No endorsement for Oyster Bay Town supervisor

The Town of Oyster Bay is a well-run day-to-day operation under incumbent Joseph S. Saladino.

The Massapequa Republican manages a town with pristine parks, a full calendar of events for residents, timely garbage collection/snow removal and livestreamed board meetings. Saladino has moved the town forward with the Building Division Portal, an online system that offers same-day building permits for many common projects like fences, generators, swimming pools and solar panels.

Saladino also has effectively managed flood mitigation projects in his water-bordered town. This includes installing drainage upgrades and building bio-retention areas to naturally treat and filter stormwater runoff. The town established a shellfish hatchery that serves the dual purpose of bolstering the local shellfish population and improving water quality, since one mollusk can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.

But casting a serious shadow on this progress is Saladino’s handling of a mosque expansion in Bethpage, since doing the popular as opposed to the hard thing requires a different calculus.

After the town denied Masjid Al-Baqi’s application to expand, the religious group that owns the mosque filed a federal lawsuit, and in August the town agreed to a settlement, which included approving the application and paying $3.95 million to cover attorneys’ fees and other expenses. Saladino announced that this would allow all parties to “move forward in good faith as one community.”

Then less than two weeks later, all that changed. The town backed out of the agreement, citing unproven traffic concerns. The town’s rejection of the settlement came amid a wave of anti-Muslim commentary from town residents, but instead of condemning it, Saladino and other officials pushed the lawsuit forward. What’s more, the town hired a traffic expert with a history of Muslim bigotry — only to fire him once that became public.

Ultimately, as the likelihood of defeat in federal trial neared, and legal fees escalated, the town agreed to a slightly reduced expansion with a few traffic mitigation measures.

The troubling timeline of events in the mosque’s application to renovate their facilities, including a surprise rezoning as the case was set for trial, can’t be ignored.

Saladino, 64, did not meet with the editorial board.

Democrat Sam C. Sochet, of Syosset, is a retired school principal. He’s running as an underdog who wants better representation of all hamlets within the town, specifically focusing on more equitable road paving.

Sochet, 65, advocates that all town meetings should be scheduled in the evenings to accommodate more residents to attend.

Sochet doesn’t understand the complexities of running the Town of Oyster Bay. Yet Saladino failed a key leadership test.

Newsday Opinion makes no endorsement.