Farmingdale resident Thomas Sabellico may be a newcomer to the political arena, but he is no stranger to the local philanthropic scene, which he said provides a solid basis for his bid in the 14th legislative district election this year.

Running on the Republican and Conservative party lines, Sabellico said he enjoys the "spirit of the people" in the area and "rolling up his sleeves" to become involved in several youth organizations and civic groups.

"I love this community," Sabellico said. "I have a business here; I raised a family here and I want to see it preserved."

Besides being an attorney and the Village of Farmingdale prosecutor, he is the founder and president of the Farmingdale Community Summit, an organization comprised of residents and organizations in the communities that are served by the Farmingdale School District.

He has been a member of the Executive Board of Farmingdale Baseball League for 20 years, and has served as the league's president since 1998. He has been an active youth sports coach since 1974.

However, Farmingdale is just part of the area he would represent. Levittown, North Massapequa, Plainedge, Plainview, Old Bethpage, North Wantagh and the eastern portion of Massapequa are also included in this legislative district.

Most recently, Sabellico has donated his time as pro bono counsel to the Plainedge Parents Athletic Association, working to raise the funds to restore varsity and junior varsity sports in the Plainedge School District.

He also founded the 4887 Foundation, which has distributed thousands of dollars in scholarships over the past 10 years to students from Massapequa, Plainedge and Farmingdale.

Sabellico said that protecting quality of life issues and securing affordable next-generation housing are some of his main goals, should he be elected.

"I'm afraid of losing two generations [kids and senior citizens]," Sabellico said. "We have S-2 housing for senior citizens and I think we need to look into doing this for people under the age of 30 who are underneath a certain economic level and have never bought a home before, to allow them to invest in Long Island."

Ridding the community of any gang presence is another issue Sabellico said he would like to tackle if voted into office.

"I understand that we don't have a rampant problem," Sabellico said. "But there is a little bit of it that we should address before we have a bad situation."

Sabellico said he would also address the reassessment of county taxes.

"I don't think we should be having tax cuts," Sabellico explained. "But we need a little bit of stability."

Sabellico, a published author, considers himself an independent thinker, one who has a feel for the happenings of the community.

"I think and I believe that I have had an impact on the community," Sabellico said. "Not as an elected official, but through things I have done. So I think if I were to become elected, the impact would be that much greater."

Sabellico and his high school sweetheart Paula have been married for 32 years. They have three children, all graduates of Farmingdale High School.