Joseph Saladino for Oyster Bay supervisor

Drive through the Town of Oyster Bay this election season and you'll see "protecting our way of life" signs from coast to coast.

That is this year’s slogan for Joseph Saladino, 62. Unfortunately, Saladino’s way of life is troubling.

In his current term as supervisor, he resisted attempts to build affordable housing arguing there is insufficient infrastructure — even at the former Sears site in Hicksville — yet he doesn’t share that concern for a proposed luxury waterfront complex in Oyster Bay. Saladino's way of life is similar to that of his predecessors, who blocked prime opportunities for development. Saladino fails to lead on the most critical issue facing Long Island.

Despite promises to untangle town government from the party in this Republican stronghold, he still has political leaders in key roles. During his tenure as supervisor, Saladino created an inspector general position to clean up the contracting process, a laudable goal. But then he hired politically tied Brian Noone, who later had to be let go for misconduct in a contract matter. While Saladino defends the hiring process and says 200 patronage positions have been cut, he fell into the typical traps.

The inspector general debacle pushed Democrat Jared Behr, 38, of Plainview, to run. Managing his family’s former Behr Furniture business, as well as time as a Suffolk County assistant district attorney and personal injury lawyer, give him a fresh perspective. He is critical of the town’s lack of transparency and its recent inability to spend federal COVID-19 funding to assist renters. He vows never to hire political leaders in his administration.

But Behr does not have the experience needed for this role yet, and there is always hope Saladino can leave a significant legacy if he chooses.

Under Saladino, a budget surplus, better bond rating, newly paved roads, well-maintained parks and same-day building permits add up to a well-run town that serves the needs of its residents. That’s a strong record, but finishing your chores doesn’t renovate your home.

The Massapequa Republican shines when he talks about Long Island’s environment. He is passionate about the shellfish hatchery he opened that doubles as a water remediation tool, the only one of its kind on the North Shore. He has also overseen flood mitigation projects and green technology improvements, like those at Alhambra Park where bio-retention areas are used to naturally treat and filter stormwater runoff. With this vital expertise, he should help make Long Island the suburb of sustainability, and develop a comprehensive recycling plan that the whole region can implement to help solve the garbage crisis. Maybe then he could finally get affordable housing in Hicksville over the finish line.

All that would be a way of life in Oyster Bay worth protecting.

Newsday endorses Saladino.