Former Councilman Among Republican Picks for Peekskill City Council

The Peekskill Republican City Committee is unanimously endorsing three candidates in the upcoming election for City Council.

Committee members made the decision at a meeting earlier this week. They chose former City councilman Chris Hanzlik, Joe Torres and Vincent A. Vesce, son of former Peekskill City councilman and mayor Vincent C. Vesce. 

The organization previously chose Frank Catalina to challenge Mary Foster, the incumbent mayor.
 
“I am thrilled to have such a great group of people running with me," Catalina said in a statement. "Each brings a different type of experience, professional background and skill set to the ticket. My running mates and I will offer the citizens of Peekskill candidates who will be short on typical political rhetoric and long on providing solutions to the many problems that have been caused by the policies and decisions implemented by the current administration over the past five years.”

Here's more on the endorsements, as provided by a press release:

Although Chris Hanzlik and Joe Torres did not prevail in prior elections, they believe that their respective candidacies will be welcomed by Peekskill voters due to a series of bad decisions and policies that have soured Peekskill’s ability to move forward in a positive manner. Hanzlik, a licensed professional civil engineer said, “When I last ran for public office, I stressed the importance of the City to be vigilant and keep its finances in good condition as was the case during John Testa’s Administration. Unfortunately, due to the financial mismanagement of the current administration, the City’s fund balance has all but disappeared and the City’s bond rating has slipped from the level the Foster Administration inherited. Last fall this induced Moody’s to revise their outlook for the City to “negative” and since then has downgraded the City’s Bond Rating even further than before. Our citizens deserve nothing less than highly professional management of the City’s finances and this will be a top priority of mine when elected to the City Council.”

Joe Torres, a small business owner in Peekskill who for the past 29 years has owned and operated the successful “Reliable Sewer and Drain Service,” ran for City Council four years ago. “My wife Terri and I talked about the notion of my running again ever since the last election. I love this City and due to my line of work I get to see many neighborhoods in every corner of the community.  It is obvious in so many of our neighborhoods that homeowners are having to struggle to keep their neighborhoods together because of lax building code enforcement that has created housing conditions no one should be subjected to. The City government has lost its focus on the important fundamental role that it should be playing in making sure that the integrity of our neighborhoods and the people who live in them are not put at risk. When elected, I promise to have the City zero in on securing safe and welcoming neighborhoods no matter where they may be. No Peekskill neighborhood should be at risk.”

Vincent A. Vesce, a lifelong Peekskill resident is a first time candidate who comes to the race for City Council with public service in his blood. Vesce said, “I decided to get involved and offer myself to Peekskill’s voters because I believe in my home town. Forget the political spin. The fundamental and most relevant measurement of a community’s vitality and success is the level of its property values. That is the no nonsense, no political spin measurement of just how much individuals believe in a community and if it is on the right track or not. Under this administration, our community has been subjected to a series of service cuts for our citizens while money is spent on extraneous expenses like “spokespersons” and “surveys” that produce nothing of substance in return. Our City’s reputation has suffered and our civic future is no longer bright. If I am elected, I will help create and support policies that will restore Peekskill as a place where people want to move to and want be a part of.”

Chris Hanzlik is a Civil Engineer who works for TRC Engineers, Inc. in Hawthorne. He is a graduate of Cardinal Hayes High School and earned a Bachelor of Engineering Degree from Manhattan College. He is a former Peekskill Councilman and served on Peekskill’s Planning Commission for 14 years being named its Chairman in 2008. He is currently the President of the Peekskill Lapolla Little League and a member of the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Society. Chris and his wife Esther have two children, Jonathan and Rebecca.

Joe Torres graduated from Walter Panas High School and shortly thereafter started his own business which prevails to this day. He is a working member of the Peekskill Yacht Club and a member of the Lincoln Society.  He also is a member of the Peekskill Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and donates his professional services to a number of not-for-profit entities in the Peekskill area. He and his wife Terri have four children, Courtney, Tammy, Joey and Chris, the latter of which has joined his father in the family business.

Vincent A. Vesce, known as “Boo” to his family and friends, is a graduate of Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ. He holds a Bachelors Degree from Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL and worked for 15 years at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey attaining the position of “Manager Airport Access” where he oversaw a revenue budget of about $300 Million. He is currently the President of “V Squared Strategies”, a business development consulting firm. “Boo” is a former member of the Peekskill Zoning Board and remains as a fourth generation member of the Christopher Columbus Society where he was a Past President. He and his wife Jolene have three children, Gianna, Vinnie and Sophia.