Politics & Government
Video: Veteran and Plant Director Palumbo Vies for School Board Seat
Nicholas Palumbo wants to contribute to the community's "most important asset".
Nicholas Palumbo, 45, is a Navy veteran, serving as an officer from 1987 to 1991, and has been the director of physical plant at in Riverhead for the past nine years. He oversees all physical operations of the campus facilities and grounds. Prior to working at the community college, he held a similar position at Stony Brook University.
He has been a member of the and . He serves as treasurer of the Guild of Administrative Officers of Suffolk County Community College.
Palumbo is a member of the class of 1983. He graduated from Villanova University in 1987 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and obtained an M.S. in energy management at the New York Institute of Technology in 2008.
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He moved with his family to the in seventh grade and spent the rest of his life in Southampton, other than college and military service. He has been a member of the and participated in the Southampton PTA and organized events such as the Bike Rodeo. He has been a Southampton Little League coach and recently become involved with as a member of the facilities planning committee.
Palumbo’s wife, Kerry, is a fifth grade teacher at . He has three children, an eighth grader, sixth grader and fourth grader, who all attend Southampton Schools.
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Patch asked Palumbo three questions. Here are his answers in his own words:
What qualifies you to be a member of the school board?
I feel that I have an understanding of the workings of the district, which comes from a long and varied perspective as a former student, parent and taxpayer. I believe I am a good listener with an open mind and a commitment to community service that could be of value to the Southampton Board of Education.
Why do you want to be a member of the school board?
Education has been and continues to be a focus of my personal and professional life. Service on the board would be an outlet for my desire to be involved with the community and hopefully contribute positively to the workings of what I consider to be our most important asset.
If elected, what changes would you like to see at Southampton Schools?
In my view, the Southampton Public School District is relatively well positioned to meet the needs of a diverse learning community. Each student, however, presents a unique set of issues that potentially challenge available resources. It also seems evident that a number of factors loom on the horizon which may pose significant limitations on our ability to continue to support those resources at current levels. I am not proposing any immediate solutions to those potential challenges, but as we face them, I think it is of critical importance that there is a good balance of reasonable and committed people on the board of education to work with the administration in seeing us through.
“Meet the Candidates Night” will be held May 11 between 6:30 and 9 p.m. at the library. The will take place May 17 in the intermediate school music room.
