Letters

I’m running for reelection to the Southampton Town Council. During the almost four years that I’ve served on the board, we have done important things in water quality, economic development, fiscal responsibility, affordable housing, public safety, environmental preservation and the streamlining of government. There’s more to be done, and I ask for your vote to keep doing it.

As a Sag Harbor native, I’ve been a plumber, volunteer firefighter, school board member, village trustee, zoning board of appeals member, youth center director and teacher for 32 years. It’s important to me to give back to the community that has given so much to me, and this is why I have committed my professional life to public service.

My wife, Andrea, and I live in North Haven with our two children, with my mom just up the road. I’m lucky enough to have my three brothers, one sister, and their spouses and children in the area, too. I have been endorsed by them, as well as Assemblyman Fred Thiele, former Congressman Tim Bishop, Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming, Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, the Southampton Town PBA, the Long Island Federation of Labor, and the Long Island Environmental Voters Forum.

Each Town Council member is assigned as liaison to various town departments and committees. I have worked with: police, emergency services, arts and culture, financial audits, airport noise, Hampton Bays Water District, dispatch, fire marshal, and agriculture. All combine to provide the entirety of the town’s services, and it’s a privilege to present their concerns to Southampton’s leadership. It’s a really satisfying part of the job.

Southampton Town is unique in many ways. We have unique advantages, like our matchless human and natural resources, and we have unique challenges, like our increasingly congested traffic, both on the ground and in the air. The good news is that it’s a great place to be, and the bad news is that everyone wants to be here. I propose to you that I have both the deep background knowledge and personal dedication to work out how we keep our advantages and meet our challenges.

If reelected to the Southampton Town Board, I’ll keep working for small-business solutions, realistic housing choices, clean water, historic preservation, support of the arts and community health. In the health field, I’m especially concerned about tick-borne illnesses and opioid addiction.

But apart from these specific goals, if you reelect me, you’ll get someone who knows and loves Southampton Town, and is committed to giving it everything he’s got.

This may be “just a local election,” but local elections are the ones that affect our lives most directly. Early voting begins on October 23, and Election Day is November 2. Please vote.

Tommy John Schiavoni

Councilman

Southampton Town