly on the Port Chester Board of Architectural Review; the former chair of the Facilities Management program at Iona College; serving on the Board of Directors at Barrett Art Center, and Hudson Valley Food Works; taught college business courses at a number of correctional facilities in the Mid Hudson Valley Area.

Run for office before: No

Party: Republican

Endorsements: Republican, Conservative

Why are you running for a seat on the White Plains Common Council?

To provide a higher level of political stewardship—to best serve the interests and needs of our government, our residents and businesses—during these difficult and uncertain economic times, by advocating for the reduction of financial burdens placed on citizens and businesses without compromising our social and economic obligations to citizens, and our City employees.

What makes you the best candidate for a seat on the council? What would you bring to the council as a member?

My many years experience as a business executive, my academic background, and teaching experience as a professor of business and economics at a number of colleges in the greater Hudson Valley area.

I also present a weekly cable show dealing with current economic issues and its impact on working families. My commitment to social issues, i.e., having performed solo guitar concerts to benefit local not for profits in White Plains.

My experience also includes serving as former chair on the Wappingers’ Board of Architectural Review, The Port Chester Board of Architectural Review, the former chair of the Facilities Management program at Iona College, and serving on the Board of Directors at Barrett Art Center, and Hudson Valley Food Works both located in Poughkeepsie New York. 

I have also taught college business courses at a number of correctional facilities in the Mid Hudson Valley Area. I will also be able to address the problems of the city with reason, objectivity, fairness, evenhandedness, and void of partisan politics and ideologies.

Explain your stance on the following issues, and how you would address these issues as a council member?

Parking: We need to make the city more user-friendly for both shoppers and businesses alike. Our current aggressive parking policy does not promote this climate. 

Our parking fees do generate significant revenues that contribute to balancing the budget, but this is only a short-term stopgap measure. It does not address the problem and offers no long-term strategic goals for the city. Our current policy is a hindrance to long-term business growth and economic recovery for our businesses and residents who are being penalized for living and doing business in White Plains.

During these economically trying times we should make it our goal to develop a parking policy that encourages people to shop in the city, and brings businesses to here. The aggressive parking policy of high fees and penalties only neutralizes the lower cost of a sale merchants offer to draw consumers to their struggling businesses.  

I will advocate on behalf of our residents, out of town shoppers, and businesses to offer merchants a shopping day during the week where our parking fees and penalties are relaxed, as a means to draw consumers to White Plains with the intention that increased economic activity will offset parking fee losses.

Property Taxes: This is an unpopular issue for taxpayers and politicians alike. Higher taxes contribute to the burden for homeowners who are also faced with downward economic mobility, job loss, and high parking fees.

For every dollar spent on taxes there is one less dollar for our residents to spend on disposable or discretionary spending, or to invest in savings. On the other hand, taxes are required to pay for the services we benefit from, such as public safety and the salaries of city employees, which greatly contribute to our city’s success.

The question is balance and fairness.

In lieu of raising taxes or the option of more City lay offs—especially in light of the current high unemployment rate—does not seem like an equitable solution to this problem.

Incorporating more efficiency in our management practices may prove to be a better solution than higher property taxes and layoffs.

We will need to make White Plains economically attractive for private enterprise to create long term job growth that in turn will generate into increased sales taxes to support the expenditures of our city while promoting economic growth in the private section. Which will subsidize the cost of City spending.

The French-American School of New York’s plans for the former Ridgeway Country Club: Currently there are a number of unresolved concerns that FASNY will need to address: its environmental impact on the surrounding neighborhood, the loss of tax revenue, increased traffic volumes on the surrounding streets, and the cost of maintenance for the wet lands, as well as the cost to public safety for police and fire protection.

As mentioned in my position on taxes, this short fall of taxes may result in higher property taxes to our homeowners, or additional layoffs of city workers, which I strongly feel are unacceptable. During these trying economic times, our homeowners can’t afford to subsidize another institution, even one such as prestigious as FASNY.

I believe having another international school will prove to be an asset to the city, which can promote White Plains as an academically advanced city. I am not opposed to FASNY per se, but have some concerns about these issues that need to be addressed.

Another concern is what is the next best alternate in lieu of FASNY?

As a city, we need to promote long-term economic growth and create jobs. This can only be promoted and achieved by ensuring our built environment doesn’t compromise our natural environment. 

What are other issues facing the city you feel are important, and how would you address these issues?

Make White Plains a user friendly flagship city. Achieved by developing a strategic economic policy promoting growth without compromise to the natural environment or our social obligations. To ensure all residents of White Plains the benefit of an improved quality of life.   

What is your favorite thing about White Plains? 

I have relocated to White Plains for its excellent restaurants, shopping, healthcare facilities, public safety record, transportation system, proximity, arts and culture, and to be close to all my long time friends.

I love living in the heart of the city, and the having the ability to walk to my favorite restaurants and coffee shops. To meet friends for intellectual conversations while dining al fresco. White Plains is a premier urban center with a rural small town heart, it is sophistication with out arrogance…it is my home.

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