Milton resident and town supervisor candidate Dan Lewza (R,C,I) said when he and his wife moved to the town some 10 years ago, they thought it would be the perfect place to raise the two daughters they have now.
Lewza wants to serve the community he’s come to love so with the backing of the Republican, Conservative and Independence parties, he kicked off his official campaign on Monday, June 13.
Joined by his wife, daughters, supporters and Councilman Joe Miranda (R,C) who is seeking reelection and council candidate Barbara Kerr (R,C,I), Lewza stood on the corner of Malta Avenue in Ballston Spa to lay out the goals of his grassroots campaign.
Among the top priorities on Lewza’s list are transparency in town government and creating a balanced economic plan for the area that will generate new jobs.
We can do a better job handling the town’s finances and using taxpayer dollars more efficiently and wisely, said Lewza. `We must remain competitive with surrounding towns while maintaining the rural integrity of our suburban character.`
Lewza, the current chief of staff for Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin (R,C-Melrose), said his background in both state and local government over the past 20 years will help him develop strong town policies to encourage growth.
Also on his radar of issues to tackle in the town are making sure positions in town are available to all town residents equally.
`We all pay the same town taxes so everyone should have the same opportunities to obtain a position in town,` said Lewza.
Maintaining an ethical form of government will also take precedence, he said.
`I will appoint people [to committees] that have no ties to myself or anyone on the Town Board … that’s the only way we know things will be done fairly,` said Lewza.
He also said communicating with residents is important.
`A lot of people tell me as I go door to door that they’ve called the town [about an issue] and never received a call back. Whether someone supported me or not, I will represent everyone if I’m so lucky,` said Lewza.
Lewza previously worked for the Senate Rural Resource Commission developing policy initiatives for rural and agricultural areas of the state and was a policy analyst and communications coordinator for the New York State Assembly.
Lewza has a campaign Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/danlewzafb and questions can be sent to [email protected].“