Oyster Bay Town Council Candidates: Meet Steve Labriola

MASSAPEQUA PARK, 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 council election, seven candidates are vying for three open seats. Three candidates are running on the Democratic ticket and three are running on the Republican line. One is running as a Libertarian.

Comprised of the supervisor and six council members, the town board is the legislative body for the Town of Oyster Bay. The panel is responsible for operating the town, and does this by passing local laws, ordinances and resolutions.

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.

Steve Labriola

• Age (as of Sept. 1): 57
• Town of residence: Massapequa Park
• Position sought: Town council
• Party affiliation: Republican, conservative and Independence.
• Family: My wife and I have two adult daughters.
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No relatives work for the Town of Oyster Bay. My daughter works for the Nassau County Police Department and my wife is employed by Nassau County.
• Education: I earned a masters degree in government and politics and public administration from St. John’s University.
• Occupation: I currently serve as your councilman in the Town of Oyster Bay.
• Previous or current elected or appointed office: I began serving residents as an Oyster Bay town councilman on Feb. 26, 2019. I’ve spent my time in public service protecting taxpayers’ wallets and helping local communities as a New York state assemblyman, Oyster Bay town clerk, and chief deputy county comptroller.
• Campaign Website: SteveLabriola.com

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

Property taxes are a top concern for all people living on Long Island. As a state assemblyman, I voted to enact the STAR program to help deliver property tax relief to homeowners. I consistently voted against tax hikes, including the largest tax hike in New York State history. As town councilman, I've worked to cut government waste and hold the line on taxes.

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

I have the experience and proven record of public service. I’ve demonstrated the ability to work in a bipartisan manner to help people of all beliefs. I have a voting record that shows I keep my word to protect taxpayers.

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

I joined the Town of Oyster Bay as a councilman less than a year ago. I continue to work with Supervisor Joe Saladino to bring reforms to the town. It's my priority to deliver an honest government that holds down taxes and delivers important services.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

It's important that we protect residents' wallets. I have helped achieve savings for taxpayers by cutting waste. I will continue to do that while demanding efficiencies that save money. My priorities are to hold the line on taxes, reduce debt, enhance ethics and repave local streets.

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

Prior to joining the Oyster Bay town board, I served as deputy county clerk where I instituted a language access plan to increase language accessibility for residents and revised the cash-handling and internal controls over county clerk transactions. I gained extensive experience during my time as Nassau County’s chief deputy comptroller. In this position, I managed a staff of more than 80 employees in the accounting, audit, claims and payroll departments. I fought to root out waste, fraud and corruption and referred several matters for criminal investigation.

In my role as chief deputy comptroller, I was also involved in all facets of compliance with federal, state, and local laws as related to the powers, duties, and functions of the office as well as employee labor relations. This experience is the reason I was recruited to the management and budget department as chief compliance officer. Prior to my service with Nassau County government, I served as Oyster Bay town clerk. As clerk, I instituted best practices to create strong financial controls and segregated financial duties to prevent fraud and abuse in government. To protect taxpayers from corruption, I cross-trained staff, modernized and computerized operations, and moved the department away from cash transactions through the use of credit cards and modern cash registers.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Treat people the way you want to be treated. Talk to people the way you want to be talked to. As my father once told me, public service is all about helping others and it’s important to do it with respect.

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

As a town councilman for less than a year, I led efforts to reform the contracting process and add accountability to protect tax dollars. I implemented new rules to protect children with allergies from contact reactions while on our playgrounds. I led the effort to create a dozen dog-friendly parks. To reduce our carbon footprint and encourage the use of environmentally-friendly cars, I’m working to construct new charging stations for plugin-vehicles at popular destinations throughout our township. I have a record of reaching across the aisle and working with people regardless of their political affiliation. As a state assemblyman, I accomplished a variety of reforms, including longer jail sentences for violent felons and a work/school requirement for those on welfare, as well as finger-imaging to reduce fraud.