SEPTEMBER 2022

FEATURE
ALL GIRL …All In
Giving Parents a Voice
Vincent Sitto Makes County
Commission Run
BY PAUL NATINSKY
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For Vincent Sitto, politics is not
a career choice. The Oakland
County businessman and father
just wants people like himself to be
heard and to have a voice — something
he is not finding within the Oakland
County Commission.
Because of that, Sitto
is running as a Republican
for the 10th District seat
on the Oakland County
Commission. The district
includes northwest West
Bloomfield, southern Waterford,
western Pontiac,
and a smattering of other
area towns.
“Long story short, I
went to a few county commission
meetings, didn’t like what I saw.
I felt like as a parent and a taxpayer, my
voice wasn’t being heard. I was getting
the nod from everybody like they heard
me and then they went on their merry
way and still did what they want. At the
end of the day, they’ve got to remember
that they represent us, the taxpayers,
and they weren’t doing that.”
The 10th District used to be a tossup
with Republicans and Democrats alternating
election wins, said Sitto. Redistricting
across the state has changed
the boundaries of the 10th, making it a
55% Democratic district, he said.
“I definitely have my work cut out
for me, but I’m up for the challenge
because I’m in this for a different reason.
I’m not in this because I want to
get into politics,” said Sitto. “I’m in
this because my kids are not happy. I
shouldn’t have had to pull my kids out
of the school district as a taxpayer because
I’m not happy with the way they
are doing things.”
Sitto said his 10- and 11-year-old
kids are politically aware in a way he
was not when he was that age. He feels
it is a shame that they have to concern
themselves with school closings and
restaurant mask policies.
Sitto has opinions on a number of
national and local political issues, but
Vincent Sitto
he limits his comments to local issues
he says he can do something about.
He feels local elected bodies
should make decisions about COVIDrelated
issues. Instead, he says statelevel
unelected officials are making
policy while the county
commission follows their
lead—often without considering
what their constituents
want.
Misspent SMART transportation
money is another
hot button issue for Sitto. He
says the Regional Transportation
Authority’s $124 million
allocation for the area
generated only $10 million
to $15 million in revenue to
offset the cost. Worse, Sitto said authorities
want to levy another $56 million tax
for transportation services.
“If they can’t manage $124 million
for transportation, why in the world
would we give them another $56 (million),”
said Sitto.
Making matters worse, he said, the
property tax from which the $56 million
is generated disproportionately
affects the poor and middle class, who
can least afford it.
Opposing Sitto in the November
general election will be Kristen Nelson,
a behavioral analyst from Waterford
who has held the seat since 2019.
Sitto ran unopposed in the Republican
primary, so he is only now
raising general election money. He
thinks he might have enough with one
upcoming fundraiser. Sitto declined
to discuss specifics about campaign
finances.
“Win or lose, I’m not going to make
their lives easy,” said Sitto, who plans
to stay involved with the county commission
whether he wins or loses.
“My parents emigrated to this
country with a dream, and they were
able to live and accomplish that dream
for their kids, and I feel it’s slipping
away from mine,” he said, “And that’s
pretty sad.”
30 CHALDEAN NEWS SEPTEMBER 2022