Vincent Sitto Makes County Commission Run

Vincent Sitto

By Paul Natinsky

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 he limits his comments to local issues he says he can do something about.

He feels local elected bodies should make decisions about COVID-related issues. Instead, he says state-level 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.”