Candidate Profile: Joseph Schramm For Huntington Town Council

TOWN OF HUNTINGTON, NY — Town of Huntington residents are gearing up to head to the polls for Election Day on Nov. 2, where they will be voting on the Huntington Town Council. Democratic challenger Joseph G. Schramm Jr. is running against fellow Democrat Jennifer Hebert and Republicans Dave Bennardo and Salvatore Ferro.

Patch reached out to all candidates 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.

Joseph Schramm

Age (as of Election Day)

68

Position Sought

Huntington Town Council

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Life partner, Steve

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

B. A. History, Saint Michael's College, Vermont

Occupation

Sports, Television and Multicultural Marketing

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

No previous elected or political positions

Campaign website

www.schrammforhuntington.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

"I am running to help restore prosperity for the growing number of small businesses in our town, create jobs (small businesses represent 80% of jobs), and attract more businesses to our tax rolls in order to halt tax increases on homeowners."

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

"The most pressing issue is to attract and sustain our local small business community so that we all can afford to live, work and play here in Huntington. What I will do is to personally lead a town-sanctioned program to attract businesses from outside our area to do business with businesses here in our town. My first outreach will be to the TV and film production industries."

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

"I am a self-starting, small business owner for nearly 30 years, who has built his company from scratch and I have demonstrated that I study all options to resolve issues, and then take action to get things done! No other candidate has this specific experience. I am entrusted by clients who are leading brands in sports and television to invest millions of their marketing dollars and I am required to demonstrate a positive return on their investment. In other words, I will clearly demonstrate to taxpayers what they get in return for their tax dollars. Taxpayers are investors in our town and deserve to be treated like any business investor."

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

"The current officeholders are seeking other positions. Therefore, I am not challenging a current elected official."

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

"The town failed the local business community and simply did not provide the support that other communities have done. For example, the Huntington town board could have done what we did in Northport. The Village Board initiated webinars for applying for PPP monies; established an online Facebook Community called 'Northport Open For Business' and established special community-wide promotions in tandem with the Chamber of Commerce to encourage food take-out and other service providers. I was actively involved in these efforts and am a member of the executive committee of the Northport Chamber of Commerce. The Town would do well to take a lesson from Northport's response."

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

"I am deeply committed to our environment and recognize that there are several areas where programs to improve our environment are stalled because of the need to get 'buy-in' from different municipalities. For example, the Northport Harbor needs to be dredged and this process will involve the Town, County and the Village of Northport. As a village resident in a town board position, I can more effectively seek agreement among the municipalities to move the program forward. Likewise, I support a multi-municipality committee to protect Long Island's freshwater source that multiple municipalities are accessing. Another issue is to develop paths to ensure pedestrian and bicycle safety on major arteries in this time of increased traffic congestion. And, finally, as a gay man, I stand for inclusion and acceptance in our community, for all people who identify by their ethnicity, religion, gender, nationality, special needs or sexual orientation. One of the first things I would do is to provide sign language translators at Town Board meetings to include the participation of the hearing impaired."

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

"I have had jobs that helped me develop great communication skills, sculpted my character training and skills for customer service — after all, the job of a town council person is to effectively communicate new ideas, to be accountable for my work, and provide great customer care. I worked for Cablevision in marketing where I learned to communicate complex ideas in simple language; I worked for the Boy Scouts of America where I learned to always be prepared, to be truthful and to work together with others. And, I was a waiter where I learned to quickly provide good service to people who were 'hangry.'"

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Most people want to be heard, so make sure to listen more often than I speak."

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

"I have served as a community leader on the Northport Police Review Committee, the school district future planning committee; the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce. As a volunteer, I have raised funds to house and clothe homeless Vets and help underprivileged kids play organized soccer; provided services to Alzheimer's caretakers, and raised funds to support bullied LGBTQ+ youth."