D’Esposito follows D’Amato footsteps to Capitol

He was an obscure candidate from Island Park who went up against a Republican powerhouse — and won.

His name was Al D’Amato, who would go on to serve 18 years in the US Senate before being upended himself by an upstart from Brooklyn, Chuck Schumer, in 1998.

Now, four decades later, voters have sent another Island Park resident to Washington as Anthony D’Esposito makes his way to the floor of the House of Representatives, in a congressional seat he flipped from Democrat to Republican. 

“I don’t think that coming from a small community prepares you to be in politics,” D’Esposito said, after defeating Laura Gillen on Nov. 8. “I think it opens your eyes to what community is all about.” 

But getting involved on a local level in the fire department, Kiwanis, chamber of commerce or a civic group is “really what opens people’s eyes to further public service” — paralleling how the Hempstead town councilman got his start. 

Mentioning D’Amato’s influence during his victory speech election night, D’Esposito says he’s pleased to be adding to the village’s story.

“That’s a piece of history, especially coming from a small tight-knit community,” he said. “It’s a place where I was born, raised, called home. The fact that we’ve sent two members of our little village to represent us in Washington, DC. I think is pretty cool.”

He spent his first week in Washington undergoing orientation, and hopes when it comes time to join committees, he’ll find himself on homeland security, and transportation and infrastructure.

Worried about the state of people’s pocketbooks as well as their quality of life, D’Esposito says nothing has changed his campaign promises since winning.

“The duration of this campaign, the message has been the same,” D’Esposito said. “And people are concerned about things that affect their pockets. They’re concerned about crime, and they want someone to represent them that’s willing to cross party lines and work with others in order to deliver for our communities.”

But then again, he’s already posting negative comments on social media about Democratic colleagues such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of Queens and outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. D’Esposito says their track records leave much to be desired.

“When it comes to Nancy Pelosi, the fact that we can all ask ourselves, ‘Are we better off today than we were two years ago when Joe Biden took office?’ And she’s been nothing but a rubber stamp for the Biden administration,” he said. “And I think a lot of the issues that we’re dealing with on Long Island are issues that are reflective of the administration.”

Formerly a member of the New York Police Department patrolling Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, D’Esposito said AOC’s call to “defund” the police is too anti-law enforcement.

“The greatest job — I still think in the world — is being a member of the New York City Police Department,” he said. “And AOC has outright called for the defunding of police. She’s been very anti-law enforcement. I blame her as one of the individuals who flamed the fires of all the protests that we saw, that have destroyed major US cities over the last few years.” 

So, which Democrats will D’Esposito work with? 

“People that are there to deliver for the communities that they represent,” he said. “Not just be a loud mouthpiece and looking for headlines on Twitter and CNN.”

Sitting down as a delegation after Thanksgiving, D’Esposito says he’s looking forward to making America safer, the economy stronger, and energy greener. But his first focus will be eliminating the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, known as SALT, that were imposed by the Trump administration.

“For me, what’s most important is delivering change to Long Island,” D’Esposito said. “Working hard to repeal the SALT cap, so that we can bring tax relief to communities here in New York — some of the individuals who pay the highest taxes in the nation. So, there’s a lot of work to do. 

“But I look forward to getting to DC again, rolling up my sleeves, and getting to work.”