Ryan Curioni
Curioni has lived in Lodi for his entire life, 34 years.
He graduated from St. Francis/Mother Cabrini Elementary School in Lodi. He graduated from Lodi High School in 1999, ranking seventh in his graduating class. He attended William Paterson University on a full academic scholarship and received his B.A. in Mathematics. Curioni graduated magna cum laude.
He is the owner of Curioni’s Pizza in Lodi.
"My great-grandmother, Eletta Curioni, opened the business in 1923. It has always been family owned," said Curioni.
Curioni explained, " I am not a member of any clubs in town. My customers are like family. A lot of my volunteerism and charity are centered on them and their causes. I always felt that the most rewarding acts are those that are not spoken about, even for politics."
Curioni listed some things he would like to see change if he is elected to council.
He said he would like to restore a system of checks and balances.
"The same political machine has had control over Lodi for the last 16 years," he said. "One-party rule isn’t working for Lodi."
He expressed that there is too much power in the hands of too few families.
"This year, three out of five council members had an immediate family member sitting on the Lodi Board of Education. You have a handful of political families ultimately responsible for spending almost $85,000,000 a year in tax dollars (between the two governing bodies)," said Curioni.
He would like to see a greater diversity of residents involved.
"Three out of five candidates on the incumbent ticket are employed by the Lodi Board of Education. They have conflicts of interest. The borough is now paying for some school expenses and borrowing money for school projects," he said.
Curioni said that Lodi has the third highest tax rate in Bergen County.
"The taxpayers of Lodi are paying a lot more than all neighboring towns and getting a lot less in return," he said.
He shared that he was concerned about runaway payouts and gave an example of the recently retired police chief with a $342,000 payout.
"I will implement all of the state’s ‘Best Practices’ pertaining to unused sick days, longevity pay, etc. I will make sure that nobody leaves with more than they are entitled to contractually," said Curioni.
Curioni believes it’s time for another revaluation.
"Almost every town in Bergen County has had one or more reassessments since the economic downturn of 2007. Lodi’s last revaluation was done in 2003," said Curioni.
He believes Lodi’s current valuation is not fair or accurate and should be investigated and corrected.
"The amount in tax appeal judgments in 2014 alone was $407,623," said Curioni.
Curioni is concerned about nepotism and believes family members of Lodi politicians have been hired for positions that were never advertised.
"They are promoted over more qualified individuals. Family members have been protected from a reduction in force even though they had less seniority," Curioni feels.
If elected, Curioni plans to introduce the strictest anti-nepotism ordinance on July 1.
Curioni would like to establish and enforce a borough code of ethics.
If elected, Curioni hopes to broadcast every public meeting on the borough website, along with all bills, contracts, payroll, resolutions and ordinances in their entirety. He would also like to see all town jobs advertised both on the website and in The Record.
"All hiring and promotions will be announced at regular council meetings and appear on the minutes," said Curioni.
Curioni would also like to see a crackdown on pension abuse.
"I successfully challenged individuals enrolled in Lodi’s pension system (PERS) after this administration refused to follow the law. Individuals were removed. Taxpayers of Lodi and the state saved a lot as the result. I will continue to be a watchdog on these issues," said Curioni.
Curioni said he would like to bring back some community events to restore borough pride, events such as the Memorial Day parade and Fourth of July celebration.
"Both can easily be paid for with the savings when campaign contributors can no longer receive no bid contracts," said Curioni.
He would also like to see more year-round activities and programs for special needs children and more basketball courts.
"When this administration removed the courts at Kennedy Park, a void was left. The youth today do not have the same opportunities that we had growing up. Parents (and children) are asking for more courts," he added.
Curioni would like to see the debt reduced.
"During the last two council terms, Lodi’s net debt has grown $10,611,273 or 90 percent. Lodi is now borrowing for the most basic expenses instead of budgeting for them. It’s a selfish act to bury future generations in debt," said Curioni.
George Panagiotou
George Panagiotou has been a Lodi resident since 1959.
He is a widower and has three sons: Patrick, 50, Steven, 47, George Jr., 44
Panagiotou went to Emerson High School in Hudson County and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University.
He has been an enrolled agent since 1983.
"We’re empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before all administrative levels of the IRS for its collections and repeals," said Panagiotou.
He was a Cub Master of the Boy Scouts for nine years when his children were younger.
He has been involved with the Lodi Old Timers since 1973.
"I currently sponsor a Little League team called Panagiotou Tigers. I fund a yearly $500 scholarship in memory of my late wife. The scholarship goes to a Lodi High School senior who has participated in any of the softball or baseball programs for a minimum of three years," said Panagiotou.
"If I’m elected, I would like to lower our real estate taxes, because everybody has complained about the increases that we’ve had over the years. I’d like to see a revaluation done again. The state (tax) average is around $8,000. We’re up to over $9,000 per year now," said Panagiotou.
Panagiotou said he wants to help control the reckless spending, the patronage and the tax increases.
"I’d like to lower that. The nepotism is a big thing that we have in Lodi. I don’t have any relatives living in Lodi, so I wouldn’t be hiring any relatives," said Panagiotou.
He expressed that Lodi services are not up to what they should be.
"(With) the snow plowing, it was too narrow to go through streets. They need to plow to the curbs," he said.
Panagiotou would also like to have more parades and community events.
"We would like to have some parades back like we used to have, things that would make the town a little bit better. more community events. They stopped the fireworks. If they got rid of some of the nepotism people, they would have enough money to bring the fireworks back," he said.
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