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10/23/2023 04:04 PMCLINTON
The highest profile race on the ballot for Clinton voters is the one between the five endorsed candidates for the four seats on the Town Council. The Harbor News sat down with all the candidates to hear their thoughts on the issues ahead of the election.
The candidates for the four open spots on the council are Republicans Chris Aniskovich, Dennis Donovan, and Carol Walter, as well as Democrats Brian Roccapriore and Hank Teskey. All three members of the Republican ticket, as well as Teskey, are incumbents.
The council is composed of seven seats, but its members serve staggered terms to ensure that the entire council can’t be voted out in one election. All council members will be elected to a four-year term.
If elected to the Town Council, the members will be asked to fulfill duties like approving proposed budgets, approving appointments to boards and commissions, and enacting new ordinances. The Town Council is also the body that has the authority to hire or fire a Town Manager.
Below are interviews with the candidates.
Carol Walter (R)
Walter has been a member of the Town Council since she was elected in 2019. Prior to that, she had been a member of the Board of Selectmen since 2009. She is also a member of the Clinton Pacemakers, the Republican Town Committee, and Bailey’s Dog Park. Walter recently retired after working in Town Hall for several years.
“I’m running because my experience and knowledge of town functions is extremely valuable,” Walter said. “I still feel like I have value on the council, and I have more to give. There’s work I want to see done that isn’t finished,” Walter added.
Asked what issues she would like to see the council work on in its next term, Walter pointed first to finding a solution for the vacant Pierson School downtown. The council has been recently discussing the school in executive sessions, which limits what can be said publicly about the building.
“I want to help create and implement a vision for a revitalized downtown,” said Walter. Specifically, Walter said she’d like to turn the town center “into a place where people will park their cars, get out, and investigate what’s there.”
“I’d like to see more vivid, energetic, and enterprising businesses occupy the downtown,” Walter said.
Additionally, Walter said she would like to see the town bring more recreational opportunities and programs to town. “The longer you’re on this council, the more you realize there is that could and should be [done],” Walter said.
“I’d like to see more parks. There’s property in town that we don’t use that can be repurposed as passive parks where people can go have a picnic walk around in or just relax in,” Walter said.
“Mainly, I want to keep Clinton as comfortable and connected as a community as it could be,” Walter said.
Over the last year, there were two issues related to the town’s budget that divided the council: if and how the town’s undesignated fund should be used and the level of Board of Education (BOE) funding.
When it comes to the undesignated fund, sometimes called the fund balance or the rainy day fund, Walter said the council is holding workshops to discuss that issue more.
“The council is actively discussing parameters for using the fund balance.”
Walter further argued that the fund balance should “not be used to solve every problem,” but rather, more careful financial planning may be needed so that the council doesn’t routinely resort to using the funds.
As for the education budget, Walter said the council should engage the BOE earlier in the process. “I think we should deliver more of a clear message to the BOE. I would like to see a more needs-based budget. I’m afraid we can’t sustain big increases every year,” Walter said.
Brian Roccapriore (D)
Brian Roccapriore is a member of Clinton’s Conservation Commission, the Clinton Land Trust, and a frequent volunteer at school events. Professionally, he is a consultant for a disaster response group.
Roccapriore said he was motivated to run for Town Council after “doing my due diligence.”
“I’ve been fairly involved in town, and I watch all the council meetings. I think we have a real opportunity to put ourselves in a real action posture now. We just need a little more to kick ourselves over the line and get more done,” Roccapriore said.
“I think the Town Council goal is to line up the town behind a vision we want the town to be,” Roccapriore added.
As for issues he would like to see the Town Council work on if elected, Roccapriore pointed to increasing communication between the town and the public.
“There’s a lot of information on the town website that you have to know where to look to find. Perhaps an annual newsletter we sent out that had information people wanted that would be a good idea,” Roccapriore said. Asked to clarify the types of information he would like to see put out, Roccapriore said development updates, as well information related to grants the town applied for and either received or didn’t.
Another issue Roccapriore said he would like to work on is “revitalizing the downtown,” which he said he would hope to do by working with the Economic Development Commission, as well as the Town Planner.
“We have a great framework in place, but I’d like to work on improving the general look, fill empty stores, and just see that vision filled,” Roccapriore said.
“I’d also like to highlight and use the infrastructure we have. When people come to Clinton, they might not [believe] there’s parking in the downtown,” said Roccapriore.
Over the last year, there were two issues related to the town’s budget that divided the council: if and how the town’s undesignated fund should be used and the level of BOE funding.
Roccapriore said that while he supports a more “collaborative” approach between the BOE and the Town Council, he also trusts the work the BOE does. “They do everything with every dollar they have. Everything should be looked at, but our schools have done a fantastic job, and we have to be there to support them. The people who work with the schools know best what the needs of the schools are,” Roccapriore said.
As for the fund balance, Roccapriore said that he supports the policy of keeping 15% of the operating budget in the undesignated fund, but he also supports the council’s decision last year to use a portion of surplus money to offset a mill rate increase.
“I think keeping the mill rate flat last year was the right decision,” Roccapriore said.
Chris Aniskovich (R)
Aniskovich has been a Town Council member since he was elected in 2019 and has served as the chairman of the council since then. Last year, Aniskovich was also elected to be the State Representative for the 35th District, which includes Clinton. Professionally, Aniskovich is a mortgage broker at Security Financial Mortgage Group in Clinton, which he also owns.
Aniskovich said he decided to run, “Because I enjoy being on the council and the work we’re doing.”
“I think the decision to go to a Town Manager was the right one, and I think things are definitely less political where everyone focuses on what’s best for the town,” Aniskovich said.
