Millerton mayor to sit out 2013 election

MILLERTON — Mayor John Scutieri has made what many may call a surprising decision after serving 14 years on the Millerton Village Board, six of them as mayor. He’s decided to call it quits and not run for re-election come March.“It took me a long time to decide this,” he said during an interview with The Millerton News. “It’s bittersweet.”Scutieri has done much during his tenure, as a village trustee, deputy mayor and as mayor. A resident of Millerton since the age of 10, he said he decided to get involved in politics to follow the lead of a “few good people” who were involved themselves.“It took me a while to say yes,” he reminisced. “Anybody that’s not involved always answers no, and asks, ‘Why would anybody want to do that?’ I really needed to talk to a few people to make up my mind.”And he eased into it, filling an appointment initially before deciding to run for a two-year term as trustee. He said he immediately joined the Recreation Committee, which was one of his interests, and that it “started from there.”Pleased with playgroundIn fact, one of the projects Scutieri said he’s most proud of is the handicapped-accessible playground at Eddie Collins Field, which is one of the few American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant playgrounds in the region.“That was a phenomenal project,” he said, making a nod to donor and volunteer Sharon Will for making the playground a reality. “That was just an amazing project for this community, there’s not another playground like that for hundreds of miles. Some of the wealthiest communities would like that, and that’s for everybody to enjoy.”Other accomplishments Scutieri said he was pleased to take part of included “getting a better grip on new sidewalks.” Sidewalks have been a hallmark of Scutieri’s administration. His long-range plan included replacing many of the village’s deteriorating and damaged sidewalks to help improve the business district and village proper.“The community and village have grown tremendously; our infrastructure is in such terrible condition,” he said. “We’ve got to have a long-range plan for sidewalks, it’s really important and I’m really pleased to see it started.”About four years ago the village started aggressively pursuing Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) from the county to help with sidewalk improvement projects. The mayor said this year alone it plans to receive $200,000. It’s received not only CDBG funds, but also CHIPS funding and other grant awards, all to the tune of an estimated $500,000. Some of that money has also gone toward street lighting.Though rewarding to see such projects progress, Scutieri said he thinks his time to step aside has come.“I’m a strong believer when it comes to federal politics to term limits, and I really feel the first term and second terms it’s easier to get things done because you’re excited,” he said. “But once you’ve done something too long it gets stagnant, and you’re not as motivated to move and act on things as quickly as when you first came to office. So that’s part of the reason.Likes big projects“But what really had me convinced is that I truly enjoy these big projects ... and when you start taking on positions on Rudd Pond and the supermarket, it requires a lot of time, so with the limited amount of time I have to operate the office of mayor it’s very difficult for me to oversee that position as far as the police department, the highway department, the water department, the office of the clerks, payroll, recreation, everything. It’s a tremendous responsibility, and to still work [a full-time job],” he said. “My strong suit is getting involved in these major projects, so I’m not going to disappear.”Scutieri said he’s hopeful one of the three village trustees remaining on the board will decide to run for the mayoral position; he said all three are eminently qualified. The three remaining trustees include: Yosh Schulman, Debbie Middlebrook and Marty Markonic. Scutieri said one of the advantages of having a veteran elected as mayor is that he or she will be familiar with the village budget, which the board will be in the middle of constructing come election season.While stepping away from the position will free him up to focus on specific projects, as well as allow him more time for his “regular” job and more time with his family, Scutieri said he wanted to stress that he’s really enjoyed his stint as mayor.“I love being mayor,” he said. “It’s been a really rewarding position. And to have helpful people on all of our committees and boards has been a huge asset. I think one of the most rewarding parts of the position has been the incredible amount of friends I’ve made and the people I’ve gotten to know that otherwise I would not have. The friendships I’ve made are the most rewarding part of the position.”