Politics & Government

November Election Slates set for TOBAY

TOBAY Notebook: Uphill battle for Democrats but the race might be colorful.

If this were a horse race, and past performance was the only indicator, Oyster Bay Republicans should win wire to wire in November's election.

But they don't conduct races on paper: As they say at the track: "That's why you run the race."

Town Democrats and Republicans have set their respective slates for the November election. At the top of the tickets are the GOP's eight-term incumbent John Venditto and Democrat John Capobianco, a two-term member of Farmingdale's Board of Education. The same opponents faced off two years ago and Venditto won easily.

Both men, in their own ways, are articulate and charismatic. The race could be colorful.

The rest of the GOP slate was formally decided last Tuesday, when the town board named Massapequa Park Mayor James Altadonna to the town clerk's position and lawyer Michelle Johnson, a surprise choice from Locust Valley to fill a Elizabeth Faughnan's vacancy on the town board.

Johnson and two other board members will have to face election in November.
Muttontown's Chris J. Coschignano, a member since 2005, and Joseph G. Pinto of Massapequa Park, a four-year member of the board, were renominated.

They will face challenges from Christopher Briggs of Oyster Bay, a bay constable for the Town of North Hempstead, and president of the Bay Constable Benevolent Association. The Oyster Bay resident has been visible recently in an effort to outfit bay constables with diving equipment.

The other Democrats are political newcomer Shaker Nelanuthala of Massapequa, the CEO of a nutritional supplement company, and lawyer Kimberly Snow of Bethpage. She ran for a 4th District Court judgeship last year.

Altadonna was tapped by the GOP to replace Town Clerk Steven Labriola, who resigned in February. Labriola has become chief of staff for Nassau Comptroller George Maragos.

Facing Altadonna will be Milli Makhijani of Jericho, an attorney running for office for the first time.

The power of incumbency and money will play crucial parts in the outcome:

Find out what's happening in Glen Covewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Under Venditto's leadership, the town's public figures have been highly visible players in government as well as town social and civic events. The best example is when Venditto ordered town workers to take over a LIPA substation in the fiasco following Hurricane Sandy.

Ask any Democrat privately and they'll say funding and name recognition are their primary challenges in the fall. Throw in a well-oiled Republican machine and decades of GOP control and you're betting a long shot. 

Find out what's happening in Glen Covewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But the town party's strategy is emerging. Democrats plan to focus on what they termed fiscal mismanagement in the Town of Oyster Bay and its debt, including the downgrading of its bond rating. The race may turn out to be colorful, if not close.

Town Beaches open daily beginning next week

Oyster Bay beaches will be open daily beginning Saturday, June 22.

Tobay Beach; Philip B. Healey Beach at Florence Avenue in Massapequa; Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Beach in Oyster Bay hamlet; Centre Island Beach, Stehli Beach in Bayville; and Tappen Beach in Glenwood Landing will all open for the summer season, which runs from June 22 through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2.

The hours of operation for fee collection are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tobay Beach will be open on Sept. 7-8 on the oceanside.

Beach stickers for cars and motorcycles cost of $60. Daily admission for residents without a sticker is $15. Servicemen, volunteer firefighters, seniors and others get discounts.

Four town pools ready to open

Oyster Bay community park pools will officially open for the 2013 summer season on Saturday, June 22.

Town pools, located at Bethpage, Marjorie R. Post (Massapequa), Plainview-Old Bethpage, and Syosset-Woodbury Community Parks will be open daily from June 22 until Sept. 2. From June 22-28, the pools will be open from noon until 6 p.m. Beginning June 29 through Aug. 25, the hours of operation expand to 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. For more information click here.


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