Oyster Bay Town Council Candidates: Meet Howard Rabin

PLAINVIEW, NY — Voters in the Town of Oyster Bay will head to the polls Nov. 5 to cast their ballots for supervisor, council, clerk and receiver of taxes.

In the council election, seven candidates are vying for three open seats. Three candidates are running on the Democratic ticket and three are running on the Republican line. One is running as a Libertarian.

Comprised of the supervisor and six council members, the town board is the legislative body for the Town of Oyster Bay. The panel is responsible for operating the town, and does this by passing local laws, ordinances and resolutions.

Unincorporated areas in the town include Bethpage, East Norwich, Glen Head, parts of Glenwood Landing, Greenvale, Hicksville, Jericho, Locust Valley, Massapequa, North Massapequa, Old Bethpage, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Seaford, South Farmingdale, Syosset and Woodbury.

Incorporated villages in the town include Bayville, Brookville, Centre Island, Cove Neck, Farmingdale, Lattingtown, Laurel Hollow, Massapequa Park, Matinecock, Mill Neck, Muttontown, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay Cove, Roslyn Harbor, Sea Cliff, Upper Brookville and Westbury.

Patch reached out to both candidates via email and/or Facebook to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.

Here are their responses.

Howard Rabin

• Age (as of Sept. 1): 61
• Town of residence: Plainview
• Position sought: Town of Oyster Bay - Town Council
• Party affiliation: Libertarian
• Family: Diane Shulman-Rabin, wife, Business owner and manager involved in supporting Long Island Farmers through packaging and marketing their crops as well as importing fresh produce from Canada, Mexico and Israel. We have four wonderful children ranging in age from 20 to 29.
• Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No immediate family members work in government or politics. My late father worked with the U.S. Department of Treasury and my late mother was a public health nurse with Nassau County. I have literally thousands of 2nd -5th cousins on our family tree some of whom may have been involved in politics or government.
• Education: Elmont Memorial High School, 76; Colgate University '80; Touro College - Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center '86.
• Occupation: Attorney in private practice for 33 years. Real estate professional for 40 years, including brokerage, sales, investment and construction experience.
• Previous or current elected or appointed office: None.
• Campaign Website: Facebook.com/ElectRabin2019

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

While I believe the single most pressing issue facing our town government is corruption, the problem as well as the solution(s) are multifaceted and will not be solved with any soundbite or short campaign statement. The patronage jobs, the hidden taxes/fees and fines on our citizens, the bloated government, self dealing and nepotism are all rampant problems. As a nonpartisan member on such a board I will provide information and transparency within the law to the electorate. Additionally, I will carefully look into every expenditure of this government to be voted on and vote against all unnecessary spending of tax payers money.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

From my prior experience running businesses and providing legal counseling to businesses, I am well versed at examining budgets and financial statements which in my opinion is what is needed for our town to reduce (with the goal of eliminating) corruption and the obscene amounts of taxpayer money being spent unnecessarily. I am also not beholden to anyone, including a political party which others will be tempted if not outright compelled to accommodate.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

The current board is solely made up of members of one political party. They had deceived the electorate with half-truths and the obfuscation of relevant information spending tax dollars for their own self promotion.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am in favor of term limits even at the town government level. I have never been involved in politics and have no intention of making this a career or even a stepping stone to other positions. My sole interest in seeking this office is to let other members of town government that they have someone watching who will not tolerate the corrupt, "business-as-usual" mentality that unfortunately comes to mind for most, when thinking of how our local government runs.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have worked with clients reviewing business transactions as well as independently and with forensic accountants in identifying fraud and potentials for fraud in businesses which is a skill easily transferable to cleaning up government.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

A good name is more valuable than riches.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Most of the partisan politics that people read about on the national and state level are not relevant to local town government, which should be involved with providing efficient, necessary services (including those required by law) without adding to make friends, family or any political party look more favorably on oneself.