Mount Kisco Village Board Election Preview

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. - When Mount Kisco voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, they will be tasked with appointing two Village Trustees. 

Seeking the positions will be Democrats Tom Luzio and Karen Schleimer, alongside Braille Diaz and John Mullen of the Village Inclusive Party. Town Justice Mark Farrell will be running for reelection unopposed. 

Ahead of Election Day, The Mt. Kisco-Bedford Times offers a look at each candidate’s background and qualifications, as well as an opportunity for them to explain in their own words their views on the most pressing issues in the community. (Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.) 

BRAILLE DIAZ

Diaz, 23, was raised in Mount Kisco and attended local schools. He took part in many village programs such as Camp Iroquois in Leonard Park, Little League, and the Boys and Girls Club. After graduating from Fox Lane High School in 2019, Diaz studied philosophy and theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary and the International Seminary of St. Phillip Neri in Florence, Italy. He teaches 7th grade religious education at St. Francis of Assisi in Mount Kisco.
Diaz is a member of the Mount Kisco Fire Department, the local Knights of Columbus Council, and the Mount Kisco Lions Club. He is currently serving on the village’s Board of Ethics.

Diaz lists his occupation as a self-employed community representative.

He was a legislative aide with the Westchester County Legislature, an intern with the town of Bedford Court and the state Senate, where he worked for then-state Sen. Terrence Murphy, who represented the 40th District from 2015 to 2018.

Diaz also traveled to Washington D.C multiple times to advocate for local organizations including the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester as a youth of the year finalist and the American Legion as a Boys’ State and Boys’ Nation delegate. He speaks fluent French and is conversational in both Spanish and Italian.

What do you consider to be the largest public safety concerns in Mount Kisco? How will you address them if elected?

There are a number of concerns in mind in regards to public safety here in Mount Kisco. In my opinion the largest public safety concern here is loitering and public intoxication. This issue is especially prevalent in our downtown areas and in our trails. It is a well-known fact that loitering leads to a number of other dangerous activities such as fights and muggings thus creating a dangerous and uncomfortable environment for shoppers and business owners.

Unfortunately, it is my opinion that this issue is attributed to a number of businesses that illegally sell alcohol at inappropriate hours and sell to those who are already inebriated. If elected, I plan to take a number of steps in order to address this issue, my first step would be to sponsor no loitering legislation to add to the village code. This legislation would enable law enforcement officials to act preemptively and proactively to combat this issue. Secondly, I would support the creation of or participation in a park ranger program here in Mount Kisco. This program would allocate additional law enforcement personnel who are specifically responsible for patrolling our trails and parks. This program would help to improve not only security in our green spaces but also would enable law enforcement to report on the conditions of the trails and parks and would help improve cleanliness. Thirdly, I would encourage other law enforcement agencies who have jurisdiction here in Mount Kisco to be more involved. For example, I would ask MTAPD to post an officer in the Kirby Plaza area which has been the location of a number of recent issues. The consistent presence of this officer would act as a major deterrent for criminal activity.

How much do you value transparency and governmental oversight? How do you plan to incorporate those ideas into the next term?

I am a strong believer in government oversight and accountability. As a member of the Board of Ethics I am responsible for maintaining the integrity of our village government. In order to increase transparency and integrity I would call for a number of policies such as having our agency heads give monthly or bi-monhly reports at our village board meetings. These reports would include our Fire department, Police department, Ambulance Corp, Building department, Water Department, DPW and parks and recreation just to name a few. These reports would inform the board and thus the public on the progress these agencies have made in their respective responsibilities and would help give the public a better understanding of the villages day to day operation. This would also provide a means by which agency heads may publicly bring forward issues they have or maybe that they’ve observed.

What else do you consider to be a pressing issue within the community? How will you work towards addressing it? 

Another major issue here in our community which is not talked about enough is overcrowded housing. This issue has been prevalent in our community for many years now. This issue presents a danger not only to those living in these inhumane conditions but also to our first responders who regularly find themselves having to navigate through illegal apartments and extensions. This issue is contributed to by a number of individuals who in their greed and total disregard of basic humanity and community seek to line their pockets by stuffing as many people as possible into their properties and then charging them in some cases exobernants amounts in rent. In some cases these individuals own businesses and house their staff within these businesses and residential properties. This unacceptable behavior has even been observed within the properties of politicians and other prominent members of our community.

Consequently and until this issue is resolved I am completely opposed to accessory dwelling units (ADUs) which would only serve to further agitate this issue. I would be in support of creating a task force to include our first responders, building department and code enforcement to help combat this issue. Another issue is traffic safety. At the time I am writing this article there have been two car accidents involving rolled over vehicles here in Mount Kisco, one of which I helped in getting a trapped and injured woman out of the car. I am in support of having a second conditions unit provided by our county police in order to increase traffic enforcement within our village. I also hope to foster a working relationship with our state and county DOTs as well as Metro North to help combat deteriorating infrastructure which I feel is contributing to dangerous street conditions.       

