Development, finances, safety main topics at NAACP candidate forum

Economic development, financial management and public safety were the main topics during a Meet the Candidates event Monday night at Lyndon Strough Middle School in Rome.

The event, hosted by the Rome chapter of the NAACP, was open to the public. Candidates for office in Rome and greater Oneida County attended and used the event to lay out their platforms.

Many of the candidates present, including incumbent Republican Rome mayor Jacqueline Izzo and her opponent, Republican Jeff Lanigan, are lifelong Romans. They professed their love for the city and their desire to see continued economic development.

The two mayoral candidates were not alone in their admiration for the copper city.

Common Council President Stephanie Viscelli is running against incumbent John Gannon for city court judge. She grew up in Rome, moved to Auburn for her first job, and then returned to Rome to raise her children here.

“The best thing about Rome is the people,” Viscelli said. “We may not have the best weather, we may have issues like every other city has, but the people of Rome have the biggest hearts and they care about each other. And I wanted my kids to be raised like that.”

Economic development

Candidates including incumbent Republican County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr., who is seeking a fifth term this November, touted the recent success of the development of Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome.

The park is now a mixed-use commercial space that sits on the site of the former Griffiss Air Force Base.

“The investment up at Griffiss over the last few years has been tremendous in terms of that endeavor, and has led to more jobs, more growth, and we'll have more even in the future,” Picente said.

Izzo, who lost June's Republican primary to Lanigan but will appear on November’s ballot on the conservative line, said that when she first ran for mayor in 2015, business leaders in the community approached her about what they saw as the community’s economic stagnation. She said she is proud of her administration’s engagement with Griffiss.

“We are fortunate to have that business park, our economic engine, here in the city of Rome, because without it, we would be looking at a far different economic picture,” Izzo said. “I'm very proud as the mayor. The last two mayors were not very engaged in Griffiss, but I turned that around on day one. And we've had unprecedented growth there.”

Lanigan said that while the development of the park has been impressive, he sees a need for increased attention to small business development and retention.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our community, providing unique experiences and character,” Lanigan said. “During this campaign, I've had the opportunity to visit many local small businesses and have heard their concerns loud and clear. Many of them suffered greatly during the pandemic, and feel that they had been ignored for several years. We need to encourage and support entrepreneurship by developing innovative programs and services for small business owners.”

Financial management

Incumbent Rome Councilman Frank Anderson is also focused on supporting small businesses. Another priority of his is financial responsibility, and he noted that Izzo’s mayoral administration has balanced the budget with zero tax increases.

Izzo said that she is proud of her city’s financial management, and that in addition to avoiding tax increases, the city has been able to return budget surpluses to its coffers under her leadership. Those additional funds allowed Rome to withstand the coronavirus pandemic, she said.

“We could never see a pandemic coming,” Izzo said. “Unfortunately, it came, and because of our fiscal responsibility the city of Rome weathered it extremely well. Our employees were very, very good stewards of the taxpayers money during that time in providing services.”

Picente has been in office since 2006, and he said that over the last 10 years, he has managed the county’s budget without any tax increases. He said that Oneida County is in great financial shape, and that the county takes pride in its social services.

“Doing this job, it is about people, because we provide so many services to so many people in this community,” Picente said. “I can't stress enough about human services. That's a big part of our day. We've had our challenges with the opioid epidemic, we've had our challenges with homelessness, and we are working with all our communities to battle the scourge that we have seen as a result of all of those.”

Public safety

Picente and Lanigan touched on public safety and crime as important issues facing their constituents.

“We were the very first some years ago, the first in not just the state, but really in the nation to have special patrol officers at every single school district in Oneida County, so that our children, our teachers, and most importantly, parents that send their kids to school, know that they're going to be safe,” Picente said.

Lanigan, who is a retired police officer, said that his reflection on his career in public safety inspired him to enter politics and run for mayor. He said that public safety goes beyond crime statistics.

“It is imperative that Rome is not only safe by the numbers, but is recognized by residents and visitors as a safe community,” Lanigan said.

Lanigan said that the city still needs to take significant steps to address a perceived rise in crime.

“I believe that with the right leadership, Rome can grow and prosper,” Lanigan said. “It's time for a new generation of leadership within our community, because neighborhoods are in distress. As I travel the streets, it saddens me to see the deterioration of once beautiful neighborhoods. If we want to grow our economy and attract new residents, businesses and jobs, we must focus on cleaning up our neighborhoods. If left unchecked, the decay will continue to expand, and our neighborhoods may be lost forever.”

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Candidates outline platforms during Rome NAACP forum