Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr., who recently announced he will not be seeking re-election for the New York State Assembly seat he has held for more than 28 years, has endorsed Tommy John Schiavoni, the Southampton Town councilman from North Haven, to fill that seat.
Mr. Thiele’s endorsement carries a lot of weight. At a launch event held Saturday by the John Avlon for Congress campaign, at Marine Park in Sag Harbor, Mr. Avlon said, “Fred is the most beloved and respected local legislator — somebody who represents the best of us, someone who has always put community ahead of partisan interests.”
At the same event, Mr. Schiavoni said, “There isn’t very much in our lives that has not been touched by the work of Assemblyman Thiele. I look forward to honoring his legacy in the Assembly.”
In the endorsement, Assemblyman Thiele noted his long acquaintance with the Schiavoni family: “The East End needs a strong voice in Albany to continue the progress we have made on issues such as the environment, climate change, transportation and housing. That voice must possess the temperament, maturity, and leadership skills needed to get things done,” he said in a statement. “Tommy John Schiavoni is that voice. I have known Tommy John since his dad coached my youth baseball team in Sag Harbor back in the 1960s.”
Mr. Schiavoni was a social studies teacher for 32 years but started edging into local politics during the last decade of his career. He served on the North Haven Village Zoning Board of Appeals before he became a village trustee between 2013 and 2016. In 2014, he was elected to the Sag Harbor School Board. He served on the Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals from 2015 to 2017 before being elected to the Southampton Town Board. He has been a councilman since 2017, having won re-election in 2021.
“His training as a teacher and experience as a town councilman give him the needed qualifications to represent our district,” Mr. Thiele said.
“I’m honored by Assemblyman Thiele’s endorsement and humbled by the opportunity to serve my community at the state level,” Mr. Schiavoni said in a statement. “Fred Thiele embodies a life dedicated to public service. Over decades he established legislation that has positively affected the daily lives of generations, and these efforts, like the Peconic Estuary Partnership, the Community Preservation Fund, and the Community Housing Fund, will continue to benefit East Enders long into the future. I hope to pick up the hard work where he leaves off, preserving our environment, supporting education and small businesses, strengthening our infrastructure, and working to improve public health overall.”
Assembly District 1 encompasses four towns: Southampton, Southold, Shelter Island, and East Hampton. The Suffolk County Republican Committee has announced Stephen Kiely as its candidate to face Mr. Schiavoni. Mr. Kiely now serves as the town attorney for Shelter Island. The election will take place on Nov. 5. The Democratic Party currently controls 102 of the 150 seats in the State Assembly.
