Two Politicians Leave Town Board

Yevoli and Savinetti's Last Board Meeting

By Dagmar Fors Karppi

Councilman Leonard Symons wrote the headline, "Two Lew Lou's Leave Town Board," as he characterized the last Town of Oyster Bay board meeting of the year.

Town residents said goodbye to a Republican and a Democrat representing them on their town board on Tuesday, Dec. 9, the last meeting at which Oyster Bay Supervisor Lewis J. Yevoli would preside. On Jan. 6 Supervisor-elect John Venditto and Councilwoman-elect Christine Preston will take the oath of office.

The meeting was a gentlemanly affair, but Councilman Louis Savinetti kept his feisty image in concluding his term of office as he honed in on the crux of having a Democratic supervisor with a Republican council. Savinetti reflected, "Democracy is not a neat operation. It's sloppy. Public discourse is what distinguishes our democracy. It is somehow not nice to hear, but at the end of the day, the town is better for it."

He added, "We've had some spirited discussions but none of it was ever personal. It's hard to portray that in the day of battle, but when we go into the anteroom and have a cup of coffee, everything is forgotten. It was done in the heat of battle."

Savinetti attended Touro Law School during much of his four years fulfilling the part-time job of councilman, and graduated with his JD degree. He is presently a member of the law firm of Capetola and Doddato of Mineola.

Savinetti explained his view of his job as a councilman. With a long family history of living in the area, he said, "I grew up fishing and walking on this great North Shore. I took that as my primary focus, to preserve that legacy."

His successful service was honored with the presentation of a Pine Island Oyster memento given to him by Mike Deering of Friends of the Bay and Dave Relyea of Frank M. Flower Company.

Savinetti said he was putting in 40 hours a week each at his two jobs and therefore chose not to run for office again, preferring to spend time with his 8-year-old son. "I'm going to raise my son. Someone else isn't going to," he said.

Symons characterized Savinetti's career by saying he was impatient with beaurocracy. "He was always wanting to get the job done."

Savinetti is credited with sponsoring Environmental Disclosure legislation, forming the Geographic Information Commission, founding the town's Marine Education Day and establishing the Town Fire Advisory Board, the Glen Head-Glenwood Landing Community Improvement Council and the North Shore Revitalization Project.

Symons said he and Yevoli had "a rather special relationship. Yet there were times when he invited everyone into the ring saying, 'Let's get ready to rumble.'"

He said he appreciated working with Yevoli because "we never had to watch our backs. Whatever we saw was up front. How we deal with each other is they way we deal with the general public."

Symons and Yevoli attended open town board meetings throughout the town, together. Symons wished Yevoli a long and healthy retirement but predicted that "Within two years we will hear from Supervisor Yevoli the infamous words, 'I'm back!'"