TOM LUZIO

Luzio, an attorney and chair of the local Democratic Party, is married to Erica Van Patten, a teacher. The couple live in Mount Kisco. He has a daughter, a son, and a stepdaughter. Luzio raised his son and daughter in Mamaroneck and coached them in recreational league soccer. He is proud of having been a big part of his stepdaughter’s life, too. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Duquesne University in 1983 and his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School in 1988.

Tom Luzio served as an assistant district attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office from 1988-1993; as an assistant district attorney and later deputy bureau chief in the Queens County District Attorney’s Office from 1993-1998; as a bureau chief in the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office from 1998 to 2017; and as a senior assistant deputy attorney general in the New York State Attorney General’s Office from 2017-1919.

Previously, he served as an electronics technician and clerk with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1981-1988) and later was a member of the Westchester County Police Training and Reimagining Task Force (2021).

Luzio helped create Road to Recovery in Westchester County, an alternative to incarceration program for non-violent felony offenders, seven years prior to legislation requiring it in New York. He also created an Overdose Response Initiative in the middle of the opioid epidemic.

While at Brooklyn Law School, he received the American Jurisprudence Award for the highest score in Administrative Law (the rules of government). He was one of two lawyers named “attorney of the year” by the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York in 2000.

While on the Organized Crime Task Force of the New York State Attorney General’s Office, he worked 11 years for Republicans and 20 years for Democrats. For 10 years, he worked at the NY Sports Club and the Saw Mill Club East in Mount Kisco, teaching spinning classes.

What do you consider to be the largest public safety concerns in Mt. Kisco? How will you address them if elected?

The safety of our residents will always be of the utmost concern to me. While crime here – and throughout Westchester – has dropped dramatically over the past 20 years, I respect the concerns of our residents and know we can do more to protect our shoppers and storeowners from theft and enhance our early morning/late night commuters’ sense of security. That always includes police walking the beat and meeting trains. As Trustee, as when I was a prosecutor, I would work with the County PD to analyze the data, define the scope of the problem, identify the serious offenders and encourage police and the DA to build strong cases in order to prosecute those offenders to the fullest extent. My experience is that effective safety will be achieved through alternatives such as probation, community service or court-mandated drug, alcohol or mental health programs. I would connect with the Department of Social Services and other agencies to find shelter for our homeless, with Neighbor’s Link to help find work and training for those in need and with the Interfaith Pantry and others to feed our hungry. Like Mel Berger here in Mount Kisco, as a Bureau Chief at the Westchester DA, I created the first felony offender drug treatment court in Westchester County over 20 years ago without a dollar of funding and six+ years before a statewide mandate. While supervising that program, we continued to send violent offenders to prison and got treatment for the others – with a 70% success rate. That same model can be applied here, but it takes community commitment and hard work. It costs over $250,000/year to incarcerate a defendant; much less to treat them, which both reduces recidivism and saves money.

How much do you value transparency and governmental oversight? How do you plan to incorporate those ideas into the next term?

It is absolutely essential that we are transparent and ethical when we govern. We need to do a better job of communicating with all of our residents. We need to go beyond the bare minimum when notices are required for a project to proceed. We must be more efficient and make things easier for small businesses. Board members and other decision makers must be fully prepared for the agenda at hand. I’d also like to enhance our website and town meetings to become more user-friendly, with more public statements in Spanish to facilitate communication with our residents and small business owners, whose first language often isn’t English. 

What else do you consider to be a pressing issue within the community? How will you work towards addressing it?

We have to find ways to save our taxpayers money without compromising the tremendous service we get from our DPW, Fire Department and EMTs – making grants extremely important. Throughout my career, I obtained grants and worked on budgets. I believe those qualification in this area will better enable us to seek out and obtain state and federal funding for our parks, public works projects, Fire Department training, library expenses, Neighbors Link, the Boys and Girls Club and many others. We must promote sensible, sustainable development without infringing on our remaining green space, while keeping watch on traffic and safety concerns that come with economic growth. We must support our Chamber of Commerce and our volunteers who put on events that showcase the amazing vitality of our town. A more welcoming and walkable Mt. Kisco will encourage economic development and new businesses to start up. Creating public spaces that are bustling with activity through smart economic development and keeping our walking trails well-maintained will discourage public drinking and keep our home values high. Lastly, while adding protection to Leonard & Flewellyn Park was important, we should likewise shield and preserve our other parklands, which are Mount Kisco’s most valuable natural resource and provide special places for all of our residents to enjoy.

JOHN MULLEN

Born and raised in Mount Kisco, John Mullen, 26, is a co-owner and vice president of sales of Blue Heron Tea & Coffee in the village’s Kirby Plaza. He studied business in college and worked for more than 12 years at Mount Kisco Seafood, eventually becoming an assistant manager. Mullen has also worked in lease management for L&M Management Corp. and as a sales intern for G.A. Fleet Associates.

He graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. While in college, Mullen was a leader in the Car Club and a BSG academy award winner in the university’s school of business.

What do you consider to be the largest public safety concerns in Mt. Kisco? How will you address them if elected?

As a small business owner in the center of the town; I see a lot of the day-to-day activities that go on. I believe that public drinking and intoxication is our number one issue and should be our number one priority. Family spaces have been condemned to negative and inappropriate behaviors. We need to ensure that public spaces are for everybody’s enjoyment and policies need to be enforced to preserve the sanctity and safety of those public spaces.

How much do you value transparency and governmental oversight? How do you plan to incorporate those ideas into the next term?

I believe transparency is key when dealing with local politics. We are all a part of the same community; so, we should all strive to make it better. We should be voting as a community on important decisions such as the traffic study as well as which contractors will be hired to complete renovation initiatives such as new sidewalks and lights throughout the town and in Kirby plaza. All of this should be done through the voice of the townhall meetings. Anybody can show up and state their opinion. With complete transparency on issues and the towns’ people being directly involved; I don’t think there is a more accurate way to resolve issues.

What else do you consider to be a pressing issue within the community? How will you work towards addressing it? 

I think budget allocation needs to be reviewed and explored more in depth. A forensic audit would be well worth the taxpayers’ money to ensure that all taxes collected are going to the proper priorities. The transparency aspect also applies to something like this. If everyone has the same common goal of improving the town, we should be explaining and providing proof of funds going towards such goals. The trails are also a topic and one of Mount Kisco’s local Gems. The homeless problem has increased dramatically, and the trails are suffering because of it. We should be offering these human beings outreach from our local services such as Neighbors link. By providing such services we may be giving people hope and a second chance at a better more humane Lifestyle. This also stands to better our community by making the local trails more accessible and usable for their purpose.

KAREN SCHLEIMER

Karen Schleimer, an attorney specializing in residential and commercial real estate, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She has maintained her own law practice since 1984.

Schleimer was an associate real estate attorney for Weil Gotshal and Manges from 1980 to 1984 and other Wall Street law firms from 1977-1980. She studied law as a law clerk and student instead of going to law school at Cravath Swaine Moore, sponsored by David Boies, F.A.O. Schwarz, Jr., and Thomas D. Barr.

She was first elected to the Village Board in 2012.

Her long list of prior civic service includes turns on the Zoning Board of Appeals (chair and member); the Mount Kisco Public Library Foundation (director and secretary); Westchester Municipal Planning Federation (director); Friends of the Mount Kisco Public Library (member); Livable Communities Council (member), NE Region; Northern Westchester Geriatric Committee; Planning Board (member); Attorney for Fee Arbitration Panel; Economic Development Council; LOSAP Committee; Attorney for the Day-Supreme Court Committee. She was also a village prosecutor at one time and reputed to have collected more fines than any other prosecutor.

In 2015, she ran for county legislator in District 2 (Bedford, Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, North Salem, and part of Somers). The seat was held at the time by Peter Harckham, now a state senator, who was not seeking re-election. She is a recent former member of the Mount Kisco Democratic Committee.

Schleimer has one daughter.

She was a member of the League of Women Voters and is a volunteer with the Mount Kisco Historical Society. She was named a woman of distinction by Assemblyman Christ Burdick in 2022, and was inducted into Westchester County’s Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in 2016.

What do you consider to be the largest public safety concerns in Mt. Kisco? How will you address them if elected?

The three biggest safety concerns are homelessness, distracted and entitled drivers who do not obey laws or signs, and overcrowded and illegal housing.

Homelessness requires the assistance and resources of state and federal government, mental health professionals and others.  We need to collaborate with all of these resources and our police and judges and develop a plan.  A small town with limited resources cannot tackle this ever-growing problem on its own.

Motor vehicle laws need to be enforced. The biggest issues are cell phone usage and ignoring signs such as no-U-turn signs and pedestrian crossings. We need public education and enforcement.

Overcrowding and illegal housing is also a question of enforcement and making it a priority. The downside of failure to enforce is possible loss of life of the folks who live under these conditions and our volunteer firefighters and ambulance corps.

How much do you value transparency and governmental oversight? How do you plan to incorporate those ideas into the next term?

Transparency is essential. Elected officials act only on behalf of their residents. Their residents have the right to know, to participate and be heard. We elected are but public servants and our job is to serve the public to the best of our ability.

I have always valued being transparent and the input and concerns of our residents. I do not plan to do anything differently.

What else do you consider to be a pressing issue within the community? How will you work towards addressing it? 

Monitoring our spending and making sure that our plans match our resources. Finish all of the open projects. Make sure that we obtain every grant that is available to us. Encourage the downtown to be filled with stores and to encourage a vibrant downtown area.