When Bill Scaglione was raising his two daughters, he wanted to set a “community-oriented tone,” he said.
So, he said, when he was approached by an outgoing official about an open commissioner seat at the Port Washington Garbage District, he said yes.
Now, 12 years later, Scaglione, who has lived in Port Washington for over 30 years, is seeking re-election on Tuesday for a fifth three-year term with the district.
“The job isn’t about the money because there’s not big reward or benefits or retirement plans,” Scaglione said. “It’s about getting involved in Port Washington and lending a hand. It’s about community service.”
After growing up in Queens, Scaglione attended City College and studied engineering, but didn’t like the day-to-day office work, he said.
He began doing auto repairs and eventually opened Bill’s Auto Repair, “the first store you see when turning left onto Main Street from Port Washington Boulevard,” he said.
“It was a great opportunity that came up to buy the business and I took advantage of it,” he said. “We do general maintenance and general mechanics.”
Scaglione, who is one of three commissioners, also serves as the district’s treasurer, using his business experience to “take care of the books and records for the district.” he said.
The garbage district grants three-year contracts based on the lowest bid, and is currently working with Meadow Carting, a Westbury-based company, responsible for hauling garbage, recycling and leaves.
Scaglione said residents pay a $250 average garbage pickup tax, which includes pickups five days a week.
“One of the most important jobs we do is keeping the cost low for the residents,” he said. “It’s all about efficacy. We want to get the garbage out for a reasonable cost. It breaks down to $5 a week.”
The garbage district’s goal is to have the trucks in by 7 a.m. and out by noon, Scaglione said.
“We try to get the garbage out in an efficient time, so we aren’t blocking traffic or causing any problems,” he said.
When Scaglione was first elected, he said, he didn’t have any changes to bring to the district, but wanted to maintain the “good work everyone was doing.”
“I care about the community,” he said. “I care about the town, because I live here and work here and own a business here and volunteer here and attend church here. The town is everything in my life and I am proud to be able to say I serve it by working with the district.”
Scaglione said the lessons he tried to instill within his daughters, Ashley and Samantha, were successful.
“My daughters are wonderful and they have always been involved in the community all throughout school,” he said. “My older daughter was involved in things all throughout college, and my younger daughter is now. She’s involved in giving tours on campus, different groups and she’s running for office in school now, too.”
“My wife, Lois, is extremely involved in the community, too,” he said. “She was on a school board for a long time, she’s a eucharistic minister at our church and the example we’ve set has really shown in our girls.”
Splitting his time between the garbage district and his auto repair shop gets difficult, Scaglione said, but he has always enjoyed working with cars.
“We get to get involved in historic and collectible cars,” he said. “Everyone has their hobby cars and we enjoy working on them. Right now we’re doing work on a heating system on a ’69 Cadillac Coupe Deville convertible. It’s neat seeing these cars and remembering back when these were the cars everyone drove.”
