Past Fire Chief Seeks Mayoral Future
After 26 years as volunteer firefighter, ten as chief, and other municipal roles, Dominic Cicalese runs for mayor.
Dominic Cicalese has been a Port Jervis Fire Department volunteer for 26 years—since 1997 when he was 16, he said. For ten of those years, he was fire chief , as was his father from 2002 to 2004. So Cicalese, a Republican, has some opinions about what the city needs, as he now runs for Port Jervis mayor.
He listed the municipal realms he has encountered: “Budgeting, purchasing, grant writing, countless meetings, working with the public and city departments, including the building department, fire inspector, public works, Community Development Agency, city clerk and mayor’s office.”
He noted that he has been on the planning board since 2016 and has been a union member, involved in arbitration and union management. He has also been working on a two-year legal studies associate’s degree at SUNY Herkimer to enhance his understanding of the law and local government.
“I’m running as a vehicle of change,” he said. “My administration will work hard at addressing quality of life issues in our town. Vacant, zombie homes, unregistered vehicles, multi-family dwelling inspections. This will improve living conditions and raise the desirability of our neighborhoods. Focusing on the needs of neighborhoods will serve as the foundation to start rebuilding some of those neglected through the years.”
He wants to see the water and sewer taxes “stabilized,” after a recent $40 per quarter increase. “It’s back-breaking for seniors on fixed incomes,” he said, though he acknowledged that costly sewer repairs required by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation are the source of the expense.
Asked where cost-cutting could come from, he said, “Make sure spending goes where it should and departments are run efficiently. Review budgets.”
Meanwhile, he wants to see expansion of the building department with another full time building inspector to address vacant buildings, garbage and unregistered vehicles in front yards.
“It’s an arduous battle, but those who keep their homes up are suffering,” he said. “And the state keeps adding new required tasks for building inspectors.”
Meanwhile, the fire inspector left in January, he said. “The city needs a fire inspector for the new buildings downtown and the pre-submission for a 700,000 square foot warehouse facility at Dick’s Concrete. They’re debating whether to hire part time or full time.”
Temporarily, David Rivera, Port Jervis building inspector, gets a stipend to add fire inspection to his responsibilities, and the fire inspector job is posted, Mayor Kelly Decker said.
Cicalese also said he would “champion job growth.” Asked about his strategy, he said, “To get good paying jobs, we need to work hard and meet with investors and developers. Stay active with the state, the Industrial Development Agency and Chamber of Commerce. Businesses are looking for places to go.”
He also sees Pike St. and Jersey Ave. as needing advocacy.
“The mayor and CDA should talk to local startups and help businesses open,” he said. “Having a downtown is an asset.”
Cicalese also envisions a new “state of the art recreation center that would tie into Church St., or some other place, with a splash pad. The city needs to invest in parks and playgrounds,” he said. For this his financial strategy is "chasing grants.”
The reward would be tennis, pickleball, basketball and a new recreation center, where space could be rented out, Cicalese said.
Senior center facilities are also needed, and grants could be pursued for that, he said. The Farnum House senior center closed in January because of building conditions, and he pointed to that site or a new recreation center as possibilities for seniors. He also suggested providing new opportunities for them by extending the range of Dial-A-Bus in Orange County.
Cicalese says his running mate will be Michael Hockenberry, a retired Port Jervis Police Department sergeant, who now works for Paramount & Co., a Port Jervis company that makes signs for athletic events, among other functions.
“When I was fire chief, Mike and I worked together,” said Cicalese.
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