Endorsement: Joe Saladino

Oyster Bay Supervisor - Joe Saladino

In a short 2 1/2 years as Oyster Bay Supervisor, Joe Saladino has done amazing things. He has reformed the Town's finances, imposed strict ethics r

ules, intervened to save entire north shore communities when threatened, and brought energy and personal attention to our communities.

Saladino overhauled the Town's finances, turning a large structural deficit into a surplus. He did this by cutting staff, tightening up contracts and reducing overtime costs - Old-fashioned management. And he has attacked corruption by imposing a tough new ethics code and instituting good-government reforms like "same day building permits."

Saladino has also moved to develop downtown Hicksville - the Hicksville Renaissance - which is expected to attract over $1 billion into rehabilitating and replacing decrepit buildings and expanding LIRR parking. And he is tackling the long-running Cerro Wire / Robbins Lane development in Syosset with a community-friendly plan for a retail and light commercial downtown, that will benefit the community while not swamping the schools.

On the north shore, Saladino lead the effort to block the Governor's $56 billion "Cross Sound Tunnel" nightmare, that would have polluted and destroyed downtowns Bayville, Syosset and Oyster Bay with huge ugly exhaust towers and access highways. For that achievement alone, Saladino deserves re-election.

Saladino's opponent, James Altadonna, has been a lackluster Town Clerk for the past eight years. A Republican, originally elected as part of former Supervisor John Venditto's team, Altadonna was nominated by the Democratic Party leadership in a misguided scheme to "split" the vote. Instead, the move has upset local Democrats, who wonder why their party leaders couldn't find a real Democrat, but instead pushed a tired, old Republican re-tread on them.

Joe Saladino has remade the Town Board with fresh new talent, and has assembled the best leadership team in Long Island local government. For all of his very real achievements, the Leader endorses Joe Saladino for Town Supervisor.