We are writing as Rye residents and owners of small businesses in support of Matt Fahey for Rye City Council. We believe that a vote for Matt is a vote for thriving local businesses and a vibrant downtown.

We need someone in local government who truly understands small business. Matt started and heads Brine Healy, a security company serving businesses and homes that is headquartered in Port Chester. Right there, that says he’s a hard-working realist who gets things done. 

We like what small-business ownership says about a person’s character. We work hard. We think big but act realistically. We look ahead, plan, budget, and negotiate. And we only succeed if we work well with people.

Rye’s small-business owners want our businesses to survive and thrive. We have a neighborhood downtown and we want to keep it bustling and vibrant. Having someone on the City Council who knows our challenges can only help.

Matt Fahey is running to fill the remainder of a term once held by Rich Mecca, who ran a small electrical company. He stepped down last year because of ill health and died earlier this year. (In January, former City Councilmember Emily Hurd was appointed to the position for a one-year term.)

We’re grateful to Matt for running, and we’ll be voting for him on November 8.

• Daniel Greto, Central Tree Service, Inc., Joe Lamberti, Rye Brook Service Center, Inc., Rob and Anja Porto, Rye Camera Shop, Inc., and James Glickenhaus, SCG Cars, LLC