Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Bio
Married 40 years, 3 children, Captain United Airlines 36 years, lector Christ the King Church, President Commack Community Association, member Commack Coalition, working with Preservation Long Island and Huntington Historic Society to preserve the 1856 Marion Carll Farmhouse, former EMT 10 years @ Exchange Ambulance of the Islips, 2nd Lieutenant fire brigade @ AIL in Deer Park.
Experience
Never been a politician, but I bring my skills of discipline, troubleshooting, and respecting those who you work with daily
Making sure our elderly are not being fined for forgetting to pay their property taxes on time due to dementia or hospitalization.
Allocate more money for our roads. Stop overdevelopment.
To the best of my knowledge, all residents ‘ garbage taxes will go up to cover the cost. Realistically, people do what the want regardless if you do a mail out or not. Yes, educate the residents.
I’m at our North shore beaches all the time and I have never heard of runoff into the Sound. However, it wouldn’t hurt to educate our residents.
The infrastructure of each town within the Smithtown Township is different. It will allow growth of businesses in some towns , but not others. Commack for instance has two main roads: Jericho Turnpike and Commack Road. So businesses are limited.
“Affordable “ has not been defined by anyone. But if there’s a way to provide homes, apartments, etc for people, I’m all about it?
Bio
Joann Varello, growing up in Commack and now living in Kings Park, is a lifelong resident of the Town of Smithtown. As an independent consultant and with a career rooted in marketing and communications, Joann works with conference companies and technology user groups to build industry -leading technology events that foster discussions on how to leverage technology to drive business outcomes. These high-impact conferences have helped businesses and government entities better understand how to implement innovative technology solutions that solve real-world challenges. Joann is committed to transparent governance and ensuring that residents have a strong voice in the decisions that affect their neighborhoods. She believes in thoughtful development policies that ensure growth while prioritizing the preservation of open spaces, addressing traffic concerns, and maintaining and protecting Smithtown’s small-town feel.
Experience
25+ years experience running managing large-scale projects, teams, and budgets in the private sector. Joann currently works on producing and marketing major B2B technology conferences that require coordination across diverse stakeholders, strict adherence to deadlines, and strategic budget management—skills directly transferable to town operations and management. Joann’s ability to bring people together to solve complex challenges aligns with the collaborative and community-focused decision-making required on a Town Board. Joann understands how to run efficient, outcome-driven projects and believes in applying those same principles in Smithtown to improve services, fiscal responsibility, and community trust.
Campaign Phone
516-297-1312
My top priorities are to preserve Smithtown’s suburban character, restore trust in local government, and ensure responsible, community-driven development. Specifically, I would work to:
Stop high-density apartment overdevelopment that strains our infrastructure and changes the character of our neighborhoods.
Enact term limits for town officials to promote accountability and prevent entrenched political interests.
Establish a formal open space preservation program to protect the few remaining undeveloped parcels in our town.
Increase transparency and resident involvement by improving communication and ensuring public input is respected in zoning and planning decisions.
Yes, the Town should play a greater role in educating residents about reducing waste.
With the closure of the Brookhaven landfill, the cost of waste disposal is expected to rise, which will impact the environment and taxpayers. Educating residents on how to reduce waste, recycle properly, compost and reuse strategies is important
Town-led education would be effective, including -
- Public awareness campaigns through social media, town newsletters, and community events.
- Partnerships with schools and civic groups to encourage youth and family participation in waste-reduction programs.
- Workshops and incentives to promote composting, bulk item reduction, and smart consumption
Community wide education should be focused on:
- Proper fertilizer use and alternatives that are less harmful to our waterways. Educating the community on the importance of organic fertilizer, possibly offering rebates.
- Encouraging maintenance of septic systems to prevent leakage into groundwater.
- Encouraging landscaping that filter runoff.
- Partnerships with environmental groups to provide residents with educational tools to reduce this problem
- Creating incentives for property owners to fill vacant storefronts and make them more appealing to the residents
- Improving walkability, sidewalks, and safety signage to draw foot traffic and create more attractive, accessible downtowns.
- Finding alternatives to aerial wires in downtown kings park to make sidewalks actually "walkable"
- Adequate parking
The affordability crisis on long island is not unique to Long Island and not easily addressed. Our government officials, in addition to finding new housing options, need to take a more conservative approach to spending so that property taxes are kept on somewhat stable levels. We need to take an approach in smithtown that addresses the crisis but also respects our suburban character.
Mixed-use development should be carefully reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with strong community input. It must fit within the scale and needs of each town. I do not support large-scale, high-density apartment complexes that overwhelm infrastructure and change the suburban nature of our town.
I support expanding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
