A team of candidates united under the banner of the Tonawanda First Party is challenging the three incumbents seeking re-election to the Tonawanda Town Board.

Political newcomers Gigi E. Grizanti, Jim McGee and Patrick

J. O’Hanrahan are up against John A. Bargnesi Jr., Lisa M. Chimera and Joseph H. Emminger, who are finishing their first four-year terms. The post pays $19,467 annually.

In their responses on candidate questionnaires prepared by The Buffalo News, the challengers differ in what they perceive as the biggest issue facing the town.

Grizanti said it’s the declining tax base; McGee said it’s having a one-sided board with a closed-minded decision-making process; and O’Hanrahan said the current board fails to look for long-term solutions to problems.

But they are unanimous in promoting a new personnel policy targeting patronage hires. They want an explanation and separate board vote for any new hire scheduled to be paid more than an entry-level salary; most hires typically are lumped together in a single resolution.

The challengers cite two hires in the Youth, Parks and Recreation Department: One started at a salary three steps above entry level, they claim, and the other was granted a promotion and $10,000 raise after 16 months on the job.

The challengers also are endorsed by the Republican Party.

Grizanti, 47, has more than 25 years of experience as a legal assistant, benefits manager, and pension and employee benefits executive. “I have a proven track record of managing money and cutting waste without cutting the integrity or quality of services,” she said.

McGee, 43, a marketing consultant with Idearc Media and radio announcer for Citadel Radio WGRF 97 Rock, also will be on the Independence Party line. “I am seeking a seat on the Town Board to serve this community, not to use it as a stepping stone to a political career,” he said.

O’Hanrahan, 42, is a senior accounts receivable representative for International Imaging Materials. “It is time for the leaders of this community to put the needs of the residents before the needs of themselves. As a . . . councilman I will put the residents first,” he said.

Meanwhile, the incumbents present a united front in touting what they have accomplished and identifying future challenges.

The implementation of garbage totes in late 2006 was an accomplishment claimed by all three. Chimera and Emminger also cited the downsizing of the Town Board and implementation of term limits.

“Over the past [three] plus years the Tonawanda Town Board has been at the forefront of government reform in Erie County,” Emminger said.

When it comes to identifying major issues facing the town, the incumbents are unanimous: addressing the aging sewer and water infrastructure, and maintaining services as the tax base shrinks.

All three will appear on the Democratic, Conservative and Working Families lines.

Bargnesi, 42, who has owned a commercial landscaping and snowplowing business for 21 years, said his experience in working with commercial developers as well as residential builders distinguishes his service on the board.

Chimera, 43, is a special-education curriculum learning specialist in the Ken-Ton School District. She said she has kept her campaign promises of 2005: helping reduce the size of the Town Board and pursuing housing for older residents.

Emminger, 50, is president and a partner in Emminger, Hyatt, Newton & Pigeon, a real estate appraisal firm. “Actions speak louder than words,” he said. “I will let my record speak for itself.”

Chimera and Emminger also will appear on the Independence line.