Two registered Republicans have announced their candidacies for receiver of taxes, and have each secured the endorsement of separate parties.
Thus, the candidates will take the race into the November general election instead of deciding who will represent the Republicans in a September primary.
Rosa Mastrogiacomo-Luongo, who received the Republican and Independence parties’ endorsements, and Maria Mioli Pennella, who is being backed by the town Democratic and Conservative and Democratic parties, will both run in November to be Harrison’s tax collector, seeking to replace Nancy Masi, a Republican who will not seek re-election.
Pennella, a Republican who sought her party’s endorsement but was passed over, could opt to primary Luongo for the GOP line in September, but said she will instead focus on the general election in November. “With the Republicans not choosing me on their endorsement, I was going back and forth with [whether or not to primary],” she said.
Luongo, 32, said she is running to repay Harrison, where she is a third-generation resident. “After getting a lot of different experience in corporate America and in the public sector, I really want to come back to the town and give back to the community,” she said.
She told the Review that she worked for two corporations early in her career, developing customer service and bookkeeping skills—which she said would be integral to a role in tax reception—before getting her master’s degree in social work. After earning her degree, she has spent the last four years working as a social worker for the Westchester County Department of Social Services, focusing on foster care and preventative services.
She added that she hoped to bring both of those experiences to the Harrison Tax Department, and that her knowledge of the county’s opportunities for struggling families would enable her to make recommendations to those unable pay their property taxes on time.
Meanwhile, Pennella, 40, has spent her entire 20-year career in the private sector, working as a comptroller at Kenlar Electric Inc. in Scarsdale. She also works as a private financial consultant. She said she would also draw upon her volunteer work in the community, including 12 years managing finances for Harrison’s Girl Scouts and her upcoming term as the newly elected Harrison Avenue School PTA treasurer.
Both candidates said, if elected, they would aim to update and modernize the town’s tax office. Pennella said that with her experience in information technologies, IT, she could do that without requiring the town to hire a third party. “I want to computerize and automatize the whole department,” she said, suggesting updating the town municipal website to make property taxes viewable and payable online, and offering options to pay property taxes via credit card with a surcharge.
Luongo said she would also look to make online tax bills and payment options available to residents, but would focus on doing so cost-efficiently. “Being a Republican, I definitely want to look at the enhancements that are going to be fiscally responsible and not incur a higher tax rate for the citizens,” she told the Review.
Both candidates also said that giving back to the community was integral to their platforms. Luongo suggested that she would look to create funds to give back to the community’s youth; and Pennella said she would give a portion of her paycheck directly back to the town Recreation Department.
The receiver of taxes in Harrison earns $101,050 annually and is elected to a four-year term. Election Day is Nov. 7.
