My name is Carla Anastasio and I’m running for city council in my hometown of Glen Cove. I am a public health professional who has worked in local, city, and state government for over fifteen years.
My parents (Frank Anastasio and Filomena Ricciardi) arrived from Sturno and Calabria, Italy, in the late ’60s, speaking only Italian and with little in their pockets.
Like many fellow immigrants, my grandparents prioritized hard work and education for their children. Growing up, my parents instilled in me these values: the importance of education, a strong work ethic, and helping those in need.
After graduating from Glen Cove High School, I attended college, traveled, and lived in several cities before returning to New York to pursue a master’s in nutrition and public health at Columbia University.
I spent 12 years living in Harlem, working with nonprofits, the NYC Department of Health, and the New York State Department of Health on large-scale nutrition programs like WIC and SNAP to address nutrition and hunger.
I created a program that brought fruit and vegetables to communities in need through a public-private partnership. During this time, I grew to love the challenge of policy—its development, interpretation, and implementation. In 2017, the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center named me a “Rising Star in NYC Food Policy.”
My husband, NYPD officer Gus Vargas, and I returned to Glen Cove in 2018 to care for my then 90-year-old Nonna (Franca Ricciardi).
Newly married and expecting our first child, we welcomed the opportunity to raise our daughter alongside her great-grandmother. Our son joined the world in February of 2020 and a month later, we were in COVID lockdown.
With a newborn, a 15-month-old toddler, and a first responder often quarantined, we decided to return to our roots and purchased the home my father built.
Since returning to Glen Cove, we have remained a public service and community-centered family. I continue to work full-time in government, focusing on hunger, while volunteering in my second year as co-president of K.A. Deasy Elementary PTA, where we focus our efforts on literacy and equity.
Together, we were able to accomplish several things, including raising funds to send every Deasy student on a field trip, bringing three educational assemblies to the elementary school, and providing grants to teachers to help them purchase items for their classrooms.
My family (5- and 6-year-olds included) volunteers with the local food pantry Nosh. This allows our children to better understand my professional work and the challenges that exist in our community (and the world).
We help with the St. Rocco Feast, where my Nonna spent much of her almost 60 years in Glen Cove and where I was baptized. I’ve also reconnected with the Sons and Daughters of Italy, where my father once served as President. My husband, now retired from the NYPD, enjoys helping with the Glen Cove Auxiliary Police.
Why I’m Running for City Council?
I am running for City Council because Glen Cove is the place that raised me and my children—I’m invested in its future. As a mother to two young children, a retired law enforcement officer’s wife, a proud daughter of Italian immigrants, and someone committed to public health and education, I am personally invested in seeing this community thrive.
What are the Top Three Issues?
I share the concerns that I hear from other parents, recent graduates, new residents, and seniors: our schools, development, our downtown, and our taxes. The top three issues I would focus on include:
Quality of life: Let’s look at development as to how it will impact Glen Cove in the long run, the downtown as it relates to what our community needs, and affordability to help our children and seniors stay in Glen Cove.
Finances: Let’s create a long-term fiscal plan that doesn’t create new fees or shift taxes to residents. This requires transparency and a fresh look at revenue-generating opportunities.
Public-private partnerships: Glen Cove is a beautiful, waterfront, historic city with many accomplished residents. We need creativity and political willpower to increase cultural and educational opportunities for our students, potential career paths for recent graduates and community members, and a vibrant environment for local businesses to prosper.
