Lew and Lou Leave Town Board

Yevoli and Savinetti's Last OB Board Meeting

By Dagmar Fors Karppi

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

Oyster Bay said goodbye to it's third stint of having both Republicans and Democrats represented on their Town Board on Tuesday, Dec. 9, the last meeting at which Oyster Bay Supervisor Lewis J. Yevoli would preside.

It was a gentlemanly affair, but Town Councilman Louis Savinetti kept his feisty image in concluding his term of office as he honed in on the crux of having a two party government for the third time in the history of the 330 year town.

"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," said Savinetti.

"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 was honored with the presentation of a Pine Island Oyster momento 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 eight-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 wanted 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 credited Yevoli and he with having "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."

The town credited him as "A hard working Public official who brought to his job much governmental experience with a responsiveness to the community and a demonstrated willingness to work for the general welfare of the town, while his colleagues on the town board will remember him as an ever ready sounding board for resident concerns and one whose unbending conviction will be sorely missed."

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!'"