Candidate Profile: Craig Catalanotto For Southampton Town Board

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Suffolk County residents will be hitting the polls soon to elect local representatives.

The race is on in local town and village races leading up to Election Day, which, this year, falls on Tuesday, November 5. Patch asked those running for office to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles in the days leading up to the election.

Craig Catalanotto, 50, of Speonk, is a Democrat seeking election as a Southampton Town Councilman. His opponents include incumbent Democrat John Bouvier, Republican Richard Martel, Republican Charles McArdle, and Hannah Pell, running on the Independence line.

Catalanotto and his wife Deborah have two sons, Michael and Brandon. He attended SCCC / SUNY Farmingdale as well as private study. He has been the owner of Spire Awards since 2003.

Check out Patch's full Q&A with Craig Catalanotto below.

Patch: The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Catalanotto: I believe that many issues are interconnected, so my answer will touch on a few of those connecting elements. Water quality will be my primary answer. To address water quality, both surface and ground, requires a multifaceted approach. It starts with good planning, which balances density and open space. Strategic open space and coastal land purchases using CPF will preserve our rural quality of life while protecting the environment.

Single family dwellings should have modern Innovative/Alternative systems installed, and Southampton Town is currently offering rebate programs for income eligible homeowners. We can use the 20% CPF water quality initiative to purchase sites for future cluster systems. As individual septic systems fail, homeowners will have a choice of connecting to the system or installing their own IA system.

I am excited about the advancements in PRBs (permeable reactive barriers) where the use of underground bio-filters help support denitrification, thus helping to avoid algae blooms. I’m equally excited about the replenishment of filtering shellfish (SPAT Project) in our bays. I fully support the strategic planting of eelgrass along the coastline, which naturally adds oxygen to the water.

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

C: Outside of the incumbents, I have the most combined experience as it relates to community service and working with the town. I am the CAC-W (Citizens Advisory Committee – West) vice-chair, and have worked closely with our town board liaisons. I am a member of the Southampton Town CPF Advisory Board. I’m a board member of the Speonk-Remsenburg Civic Association. I am a co-organizer of the annual Peg Larkins Memorial 5K run.

I’m also a community organizer. My biggest accomplishment was acting as a liaison between my community and the Southampton Town Board during the Speonk Commons workforce housing application. I articulated the concerns of my community, united our civic groups, educated people about the proposal, and ultimately helped find consensus. Speonk Commons will be completed by November and will house approximately 72 people. That is the culmination of four years of hard work, and I am as deeply involved today as I was when I started.

P: If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community?

C: My starting point is never based on failures. I prefer expanding upon the successes and working together for common goals. Democracy is many wonderful things, and that includes flexibility. We shouldn’t be locked into the mindset that the status quo is all we’ll ever have. Look at the recent successes that we’ve enjoyed with water quality initiatives, or the changes in attitude towards affordable housing. Our flexibility allowed for positive change. Same goes for almost every aspect of government from code enforcement to traffic to taxation. We adjust and implement plans looking for positive outcomes.

P: Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

C: I’m a small business owner. I’d like to see the town become a little more business friendly. I think that we can increase tax revenue by fostering light industrial building or expansion initiatives. For example, reduce or eliminate application fees on new or expansion construction. Phase in taxes at 20% annually so that the enterprise is at full tax load in five years. This brings in tax revenue that helps ease the tax burden on homeowners.

As mentioned in the above question, I’m in full support of water quality and environmental protection. It’s all about finding the proper balance, which comes with planning and a willingness to work together.

I’d like to see a town sponsored carpool directory that links up drivers heading in similar directions at similar times. I’d also like a town sponsored rent share directory that finds possible synergies among businesses and participating landlords, so that we have year-round retail and vibrant Main Streets.

I’d also like to see more affordable housing units above village businesses. Again, this fosters Main Street viability and helps keep our workforce here in Southampton Town.

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

C: I think my community service record and work on the Speonk Commons application have shown that I care, I’m willing to compromise, I seek fairness, and that I do the hard work. I am pragmatic, civil, and always willing to communicate. I do my very best to listen a lot more than I speak. As a business owner, I have to manage finances, people, customers, and a host of things that make businesses go. The town board position is a management position. I’ve been managing for over 25 years.

P: The best advice ever shared with me was ...

C: "Think twice — cut once."

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

C: I hope voters understand that I’m the same as them. I’ve been married for 22 years. I have a 14 year old boy and a 12 year old boy. My 12 year old is on the autism spectrum. I work hard and live modestly. I love my community and appreciate all that we have here. I have the same concerns as many of the people in Southampton, and share the same love of this special place. I’m a guy that will represent the people of Southampton always with civility and respect. I'll always give more than I take.