Meet The Candidates: Joseph Saladino For Town Supervisor

TOWN OF OYSTER BAY, NY — Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. With voting just around the corner, Patch is reaching out to candidates across Nassau County to find out why they're running for office, and what they hope to achieve for residents.

Republican Joseph Saladino is running to keep his position as the Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor. He was first sworn into office in 2017 and is running for his second term. He is being challenged by Democrat Amanda Field.

A Massapequa resident, Saladino served six terms in the New York State Legislature prior to running for town supervisor.

Why are you seeking elective office?

As Town Supervisor, my top priorities include holding the line on taxes, repaving a greater number of roads and protecting our quality of life in the Town of Oyster Bay. Since taking office in 2017, I have kept my pledges by cutting property taxes — returning over $5.2 million to taxpayers in four years. I promised to remove neighborhood eyesores and kept my pledge by tearing down zombie homes and enhancing parks. We’ve repaved hundreds of roads and increased the street repaving budget by millions. We promised to turn around Town finances and achieved our goals. My administration has been earned six Wall Street Credit Rating Upgrades for reducing historic amounts of debt. We now have an A+ credit rating and a budget surplus that totals over $46 million. We are focused on improving water quality in Oyster Bay Harbor and the Great South Bay. We are working daily to expedite the infrastructure needed to fully remediate the Grumman-Navy plume and soil contamination. My economic development team has attracted new companies and hundreds of new jobs from Amazon, Geico and other large employers. We will continue to welcome new employers to our Town while protecting open space and your quality of life.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Property taxes is the number one issues impacting our residents and their ability to live on Long Island. While school and county taxes make up 87%, Town taxes make up only 13% of your tax bill. Since taking office in 2017, I have kept my pledges by cutting property taxes - returning over $5.2 million to taxpayers in four years. We cut Town property taxes in 2017, and kept the tax cut in place in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.

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

Experience and trust matters when it comes to running the third largest Town in America. I have successfully cut taxes, reduced debt by $165 million, repaved roads, improved parks, protected our environment and earned 6 credit rating upgrades from Wall Street for improving Town finances. My opponent, Amanda Field, has little experience and is under investigation for refusing to disclose information to the Town's independent Board of Ethics. She is accused of having an illegal rental apartment in her house, and faces fines up to $10,000 for refusing to disclose income related to the apartment.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

From the height of the pandemic to today, my administration kept Town government fully operational and delivered every available service. From collecting sanitation to paving roadways and approving building permits, we never stopped! We stood up to Governor Cuomo to reopen small businesses, allow for outdoor dining and keep schools open. We opened a COVID testing center to prevent the spread and it remains open today to residents, students, teachers and municipal employees.

To help jumpstart the economy, we reprioritized our workforce to process building applications at a faster pace and put people back to work. Through our career center, we offer free online resume services to help residents. We are committed to connecting job seekers with employers. The Town has proven to be business friendly as evidenced by Geico in Woodbury adding 100 jobs and Amazon planning on creating 600 new jobs in Syosset. This is significant for our economy.

To help residents in need of food assistance due to a loss of employment, we partner with local food banks to collection donations. With a drop in blood supply at local hospitals, we work with LI Blood Services to host regular collections. We know this has saved lives.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

My top priorities include holding the line on taxes, repaving a greater number of roads and protecting our quality of life in the Town of Oyster Bay. Since taking office in 2017, I have kept my pledges by cutting property taxes — returning over $5.2 million to taxpayers in four years. I promised to remove neighborhood eyesores and kept my pledge by tearing down zombie homes and enhancing parks. We’ve repaved hundreds of roads and increased the street repaving budget by millions. We promised to turn around Town finances and achieved our goals. My administration has been earned six Wall Street Credit Rating Upgrades for reducing historic amounts of debt. We now have an A+ credit rating and a budget surplus that totals over $46 million. We are focused on improving water quality in Oyster Bay Harbor and the Great South Bay. We are working daily to expedite the infrastructure needed to fully remediate the Grumman-Navy plume and soil contamination. My economic development team has attracted new companies and hundreds of new jobs from Amazon, Geico and other large employers. We will continue to welcome new employers to our Town while protecting open space and your quality of life.

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

Some of my accomplishments include:

• cutting taxes — putting $5.2 million back in the pockets of taxpayers
• reducing debt by $165 million
• reducing payroll expenses by $10 million annually
• repaving hundreds of streets, with hundreds more planned
• upgrades to parks, including dozens of new playgrounds and improved fields
• sand restoration at TOBAY Beach, along with upgraded bathrooms and concessions
• new dog-friendly parklets and a new Dog Park
• demolition of 20+ zombie homes that were eyesores in the neighborhood

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Be kind to others.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am endorsed by the Nassau County PBA, Detectives Association, and Superior Officers Association. I am also endorsed by the New York State League of Conservation Voters and Sierra Club for my commitment to protecting the environment.