Election Day 2023: Oyster Bay Supervisor Saladino Seeks Another Term

OYSTER BAY, NY — Ahead of the 2023 elections, Patch is once again helping to inform residents before going to the ballot box with our annual candidate profiles.

Name

Joseph Saladino

How old will you be as of Election Day?

62

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://www.JosephSaladino.com

What city or town do you live in?

Massapequa, NY

What office are you seeking?

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.

Town Supervisor

Party affiliation.

Republican

Education.

Attended Tulane University and hold a Master’s Degree from the New York Institute of Technology, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude.

What is your occupation?

Town Supervisor (2017-present), previously served as a NYS Assemblyman

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

My wife Halina and I have three wonderful adult daughters.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Prior to serving as Town Supervisor, I served residents in the New York State Assembly for six terms where I was one of the original sponsors of - and approved - New York State’s Property Tax Cap and STAR Rebate Checks. I was a leading advocate for Megan’s Law, which requires law enforcement authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders.

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I’m running for re-election to continue my track record of cutting taxes, repaving roads, improving parks and protecting our suburban quality of life. Since taking office in 2017, I have put $9.1 million back in residents pockets through a tax cut. We have repaved 35% of roads townwide. New athletic fields, pickleball courts, and dog friendly park lets are now available. To protect our neighborhoods, I have worked with the Nassau Police Department to combat crime caused by NYS’s bail laws and I’ve successfully lobbied State lawmakers to stop Governor Hochul from flooding our neighborhoods with NYC-style high-density apartment buildings.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Cutting taxes

What needs to be done to address water quality issues on LI?

A strong advocate for the environment and safe drinking water, I have led the fight for the complete hydraulic containment and remediation of the Grumman-Navy plume. As a State Assemblyman, I authored and passed milestone legislation to begin the state’s process of cleaning up the largest and most highly-concentrated plume of dangerous chemicals in a sole source aquifer anywhere in the nation. This legislation paved the way for the $585 million remediation initiative launched by New York State. As Supervisor, I jumpstarted the environmental cleanup of a contaminated ballfield at Bethpage Community Park. My ongoing commitment to the environment remains steadfast in his role as Town Supervisor, where I continues environmental initiatives aimed at protecting the Town’s natural resources and drinking water, including its miles of pristine waterways, open space and wildlife refuges on both the North and South Shores.

What do you think can be done to help improve our infrastructure, highways, etc?

My administration has repaved 35% of streets townwide and will continue repaving more of roads each year.

How would you plan to help local business owners, who are struggling because of high rents, inflation and labor shortages?

My administration used millions in Federal money to support small businesses and help them recover costs/losses from the pandemic. We also provided funding to Chambers of Commerce to help our downtowns thrive through Shop Local initiatives. To support employers and job seekers, my administration offers a Career Center that helps with job placement, resume writing and skill building.

What is your stance on the current migrant situation affecting New York? And migrants were to be directed to shelters on Long Island, how would you prepare/plan for that?

The Town of Oyster Bay is not a sanctuary city and will never be one on my watch. The Federal government must address the border crisis immediately as neighboring NYC and Texas are overwhelmed and unable to serve migrants illegally crossing into the USA.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Experience matters! I have 35 years of public administrative experience and have a proven track record of cutting taxes, creating jobs, repaving roads and improving parks while protecting our suburban quality of life. My opponent is a nice person, but doesn’t have the experience needed to best serve our community.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

n/a

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

My campaign is focused on finding more ways to protect your wallet by cutting taxes, repaving more roadways, working with police to combat crime, protecting the environment and our suburban quality of life. I will continue to improve our parks, and lobby against dangerous state laws that threaten to flood our neighborhoods with NYC-style high-density apartment buildings and dangerous criminals that continue to be released without bail.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have a proven record of cutting taxes and putting $9.1 million back in residents wallets. My administration has been recognized for its success by two Wall Street Credit Rating Agencies that provided us with 8 upgrades. We earned praise from NYS for environmental protection initiatives and downtown redevelopment. Our success has been proven by successful projects that include new parks, new playgrounds, new athletic fields, road repaving and so much more.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Always treat others as you’d like to be treated yourself - with respect.