Village of Bayville Mayor Steve Minicozzi hadn’t always expected to be involved in politics.
But when Former Mayor Robert De Natale asked him to join the board of trustees in 2021, he took the role in hopes of helping the community. Now, with four years in government and two years as mayor under his belt, he has championed local development.
Minicozzi was born in Bayville but moved to Locust Valley with his family when he was a child. He moved back into the village with his wife, Lorie, almost 25 years ago. His children, Lily and Luke, attend Locust Valley schools, he said.
Minicozzi, who works in real estate, said he “very unexpectedly” got into local politics four years ago when De Natale asked if he wanted to fill a vacancy on the village board.
After Minicozzi’s election as trustee in 2021, he decided to run for the mayoral seat in 2023. He said that when he approached De Natale about his interest in the position, De Natale decided to run as a trustee. The two now serve as mayor and deputy mayor.
“We make a good team,” Minicozzi said.
Minicozzi said one of his main focuses in the village is development. As a trustee, he said he helped refurbish the village skating rink, bring handicap parking to Soundside Beach and worked with engineers to solve the village’s drainage problems. He said his interest in development is something he took into his mayoral role as well.
“I’m certainly a pro-business guy and look to make it as easy as possible for people to open a new business,” he said.
He said many residents expressed concerns over the former site of Steve’s Pier One, which had been closed in 2006 and sat vacant for almost 20 years afterwards. Minicozzi said that within the first two weeks of his election as mayor, he began discussions with developers about the site, which is currently under development.
The Beach Barn is set to open sometime this year at the former Steve’s Pier One location, which Minicozzi previously referred to as “sensible development.”
In addition to business development, Minicozzi said he has improved village facilities, some of which had been outdated and needed upgrading. He also helped establish the village’s social media presence and provided digital documentation of its records.
Community service isn’t new to Minicozzi.
He said he has been involved with the Oyster Bay Railroad Museum, Locust Valley Booster Club, Oyster Bay Fire Company, Bayville and Oyster Bay chambers of commerce, Bayville-Centre Island and Oyster Bay rotary clubs, and Oyster Bay Kiwanis Club in the past.
He said the booster club—which Minicozzi served as president for about seven years—raised over $1 million in donations for the athletic department.
Minicozzi said he previously oversaw a large-scale family business with over 300 employees. He said that between his experience overseeing the family business and his own real estate business, he has experience in management.
“Managing people was something that I was very much used to,” he said.
