Change at the Top of Rye GOP

Elaine DiCostanzo

Change at the Top of Rye GOP

Elaine DiCostanzo has been involved in local politics since moving to Rye in 1997, serving as a district leader and as a member of City Council subcommittees.

When Rye City Republican Committee chair Tony Piscionere recently decided to step down after close to two decades at the helm, Elaine decided to step up.

“I plan on picking Tony’s brain and building on what he’s done over the years,” she said in an interview with the paper last weekend.

DiCostanzo’s short and long-term goal is to make the local GOP a more expansive organization. “We need to articulate a platform. We are more than the party that limits spending; we are about fiscal prudence and discipline,” she stressed.

“I am a Republican because the Party is respectful of the individual. Rather than make decisions emotionally, we believe it’s critically important to first take into account the real impact of those decisions.” She added, “I am all about having a safety net and am open to listening to all points of view. However, we should only pay for programs and improvements after they’ve been fully vetted and prioritized.”

She is a firm proponent of making sure the community is educated on all the issues, and once it is, “there will be healthy debate and time to reflect on what’s been expressed.”

What DiCostanzo is seeing is that many taxpayers are not seeing the benefits of increased City, County, and State spending, they’re concerned about how government is run, and are opposed to ‘death by a thousand cuts’ to balance government budgets.

“We need to be making decisions that produce better outcomes,” she said. “I want to create a positive ‘tent’ that is progressive and forward-thinking. Politics is about the people you represent.”

DiCostanzo brings a range of intellectual experience to the position. The mother of four, three in college and the youngest a Rye High School freshman, received a medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai and a law degree from the University of North Carolina.

After having two children while in medical school, there came a defining moment. “I realized that I wanted to be an involved mom, so I stepped away from a great residency.” She had two more children.

A few years ago, with her children in good places, DiCostanzo wanted to return to the workforce. “The financial services world offered a path for me, an excellent return-to-work program. The field recognizes that women who’ve been out of the work force raising a family can add value, and they want to harness it.”

Never one to turn away a challenge, close to three years ago, DiCostanzo was asked to do legal work for an investment bank business unit and accepted. “I was supposed to intern for a day, but I extended that day into months because I wanted to add value.”

It’s patently clear that Elaine DiCostanzo will bring value to the Rye Republican Committee, too.