The two candidates for Westchester County Executive recently sparred on social media over democrat George Latimer’s proposed 2022 budget, which cuts county property taxes for the third year in a row. Latimer’s opponent, republican Christine Sculti, posted “Five Pinocchios go to George Latimer, who is no tax-cutter! The fact is, Mr. Latimer raised taxes a combined $160 million with a property tax hike of $11 million in 2019 and a sales tax hike of $151 million. He also fails to tell us he is sitting on a $220.5 million surplus. This surplus is twice what the rating agencies look for from a $2 billion budget. Mr. Latimer needs to significantly up the ante on his measly $7 million proposed tax cut. Westchester taxpayers won’t be fooled by this election-year gimmick by George Latimer.”
Throughout her campaign, Sculti has continued to try and hammer home her claim that “taxes are out of control” under Latimer. In her campaign video, Sculti features her mother, Angela Sculti, who lives in Rye. Angela Sculti is the founder of Save Our Schools (SOS) for Westchester Children, a group that her daughter Christine has touted during her campaign for County Executive.
A look at recent public tax records show over the four year period that Latimer has served as county executive, Angela Sculti’s county property taxes at her home in Rye, have DECREASED by 21%, –from 2433 in 2017 to 1901 in 2021.
The reduction in Mrs. Sculti’s county property taxes are different from other Westchester county homeowners because of the equalization rate, which fluctuates the county tax cut based on the assessment rate in each Westchester town, village and city.
Homeowners in Westchester were happy about ANY reduction in property taxes. “The majority of homeowners in Westchester are happy when they hear that any part of their propert taxes will not go up. That’s what they want to hear period, end of story. Anything else is just political games and nonsense. It’s a hail mary on her part,” said one sound shore democrat.
Republican Jacqueline Bricetti, from Briarcliff Manor, said, “I think its telling that while Christine Sculti claims that taxes are out of control in Westchester, her mother got a property tax decrease under a Democrat, George Latimer. That kind of eliminates her argument to me. I’m paying $33,000 in property taxes here in Briarcliff. Latimer has cut our property taxes and I think it shows that the usual labels for candidates of political parties just don’t apply anymore.”
