Joe Dujmic, Neighbor

JOE DUJMIC is a true Long Islander. He grew up in Holbrook, where his mother and sister still reside. Joe got his first taste of politics when he was six years old, helping his family stuff envelopes for local campaigns. Now, a couple of decades older (and wiser), Joe is launching his own race, as a Democratic candidate to fill the open seat vacated by Assemblyman James Conte to represent the 10th District in the New York State Assembly. He’s running because he strongly believes Albany must be truly fixed so all New Yorkers can be proud once again of their state government. As an avid reader and a self-confessed “news nerd,” Joe is well aware that Albany has become a laughingstock of the nation. He’s determined to change its reputation for the better.

At Sachem High School, Joe had wanted to be a pilot, and logged 20 hours of flying time through the school’s highly regarded aviation program. He scored 95 on the FAA qualifying exam. But he has put off his dreams of flying – for now—to focus on the problems we all face here on the ground. From high school Joe took off for St. John’s University, obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice. And while there, he really soared. His St. John’s Mock Trial Team was nationally ranked and Joe was a major part of their success. He won the 2001 Father Frederick Easterly Award, given to the most outstanding member of the student government, and gave the spring 2001 Commencement Address.

Joe was a member of the St. John’s chapter of the NAACP, president of the St. John’s chapter of the College Democrats of America, and an active volunteer at the St. John’s Bread and Life Soup Kitchen.

As chairman of the student government’s budget committee, Joe balanced the $1.2 million budget for the first time in years, imposing strict limits on expenses because he knew the revenue came from a fixed student activity fee that couldn’t be raised at whim. He firmly held the line. At New York Law School he obtained his Juris Doctor degree, with a strong emphasis on oral advocacy in criminal and civil matters. While there, he met his future wife, Antoniette Bruno, of Glen Cove. Joe and Antoniette became two of the charter members of the Stonewall Legal Society at New York Law School, based on their shared belief that equality for all individuals is a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, regardless of sexual orientation.

After law school, Joe gained valuable government experience working for the Suffolk County Executive. Joe also worked as an Assistant County Attorney, using the power of his office to help remove vulnerable kids from abusive, neglectful families, and demonstrating his insightful knowledge of Kendra’s Law. Joe is now a successful small-business owner and litigator based out of the Town of Huntington. With his solid background in government, politics and jurisprudence, Joe is ready to serve Long Island well in the years to come and is dedicated to making a better New York for his seven-year-old son Daniel to raise his own children in someday.