Meet Sebastian Giuliano, Republican Common Council Candidate

Former Mayor Sebastian Giuliano is running for Middletown common council on the Republican slate.

I have chosen to run for Common Council as it is the Legislative Branch of the City of Middletown. By its nature, it is the body that is best suited to take the "long view."

Under the provisions of the City Charter, it has responsibility for the City's budgets, it approves borrowing (either directly or approving a referendum question to put before the voters), it has the authority to appropriate funds out of the City's cash reserves and it has the power to pass ordinances that have the force of law.

The Common Council also approves all job descriptions, the Personnel Rules, the Affirmative Action Plan and must approve all labor contracts as well as any other contract to which the City is a party. Clearly, the Common Council is as important a branch of the City government as the Executive — different in function, but just as important.

My priorities, if elected, are to re-focus the Common Council on its core functions. Councilpersons are not "mini-mayors;" they have no executive authority. The Council is responsible for determining which of the Mayor's proposals it will enact and/or fund and to what extent it will fund them, as well as what resources it will give to the Mayor for the proper exercise of the administrative duties vested in that office.

The Common Council also has a role in ordaining a vision for the City's future; to effectively do so, it must abandon its current practice of lurching from one budget year to another and from one election cycle to the next.

To that objective, I would implement a policy of five-year budget projections, in which the future fiscal impact of a current proposal can be anticipated before it is adopted.

Because borrowing and drawing down the city's cash reserves compromises our future fiscal health, I would also implement, via Charter Revision (a process that is vested exclusively in the legislative branch) where necessary and appropriate, a requirement that appropriations and borrowing be approved by a nine-vote super majority of the common council.

The great and famous Helen Keller, when asked what could be worse than being born blind, replied, "To have sight, but no vision." I believe that our vision will determine what Middletown's future will be.

Will we be a community where our young people will choose to make their lives? Will we be a community where our older citizens and retirees will be able to enjoy that which they have worked a lifetime to achieve? Or will our youth seek their fortunes somewhere else, as they will see no future for themselves here? Will our senior citizens move away from the city that has been their home and heritage for generations, because they can no longer afford to stay here?

The decisions we make today will determine the answers to those questions. Those are among the most important questions the voters must consider when making their choices on Nov. 5.

Other Candidate Bios

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• Republican Vying for City Treasurer on Mission to Defund Position
• Meet Paul Turenne, Democratic Candidate for Planning and Zoning

• Meet Dan Russo, Democratic Candidate for Planning and Zoning
• Meet Stephen Devoto, Democratic Candidate for Zoning Board
• Meet Sandra Russo-Driska, Republican Common Council Hopeful
• Meet Grady Faulkner: Democrat for Common Council Seat
• Meet Sheila Daniels, Republican for Board of Education
• Meet Sal Micciulla, Democratic Candidate for Assessment Board
• Meet Linda Salafia, Incumbent Republican Common Council Candidate
• Meet Deb Kleckowski: Republican Candidate for Common Council
• Meet Hope Kasper: Democratic Common Councilor for Re-Election
• Meet Ryan Kennedy, Republican Common Council Candidate
• Meet John Kilian, Realistic Balance Candidate for Mayor
• Meet Brian Kaskel, Republican Candidate for Board of Education
• Meet Stephen Smith, Candidate for Planning and Zoning
• Meet Nick Fazzino, Republican Candidate for Common Council
• Meet Tom Serra, Democratic Councilman Running for Re-Election
• Meet Tom Serra, Democratic Councilman Running for Re-Election
• Meet David Bauer, Republican Running for Common Council
• Meet Gerry Daley: Democrat Running for Common Council
• Meet Three Republicans Running for Planning and Zoning
• Treasurer Candidate to Middletown: 'Be the Change You Want to See'

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