Both Robert E. Pecoraro and Austin J. Tylec have shown they can win citywide elections in North Tonawanda.
That makes their matchup in the Nov. 2 mayoral election intriguing.
Pecoraro, a Republican, and Tylec, an independent aligned with the Democrats, are aldermen at large aiming to succeed retiring Republican Mayor Arthur G. Pappas.
Pecoraro, who became the Council president in January, was appointed to a vacant alderman at large seat in February 2015 and won full four-year terms that year and in 2019.
Tylec became the first in many years to win an election in North Tonawanda on the Democratic line, winning a lopsided victory for alderman at large in 2017.
Besides the partisan difference, the two candidates have a generational difference, too. Pecoraro is 63. Tylec is 29.
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Pecoraro, a retired Air Force colonel, vowed to be "a strong executive."
"In my experience, the residents want an executive to lead," Pecoraro said. "They don't want an executive to sit there and form committees and leave it up to others to make the hard calls."
Pecoraro said he intends to offer monthly fiscal updates to the Council and the public. A state audit last year said the city had done a poor job keeping track of where its finances stand.
"Commanding an air base that's larger with more employees and larger budgets than the City of North Tonawanda gives me a definite advantage over my opponent," Pecoraro said.
Tylec said the city needs to plan ahead for projects while keeping taxes low.
"We have to really look at our budget process," Tylec said.
Tylec said voters are concerned about infrastructure in the wake of some street flooding during heavy rains this summer.
"We're pretty old, so we need ongoing repairs," said Tylec, who has worked at Clark Patterson Lee, an architectural and engineering firm, for more than seven years.
Tylec said he would serve full time as mayor and "put my architecture career to the side."
He said anyone who thinks he's too young to be mayor is wrong.
"I've held my own the last four years as their alderman," Tylec said. "I know I have the experience in many different fields. I think I'm well-rounded enough to really move the city forward. I don't think age is something someone should raise a brow to.
"I have the most experience on the Council dealing with development, municipal construction, capital planning for improvements in other municipalities outside of North Tonawanda," Tylec said.
Pecoraro said the city's Lumber City Development Corp. has done an outstanding job in producing projects.
"It's not political, it's economic-driven, and that's a real value to the City of North Tonawanda," he said.
The city has chosen a developer for Timber Shores, a major multiuse project on Tonawanda Island.
But Tylec said the tax incentives the city offered "are a little crazy."
Tylec said the city has done a good job in downtown redevelopment, but it needs to spread down Oliver Street and toward the City Market and Payne Park.
