Thomas Schiavoni

BACKGROUND

• Schiavoni, 61, of Sag Harbor, is running on the Democratic and Working Families party lines in the general election. 
• He is a Southampton Town councilman. He has also served on the North Haven Village Zoning Board of Appeals, North Haven Village Board, Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals and Sag Harbor Board of Education.
• Schiavoni graduated from SUNY Cortland and SUNY Stony Brook and taught social studies and government in the Center Moriches School District for 30 years before retiring in 2018. 

ISSUES

• Schiavoni said that if elected he would continue Fred Thiele’s legacy of strong environmental support by advocating to protect open space and water quality on the East End. He said he would also partner with local municipalities to address coastal resiliency projects.
• As a retired educator, Schiavoni said he wants to protect state aid to local school districts as New York State evaluates how funding is allocated. A loss of state funding on the East End could mean cuts in  programming, he said. “It’s going to be more difficult for our local school boards to maintain the level of education and services they currently deliver,” he said.
• Improving infrastructure and public transportation are priorities for Schiavoni, who said he will advocate to ramp up service on the Long Island Rail Road, which he described as an “underutilized” transportation link on the East End.