Oyster Bay Town Tax Receiver Candidates: Meet George Hignell

BETHPAGE, NY — Voters in the Town of Oyster Bay will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast their ballots for supervisor, council, clerk and receiver of taxes.

In the race for tax receiver, George Hignell and Jeff Pravato are vying to fill the seat of James Stefanich, who is retiring. The office handles the billing of property taxes on more than 100,000 parcels of land and acts as a collection agency for the state, county, town, special district and school district taxes.

The tax receiver, who is elected every four years, is also tasked with maintaining records and mapping parcels of land.

Unincorporated areas in the town include Bethpage, East Norwich, Glen Head, parts of Glenwood Landing, Greenvale, Hicksville, Jericho, Locust Valley, Massapequa, North Massapequa, Old Bethpage, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Seaford, South Farmingdale, Syosset and Woodbury.

Incorporated villages in the town include Bayville, Brookville, Centre Island, Cove Neck, Farmingdale, Lattingtown, Laurel Hollow, Massapequa Park, Matinecock, Mill Neck, Muttontown, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay Cove, Roslyn Harbor, Sea Cliff, Upper Brookville and Westbury.

Patch reached out to both candidates via email and/or Facebook to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.

Here are their responses.

George Hignell

• Age (as of Sept. 1): 63
• Town of residence: Bethpage
• Position sought: Receiver of taxes.
• Party affiliation: Democrat and Working Families
• Family: Privacy requested
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No.
• Education: Bachelor of science in business administration.
• Occupation: President of Long Island Flag Football Inc., 35 years.

• Previous or current elected or appointed office: None.
• Campaign Website: None.

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

I will modernize the way taxes are collected including new online payment options. I will implement new forms of communication so that the elderly and our veterans are never at risk of losing their homes due to missed dates. Our hard-working residents work 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, sometimes later. The hours the tax receiver's office is open should include Saturdays for their convenience.

See also: Oyster Bay Town Tax Receiver Candidates: Meet Jeff Pravato

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

I will put our residents concerns and needs first, not my political bosses. I will not be beholden to ANY political party.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

Incumbent is retiring.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Where possible, I will add my voice to cleaning up and protecting our water supply as well as our beaches. I will root out nepotism and pay-to-play politics so that our residents hard-earned pay isn't wasted at the benefit of others.

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

I've run a successful business for 35 years. I know what it means to spend within your means. We live in one of the wealthiest towns in the world, and yet we're over $700,000,000 in debt. How can this be? Nepotism and pay-to-play politics.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Luck is the residue of design.

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

No response.