Southampton Town Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni has tossed his hat into the ring for the Democratic nod to take on State Senator Ken LaValle.
Schiavoni, a retired social studies teacher who was elected to the Southampton Town Board in 2017. The Sag Harbor native previously served on the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals and Sag Harbor Board of Education.
“The environment is precious and intertwined with the day-to-day lives of all of us here,” Schiavoni said. “Our health, small businesses, land values and peace of mind depend on clean water, tended green spaces and beaches, and a comprehensive approach to eliminating tick-borne illnesses,” he said.
“We need to reallocate funds for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act while helping municipalities keep taxes low and housing affordable,” he said.
“At the top of the list of things to do legislatively is to enable the establishment of local sewer districts for the health of our residents and waterways,” Schiavoni said.
“Also, as a retired educator, I’ll be able to examine the funding of public schools, which represents more than 30% of the state’s total budget and significant portions of local taxes,” he said.
Schiavoni had a 30-year career in the Center Moriches school system.
The candidate will host several campaign launch events around the district starting with one at Digger’s on West Main Street this Sunday at 1 p.m.
Schiavoni joins Laura Ahearn of Port Jefferson and Skyler Johnson of Mount Sinai in the field of Democrats seeking their party’s nomination to challenge the veteran state senator, who was first elected to the post in 1976.
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