Glen Cove City Council Candidates: Meet Joe Capobianco

GLEN COVE, NY — Glen Cove voters will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast their ballots for mayor and city council. Patch reached out to all the candidates via email and/or Facebook to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.

Here are the responses for those who participated. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Joe Capobianco

• Age (as of Sept. 1): 59
• Town of residence: Glen Cove
• Position sought: Glen Cove City Council
• Party affiliation: Republican
• Family: Wife, Anne; three children, Anthony, Lauren and Elizabeth
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No.
• Education: Washington College of Law — 1985
• Occupation: Attorney with 34 years of experience.
• Previous or current elected or appointed office: I have been on the city council since Jan. 1, 2015.
• Campaign Website: None.

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

Taxes. I will continue to focus on ways to eliminate waste and the needless expenditures of money. As a council member, I championed the audit of retirees receiving health insurance from the city, which uncovered many wrongful recipients and, hence, hundreds of thousands of dollars wrongfully paid by the taxpayers. I also uncovered a flawed software system which cost the city thousands of dollars and has yet to be even employed. I will continue to protect those working to restore the fiscal health of our city and expose the misappropriation of funds, including pushing for an audit of the current employees and family members receiving health insurance to make sure that no tax dollars are being wrongfully spent.

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

I have five years of experience on the City Council and my work experience as a practicing attorney. I was also on the board of the Nassau University Medical Center for seven years, where I gained invaluable experience involving a hospital with a significant operating budget which generally serves minorities.

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

I have been on the council for five years and, as such, this question is inapplicable to me.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.I think that quality of life issues in our great community are extremely important. We need to root out illegal and overcrowded housing which has a significant impact on our quality of life. We need to refocus on being proactive and less reactive in this regard. I also think it's vitally important that we seek to attract more businesses to our community to increase the tax base and make it less reliant on homeowners to pay our taxes.

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

As a council person for five years now, I have demonstrated that I possess the necessary attributes to handle the job. On many occasions, my legal experience and accounting background have been helpful to me in handling the job.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Treat everyone like you want them to treat you.

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

I grew up in Glen Cove after my family moved here from Italy in the 1960s and graduated from Glen Cove High School in 1978. We raised our children in Glen Cove and it is with great pride that I have had the opportunity to represent Glen Cove over the last five years and hope to be able to continue to do so.