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Joseph Tartaglia: D, L, and Working Families party lines

Joseph Tartaglia: D, L, and Working Families party lines by Carolyn James

Joseph Tartaglia is 29 years old, born and raised in Massapequa Park, a graduate of Massapequa High School and, if he has his way, the next Nassau County Leg. in the 14th District. A Democrat, he squares off against incumbent Republican Legislator Peter Schmitt.

What Tartaglia lacks in age, he makes up for in energy and enthusiasm he says. Steeped in local politics from an early age, he knows the impact that public officials can have on the lives of their constituents, and the importance of public service.

"I believe that people know best what their needs are and that their representatives have to be out there to listen and learn," said Tartaglia. "Government has to be responsive."

If elected, Tartaglia said he would set up a series of community meetings to gain input from the public and to discuss issues that come before the legislature.

Tartaglia attended Massapequa Schools, graduating from Massapequa High School and going on to Nassau Community College. He is a computer technologist with the New Horizon Learning Centers and had a compulsion from an early age to understand how things work. He rides a Harley.

"I was always taking things apart and putting them back together again just so I could see how they worked," he said during a recent interview. "I still like to know how things work."

And that goes for motors as much as it goes for government. At the side of his grandmother Elizabeth Tartaglia, a Democratic committeewoman and political activist in the Massapequas for decades, the candidate learned about politics and government.

"My grandmother is the political force in the house," he says. "She is the one who not only raised me but who helped to give me the desire to be a part of the system and to work to become a public official."

Tartaglia’s parents divorced when he was nine years old and he readily acknowledges the difficulties of seeing his mother walk out, leaving her children behind. But if that is painful, the memory is tempered by the "good fortune of having my grandparents," he says.

"They were there for me and my brother and sister," he said. "I am very grateful for that."

If his grandmother is the political influence in his life, his grandfather fills another role. It was at his grandfather’s side that Tartaglia learned about life.

"He was my best friend," said Tartaglia. "He taught me about hard work and dedication and the day he died was the saddest day in my life."

At the time of his grandfather’s death, Tartaglia said he was so stricken with sadness that he wanted to go with him. But, he quickly realized that his grandfather would not have wanted that. "I knew I had to go on and that was the best way I could pay tribute to him," said Tartaglia.

Of course the wonderful memories he had of his grandfather helped. He recalled how there was an unspoken understanding between them and how a simple look from his grandfather would speak volumes. He also recalled the day his grandfather purchased a new Subaru.

"I was 24 at the time and I went with him to get it," recalls Tartaglia. "He handed me the keys and I was shocked. I just looked at him and said I had not asked for a car."

His grandfather’s response was that it was precisely because he had never asked for anything that he had purchased the vehicle for him, said Tartaglia, a gesture that remains embedded in the younger man’s heart.

Both his grandparents and his father taught him the importance of giving back to the community. That took some form for Tartaglia when he was 15 and a friend died. With the help of his father, he collected some money and gave it to his friend’s mother.

"I was very upset about his death and thought, in some way, this would help," Tartaglia recalls. "She was very touched by it and it is something I will always remember."

In similar fashion, Tartaglia has started a local fund for the families of the victims of the World Trade Center.

When he’s not working or out riding his Harley, Tartaglia says he enjoys spending time with friends. A perfect day, he said, would be spending time around Massapequa with friends and then going back to his house for something to eat and to play baseball or horseshoes, a game he also learned from his grandfather.

As for his vision of the future, Tartaglia said he hopes he sees a day when the people in Nassau County can be free of government debt and enjoying the benefits of a county with a sound financial base. "Only then will we be getting the true benefits of the taxes we pay here," he said.

As for his personal goals, who knows, he said. "Maybe I will be a chief financial officer or a Senator, and then you can tell everyone you knew me when..." he tells the interviewer.