Election 2015

Election 2015: Meet Your Southold Town Candidates

Town Assessor, four-year term

Candidates:

T1029_Assessor_Caggiano_C.jpgRichard Caggiano

Hamlet: Southold

Occupation: Town assessor

Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence, Reform

About him: Mr. Caggiano, 66, began his professional career as a public school teacher before transitioning into the corporate world, eventually opening an insurance office in Southold. He was first elected assessor in a 2013 special election and is now seeking his first full four-year term. He has served in various capacities in local government holding appointed or committee posts with the Village of Greenport, the Suffolk County Parks Department and the comptroller’s office, primarily serving as a budget specialist and financial analyst. He also previously served on the Southold Board of Education. He is the father of three grown children and has lived with his wife in Southold for 30 years.

His pitch: Mr. Caggiano said his two years of experience and his ability to work well with the town’s other two more experienced assessors makes him a qualified candidate for the post. He said his other government experience has also trained him well to understand how government works. His ability to work well with the people in the community is also a strength, he said.

In his words: “Assessors are administrators, not legislators. We do not make the laws and regulations; that is the role of New York State. Our job is to implement them.”

Linda Goldsmith

Linda Sledjeski Goldsmith

Hamlet: East Marion

Occupation: Retired

Party lines: Democrat, Working Families

About her: Ms. Goldsmith, 65, is a native North Fork resident with more than 40 years of public service experience. Most notably, she has served on the Oysterponds Board of Education for 26 years. She is also a past Orient-East Marion Park District commissioner, a member and past vice president of Oysterponds Community Activities, and was elected to the East End Health Plan for seven years, where she served as chairwoman of the appeals committee and secretary, among many other volunteer roles. She owned, with her husband, a building business for 37 years. She has two adult children and two grandchildren living in Southold Town, she said.

Her pitch: Ms. Goldsmith said that since her days as a young child on the North Fork she knew she wanted to one day serve as an elected town official. She says that now is the time. Her experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets in her community service roles has prepared her for this role, she said. She’d also like to see less public reliance on tax reduction services and more interaction with the Board of Assessors.

In her words: “I intend to learn this job and be efficient, fair, and respectful to those whom I serve as I tackle this new challenge. I will not disappoint those who elect me.”