In particular, Aniskovich said he was proud of a policy put forth by the council that opened up vacancies more to unaffiliated voters, not just registered Republicans and Democrats. “It opens things up to a broader range of people and puts the Town first.”
As for an issue he would like to work on if reelected, Aniskovich said, “Pierson is one the things that’s on anybody’s minds. This is a big decision, and we have to make sure what we do is the best for the town in the long run, not just the short term,” Aniskovich said.
Over the year, the Town Council has held workshops where the council members gather to further discuss one particular issue. Aniskovich said he would like to see that practice continue. “I want to see the town continue to grow. I love the workshops we’ve been doing with the Town Manager guiding us, knowing we are all on the same page, and it forces us all to sit at the table and have an open dialogue to try and build a consensus,” Aniskovich said.
Over the last year, there were two issues related to the town’s budget that divided the council: if and how the town’s undesignated fund should be used and the level of BOE funding.
Aniskovich said holding a workshop with members of the BOE earlier in the process could be helpful. “I think the fact we could have an open dialogue so they know where we’re coming from and we know what they’re thinking would be helpful and we can go from there,” Aniskovich said.
Aniskovich said the same move has been and should continue to be taken in regards to the fund balance, too. “I think we should keep doing the workshops now so every budget cycle we don’t have the same arguments. We need to all understand the fund so we can set policy. We have to look at potential consequences that can come three to five years down the road and not just use the fund balance because we can,” Aniskovich said.
He also reiterated that such workshops might cut down on “misinformation” that gets posted on social media and riles people up.
Hank Teskey (D)
Teskey has been a member of the Town Council since February, when he was appointed to fill the vacancy created when Christine Goupil resigned from her seat. Teskey has served on the Town Manager search committee, and he is currently a member of the Economic Development Commission. Professionally, he works at Electric Boat.
Teskey said he wanted to run to try and apply his business experience to the town.
“I’ve been doing the Economic Development Commission for a while, and I have 37 years of business experience, and I figured I could contribute to the town,” Teskey said.
Asked for issues he would like to work on if elected to the Town Council, Teskey said, “revitalizing downtown, broadening the tax base, and supporting education.”
When asked to expand on those thoughts, Teskey said that when it came to revitalizing the downtown, he would like “to make the town a more business-friendly environment.”
“There are agencies and places that are there to help with grants and other ways, and I don’t think the small business owners know about them or what kind of help is out there. As a town, we need to connect them,” Teskey said.
Teskey said he would also like to apply for a STEAP (Small Town Economic Assistance Program) grant again to further help with façade improvements for downtown businesses. “We got a good amount of money out of that, and we can spread the word and work with the businesses a little more,” Teskey said.
Teskey said that by supporting the businesses, as well as “being smart about the kinds of development we want,” the town could see some positive growth.
“As businesses expand, that broadens the tax base and lessens the tax burden on the people,” Teskey explained.
Over the last year, there were two issues related to the town’s budget that divided the council: if and how the town’s undesignated fund should be used and the level of BOE funding.
Teskey said that while the budget process in Clinton is long, “I feel like the budget came out in a good place.” However, Teskey also agreed that more conversations between the BOE and Town Council could be held to try and find and alleviate any concerns about the budget early on rather than at the end of the process.
“More conversation can certainly be of value and more discussion for sure,” Teskey said.
Regarding the fund balance, Teskey said that while keeping the undesignated fund around 15% is smart, he also supports using some of the money in the fund when it is over that amount.
“Last year, our fund balance was in excess of that 15% level. To me, it seemed appropriate to use some of it to help people,” Teskey said.
Dennis Donovan (R)
Donovan has been a member of the Town Council since he was elected four years ago. Prior to that, he served the town in a number of capacities over many years, including stints on the Board of Selectmen, the Charter Revision Commission, and the Park and Recreation Commission.
“My main concern and why I wanted to run again is continuing the uncompleted projects I want to see done,” Donovan said.
Those projects include finding a new use for the Pierson School, addressing the town’s wastewater concerns, seeing more stores at the Indian River Landing site, and economic development. “We need to move those projects along,” Donovan said.
For Donovan, solving the wastewater issues in town is a key to several projects he believes the council can work on.
“It ties into Pierson as well as revitalizing the downtown. Wastewater comes into that because we have problems with that downtown, which limits us, and we need to get that sorted for our present merchants and to entice future investment in our downtown as well,” Donovan said.
As for economic development, Donovan said that the council should promote the assets of the town more.
“We really need to use our resources like the town dock and get people to come to Clinton from other towns and even Long Island,” Donovan said.
“I also want to see the spending of the ARPA [American Rescue Plan Act] projects [through]. There’s a deadline the money must be spent by, and I want to make sure every project gets moved along and comes to fruition,” Donovan said.
Over the last year, there were two issues related to the town’s budget that divided the council: if and how the town’s undesignated fund should be used and the level of BOE funding.
Donovan said that currently, the council is working to establish a policy on when to dip into the fund balance and that perhaps public explanations would be a prudent move.
“A proper explanation of how that works is needed. How you get money in and how you need to keep a certain amount in there for bonding or for emergencies,” Donovan said. “You never use the undesignated fund for operational purposes. I always want to keep the mill rate from rising, but you can’t go overboard,” Donovan said.
As for the education budget, Donovan said that more communication between the BOE and Town Council would help alleviate some of the budgetary strife.
“I believe there has to be more communications or informal meetings throughout the entire year. Too long has there been this supposed friction between the two sides. We all want the best for those kids, and if we better understood one another better, that would help,” Donovan said.
All Clinton voters can vote at the Andrews Memorial Town Hall. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. For questions concerning registration status and polling place, call the Registrars of Voters at 860-669-6436.