SEBASTIAN — City Council candidate Joseph Scozzari is trying to avoid any last-minute surprises by explaining why, 31 years ago, he became a convicted felon.

Scozzari said he was a 17-year-old single father who owned and operated pony rides in New York. He and a group of four others decided to take nine saddles from a vacant barn. The saddles belonged to some judges and attorneys and the young Scozzari and the others ended up arrested.

Scozzari said the others could afford lawyers, but he had a public defender who told me he was facing some time in prison if convicted of burglary.

“He told me I was going to do hard time,” said Scozzari.

Scozzari said he didn’t have a problem with pleading guilty, however, because he did the crime.

“If I did something wrong, I’ll admit it,” said Scozzari. “I made a mistake.”

He served six months, intermittently, in the county jail. He reported to the jail every weekend.

The conviction made it difficult for him to get a job, said Scozzari. Primarily involved in the roofing business, he also worked for himself at various other jobs, including owning drug rehabilitation halfway homes with his wife, Julia.

When the couple moved to Sebastian, Scozzari thought the conviction would prevent him from running for office. His wife tried unsuccessfully to win a seat twice.

Within the past couple of years, however, Scozzari learned that the prior conviction didn’t prevent him from trying for office and he decided to throw his hat into the ring. According to New York election law, the right to vote and hold public office is automatically restored once a convicted felon completes his sentence, including any parole.

Scozzari now thinks he has a good chance of gaining a place on the council and has been making various calls to residents to get their support.

He said most of the reaction he’s gotten from people has been largely positive, although he has been harshly criticized by some.

Scozzari has been involved in various controversies since he’s been in Sebastian, including a quarrel involving the Sebastian Clambake Festival.

The popular festival temporarily shut down for one year after being criticized by Scozzari and others, but eventually returned last year. He maintains his criticism of the festival, which included asking for a detailed accounting of how the money was spent, was valid. Others, however, contend the criticism from Scozzari and others was unwarranted.

Scozzari still wrangles with the current council at times, but insists he is just interested in making Sebastian better. He contends the city is not frugal enough when it comes to spending and thinks the city would be better served by having the county run the building department.

City officials, however, said the surplus money being used now for the building department can not be used for other purposes within the city and the city is better served by having control over the department’s duties.

Ed Bierschenk

Tags: building department, city council, clambake, controversy, conviction, Crime, felony, festival, politics, scozzari

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