MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY — Voters in the Town of Oyster Bay will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast their ballots for supervisor, council, clerk and receiver of taxes.
In the race for receiver of taxes, Jeff Pravato and George Hignell are vying to fill the seat of James Stefanich, who is retiring. The office handles the billing of property taxes on more than 100,000 parcels of land and acts as a collection agency for the state, county, town, special district and school district taxes.
The tax receiver, who is elected every four years, is also tasked with maintaining records and mapping parcels of land.
Unincorporated areas in the town include Bethpage, East Norwich, Glen Head, parts of Glenwood Landing, Greenvale, Hicksville, Jericho, Locust Valley, Massapequa, North Massapequa, Old Bethpage, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Seaford, South Farmingdale, Syosset and Woodbury.
Incorporated villages in the town include Bayville, Brookville, Centre Island, Cove Neck, Farmingdale, Lattingtown, Laurel Hollow, Massapequa Park, Matinecock, Mill Neck, Muttontown, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay Cove, Roslyn Harbor, Sea Cliff, Upper Brookville and Westbury.
Patch reached out to both candidates via email and/or Facebook to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.
Here are the responses for those who participated.
The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
Taxes are the most pressing issue facing all Long Islanders. As a village mayor, I kept property taxes flat while improving services and cutting waste. As your next Town of Oyster Bay tax receiver, I will help you challenge the county tax assessment of your home for free and help you fill out tax exemption forms. I will reduce costs within the office through technology and make tax payments easier by offering more services online.
What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
My public and private experience will benefit taxpayers as I know what it takes to restrict new spending, hold the line on taxes and deliver important services in a customer-friendly manner. My opponent has never served the public nor managed a governmental budget or workforce.
If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?
The current Town Tax Receiver James Stefanich is retiring and I’m proud to have his endorsement.
Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.
I have heard from countless residents who are concerned their property taxes will increase due to the new reassessment process established by the county executive. As the town’s next tax receiver, I will work tirelessly to help homeowners grieve their new assessment levels and secure the property tax exemptions they are entitled to under the law. I will also work to bring transparency, openness and honesty to the process which has been riddled with problems at the county level which only served to frustrate and confuse residents.
What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
I have a proven record of success as Massapequa Park village mayor. Over the past six years as mayor, I successfully improved the village’s bond rating, cut wasteful spending, and protected homeowners by freezing property taxes and forcing government to live within the state property tax cap. I know what it takes to solve problems and achieve results, and will bring that energy to town government. As mayor, I successfully obtained state and county funding to improve village roadways, built a new playground, strengthened the shoreline to protect neighborhoods from future storms, and improved the local senior citizen center.
The best advice ever shared with me was .
Treat everyone with respect and kindness, no exceptions. We are all fathers, mothers, children and/or neighbors of someone at the end of the day.
What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I am a member of the Sons of Italy, past president of the Lions Club and congregant of the Midway Jewish Center in Plainview. I also volunteer my time to the Schechter School of Long Island where I serve on the finance committee.
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