Joe Sawicki

Last updated

Joe Sawicki
Member of the New YorkHouseofRepresentatives
from the 1st district
In office
December 31, 1982 –September 15, 1993
Residence Southold, New York
Profession Accountant, Auditor
Known for Long Island secession

Joseph Sawicki Jr. is an American politician from Long Island, New York who served in the New York State Assembly as a Republican before going on to lead a Long Island secessionist movement.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Sawicki was born in 1955 to Joseph H. Sawicki Sr. the former Chief of Police of Southold. [1] Before entering politics Sawicki worked as an accountant and auditor for Peat, Marwick, Mitchell and Co of Garden City. [2]

Political career

Sawicki's political career started in 1979 when he was named Deputy Suffolk County Comptroller under Joseph Caputo, serving in that capacity until 1982 when he ran for the 1st district of the New York State Assembly. [2] Sawicki, then just 27-years-old was largely overlooked, with his defeat of Democrat William R. Pell, the then incumbent Southold Town Supervisor, being seen as a major upset. [3] [4] The Conservative Party of New York State refused to endorse Sawicki, instead endorsing the Democrat Pell, however, Sawicki did win the endorsement of the New York State Right to Life Party. [3] In 1993 Sawicki resigned from the state assembly a few months before the end of his term to become comptroller and chief financial officer for betting off-track at the Suffolk Downs. [5] Sawicki said he did so to be closer to his family, and because he had stopped enjoying his time as an assemblyman. [5]

In 2002 Sawicki ran for County Comptroller against Democratic and Working Family candidate Jordan Wilson. [2] Sawicki would leave office as Comptroller in 2014 after being term limited. [6] In 2011 Sawicki announced that he was considering running for county executive to replace Steve Levy. [5] However, he would ultimately take his name out of the running shortly after. [7]

In 2015 Sawicki was hired by the newly elected Democratic county executive Steve Bellone to serve as the assistant deputy police commissioner for finance. [8] [9] Also in 2015 the Suffolk Republican Party floated Sawicki as a possible candidate for the last county treasurer before the office was abolished in 2018. [6]

Long Island secessionist

In the 1990s, while in the state assembly, Sawicki proposed a bill that would have Long Island split from New York to become the 51st state. [10] Sawicki argued that Long Island, despite making up just 15% of the state's population was unfairly paying 20% of the state's estate taxes and 17% of the state's income taxes. [10] In 2008 Sawicki returned to the Long Island secessionist cause full-time. [10]

In 2009 Sawicki endorsed a feasibility study of statehood for Long Island called for by fellow Republicans; State Senator Kenneth LaValle and Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr. [11] The main reason this study was proposed was due to a $1.5 billion payroll tax imposed by the Legislature to help bail out the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. [11] In 2010 Sawicki and Democrat William J. Lindsay petitioned Nassau County to coordinate efforts for statehood with Suffolk and called for a bi-county commission to study the feasibility of Nassau and Suffolk seceding from New York. [12] In 2015 Sawicki again proposed Long Island separate as a new state, saying that the region receives only $5.2 billion in state payments, but pays $8.1 billion to the state. [13]

Personal life

Joseph has a brother William who followed in their father's footsteps and became a lieutenant for the Southold Police Department, as well as a sister Lisa who moved to Atlanta. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Joseph H. Sawicki Sr". Riverhead News-Review. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 James, Carolyn (October 31, 2002). "Babylon resident vying for County Comptroller's post". Babylon Beacon. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Lynn, Frank (October 10, 1982). "L.I. ELECTIONS: FOCUS ON ASSEMBLY". New York Times . Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  4. ↑ Lynn, Frank (November 7, 1982). "DEMOCRATS MAKE INROADS IN G.O.P. BASTION". New York Times . Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Kelly, Tim. "Comptroller Sawicki considering County Executive run". Riverhead News-Review. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Brand, Rick (April 25, 2015). "GOP floats Joseph Sawicki as contender for treasurer". Newsday . Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  7. ↑ Civiletti, Denise (April 18, 2011). "New GOP leader ends bumpy week on a high note". Riverhead Local. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  8. ↑ Brand, Rick. "Joseph Sawicki, former Suffolk comptroller, gets police finance job". Newsday . Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  9. ↑ Lewis, Rebecca C. (November 23, 2020). "Steve Bellone: The last of the New York centrists". City & State . Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 Cantor, Martin R. (March 2019). "Time for political humor – Upstate wants its own state". Long Island Business News . Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Wrobleski, Tom (May 13, 2009). "Long Island secession plan gives Staten Island pol hope borough can break from city". Staten Island Advance . Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  12. ↑ "WHERE OUR POLITICIANS STAND AS OF NOVEMBER 2012". Long Island State. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  13. ↑ Bartley, Randy (March 11, 2015). "New York Secessionists". The Courier Express. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.