Andrew Monteleone appointed to Oyster Bay Town Board

The Oyster Bay Town Board on Tuesday appointed Andrew Monteleone, a former prosecutor and member of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals, to fill the council seat vacated by Michele Johnson.

Johnson was elected to be a district court judge and started that role on Jan. 1.

"I felt a lot of pride. I was honored to be up there," Monteleone said in a phone interview after the town board meeting Tuesday. "To be considered to be part of that board is quite an honor for me."

Monteleone served as an assistant district attorney in Nassau County from 1999 to 2004 before opening his Mineola-based private practice. He held roles as the president of the Former District Attorney’s Association and as a board member of the Columbian Lawyers Association of Nassau County, according to the town.

A Syosset resident and a Republican, Monteleone is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law, the town said. Online court records indicate Monteleone is registered as an active attorney in New York. He was appointed to the town’s zoning appeals board in 2021, according to town documents.

Monteleone unsuccessfully challenged Assemb. Charles Lavine, a Democrat representing the 13th District, in the 2018 and 2020 elections.

Monteleone said "protecting the suburban quality of life" is a challenge he looks to tackle during his time on the town board.

"I think we have to cut back on the radical policies in Albany — the high-density housing, zoning, the unfunded mandates," Monteleone said. "I think all those are things that are going to come up that are going to be challenges."

His part-time salary is $65,000, and his appointment is effective through the end of this year, according to town documents.

Johnson resigned from her position on Dec. 31 after being elected to serve as a district court judge.

"Serving this incredible community has been one of the greatest honors of my life," Johnson wrote in a Jan. 1 post on Facebook. "While I will deeply miss working directly with the residents of our town in this capacity, I am humbled by the opportunity to continue serving our community through the judicial system." 

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said during Tuesday’s appointment that Monteleone brings experience in community service and "as a prosecutor, he understands how to root out problems and protect our residents."

Monteleone's appointment maintains Oyster Bay's 7-0 Republican majority on the town board, which includes the supervisor. Town board members serve four-year terms. 

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