Joseph P. DeStefano

BACKGROUND

• DeStefano, 66, of Medford, is a registered Republican and is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines in the general election. He is seeking a fifth two-year term.
• DeStefano was a communications supervisor/public safety dispatcher for the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office from 1994 to 2018 and was a public safety dispatcher for the Suffolk County Police Department from 1991 to 1994. He received an associate’s degree in business management in 1980 from Suffolk County Community College.
• DeStefano was sued in 2024 by a former staffer alleging wage violations and sexual harassment. He denied the allegations, and the claims were dismissed in State Supreme Court in January. The defendant is appealing. 

ISSUES

• DeStefano said that if reelected he would focus on affordability issues by seeking ways to trim supply-chain costs and rein in spending. He said 53% of the state budget goes to education and Medicaid.
• He said judges should have more discretion in setting bail for repeat offenders with multiple arrests for minor crimes and that judges’ “hands are tied based on how the laws are written.” 
• He said he would work to control taxes and “try to hold the line” on spending. “We have a spending problem,” DeStefano said.