John Mangelli (D)
John Mangelli is running for election as the Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor.
“It’s a long road, but the campaign is going well and we are educating people, but we are fighting a tremendous machine,” said Democratic candidate John Mangelli, who is running for Supervisor for the Town of Oyster Bay, of his campaign. Mangelli’s opponent, current longtime supervisor John Venditto has been in the position since 1998.
Mangelli, who is registered as blank and not affiliated with any party, currently has the nomination from the Democratic Party and Working Families Party. He has been a practicing attorney for the past 17 years and became involved in politics two years ago when he ran for NY State Senate.
“I didn’t think that I would win, I just wanted to see if I could make the ballot, which I did. There was a lot of support for what I had to say, it was a common sense approach,” said Mangelli, who felt that too often, elected officials weren’t in touch with the thoughts and feelings of their constituents. “They were controlling and ruling rather than representing. I wanted to get involved and not just sit back and complain.”
Mangelli, who is running in Oyster Bay this year, believes that local elections are more difficult to win because people feel that “their job is dependent upon who’s in office.” If elected, one of his goals is to stop public corruption of said employment, and base it on merit, not bipartisan politics.
“Your job should not be based upon party politics, it should be based upon merit,” said Mangelli, who comes from a strong county background and blue collar family. “The free meals, contracts to friends, the Sandy abuse, the debacle with Harendra Singh, it has to end.”
In reference to Singh, Mangelli spoke of the alleged outsourcing of work when there are town employees who are able to do the job. If elected, he plans on implementing more public input, as he believes that people should have a direct say in their government.
“The local government has enough qualified people to run what we need to run. We don’t need to hire outside help,” he said. “I should be a true reflection on what the public wants. I’d like to be a leader, I’d like to educate and inform my constituents and sway them where I think they should go, but ultimately it’s their decision.”
A staunch environmentalist, Mangelli also urges the town to protect Oyster Bay, citing the current algae problem and natural environment that makes Long Island so beautiful. Mangelli would also issue term limits, as he believes all positions should model the presidency.
“I won’t run for more than four terms. You need eight years to get anything done anyway,” he said. “There’s a lot of redundancy in our counties and towns…we need to consolidate.”
If he wins, Mangelli’s biggest obstacle would be tackling the massive debt that the town is currently in. He stated that from 2011-2014, the Town of Oyster Bay went from $400 to $750 million worth of debt and is currently at more than $900 million.
“My opponent keeps borrowing money, but we pay for this, he said. “We need a fresh start. The bubble has to burst. The taxes are increasing, the administration has been mismanaged and we cannot afford to continue on the path that we’re going on.”
When asked about the age group he is targeting for his campaign, Mangelli said that it is hard to reach young people, but social media has helped. He has tried to emphasize that residents should vote for the person and not for the party.
“Part of my job is to educate the constituents as to what’s going on. If they a want a change and really want to see their government fiscally responsible with a new approach to things where everyone is given a fair start, then they should come out and vote for me,” said Mangelli.
