Long Island

The races for mayor and two trustee seats in Lynbrook pit&nbsp;challengers united in opposition to a recently nixed housing proposal against incumbents who say they are open to new development that maintains the village's suburban identity. 
The campaigns leading up to the March 19 election have become increasingly rancorous, including&nbsp;allegations of corruption and backroom dealings as well as the public falling-out of Mayor Alan Beach and Deputy Mayor Hilary Becker, who is challenging Beach for mayor. 
A key issue in the race is the so-called Cornerstone project, a controversial $75 million proposal to build a six-story, 200-unit apartment building in downtown Lynbrook. The village board voted against the project in November, and the developer formally withdrew his application last month. 
But Becker and the newly formed Preserve Lynbrook party, which counts upstart trustee candidates Antoniella Tavella,&nbsp;45, and Steven Liguori, 62, as members, continue to criticize Beach and the other village board members for having even considered the project in the first place. 
"Even if the project was 50 percent smaller, it would still be too big,"&nbsp;said Becker,&nbsp;58,&nbsp;who owns real estate businesses in the village and was first elected trustee in 2009. "It should never have even seen the light of day." 
Becker and Tavella said they would be open to new condominiums or town homes built for homeowners, but largely oppose the construction of new rental housing in the village. 
"We don't need apartments in our village," said Tavella,&nbsp;who cited her background in accounting and project management&nbsp;and her local civic activism as qualifications for the post. 
Becker said he would call for a strategic master plan for the village if elected. 
Beach and the other members of the Lynbrook New Vision party, trustees Robert Boccio and Ann Marie Reardon, said they would consider development proposals, including those for new housing, if they aren't too large or impactful. 
"We're all in favor of development that fits within the character of our village,"&nbsp;said Beach, 64, a retired New York City firefighter who served as trustee from 2007 to 2017 and was appointed mayor in 2017. "You have to get the tax base up." 
Boccio, 46, an attorney and professor at Columbia University who was first appointed to the board in 2017, said: "New housing and in some instances workforce housing would make sense, providing that the type of project … blends in with the community." 
Reardon, 46, a secretary in a Uniondale high school and trustee since 2015, said the New Vision party's endorsements include&nbsp;the Lynbrook Police Benevolent Association and the Civil Service Employees Association.&nbsp;She cited staying under the state tax cap, road repairs, and beautification projects as some of the accomplishments of the current administration. 
David O'Neill is also running for trustee, saying his experience as a real estate broker and Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce board member&nbsp;would enable him to "bring more of a business view to the village." 
Like the other candidates, he said the Cornerstone project was "too big." But he said Lynbrook has a "serious store vacancy problem" and needs to be more open to new business&nbsp;and development&nbsp;to thrive. 
"We need to stop being the village of no," he said. 
O'Neill, 51, chided the current board members for their recent quarrels. 
"We need to stop the fighting and work together," he said.&nbsp;"We're all neighbors, and we're going to be here after this election."

Nassau

TOLYNBELEX190312

Development at heart of race for Lynbrook mayor, trustees

Development at heart of race for mayor, trustees

toLYNBELEX190312_photos

John Asbury

Malverne on March 19 will have its first mayoral race in a dozen years and its first trustees contest since 2012.&nbsp; 
Deputy Mayor Keith Corbett will run for mayor against small business owner Lori Lang to replace outgoing mayor Patti Ann McDonald. 
McDonald, the wife of fallen NYPD Officer Steven McDonald, announced she will not seek a fourth term in office after serving as mayor for 12 years. 
Corbett, 37, is running for mayor after serving since 2014&nbsp;on the village board. 
He is a partner and municipal and public finance attorney with Uniondale law firm Harris Beach. He also works as the village attorney for Muttontown. 
Corbett said he wants to continue McDonald’s work as mayor, focusing on improving roads, holding taxes and increasing communication as part of the village’s five-year capital plan. 
“I think I have the experience and expertise of keeping Malverne being Malverne,” Corbett said. “I think Patti was the greatest advocate Malverne has had, and I will ensure I will keep every relationship Malverne has preserved and protected moving forward.” 
The village will have to protect its roads from utility repairs and negotiate a new police contract next year, he said. 
Lang, 45, was born and raised in Malverne and owns an&nbsp;home organization and project design business. She has worked in business administration for 25 years and worked in communications for the American Cancer Society. 
Lang said it is&nbsp;important for residents' voices to be heard. She said the board should examine a $5.6 million bond issued last year —&nbsp;which&nbsp;she said was not communicated &nbsp;to residents —&nbsp;for a new police department building. 
Lang said she wants to bring financial transparency to the village and tell residents how money is being spent. &nbsp; 
Lang said she wants to use existing bonds to cover costs and work with a smaller government. 
“Communication with residents is&nbsp;key because residents feel they don’t know what’s going on in the village,” Lang said. “When you look at the size of our government right now, I want to reduce waste and redundancy and save money without increasing taxes.” 
Voters will also elect two trustees. Incumbent Lauren Touchard and her Independent Party running mate Timothy Sullivan are running against Lang’s Hometown Pride Party ticket of Antony&nbsp;Pfeffer and Rossana&nbsp;Weitekamp. 
Touchard&nbsp;previously served as a village prosecutor and a village youth board and senior group&nbsp;liaison. She works as an attorney with McLaughlin and Stern in Great Neck.&nbsp; 
Sullivan&nbsp;served on the village youth board and is a partner in his family-owned real estate investment company. He previously worked in public and private bond financing in asset management and&nbsp;multifamily housing.&nbsp; 
Pfeffer works as a licensing and intellectual property&nbsp;attorney with Manhattan-based&nbsp;Orrick, Herrington&nbsp;&amp; Sutcliffe and is a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. He said the village needs a comprehensive plan to fix roads and should increase transparency. 
Weitekamp is a public relations strategist who operates her own firm, Weitekamp Communications, specializing in business, education and nonprofits. She was also editor of the Malverne and West Hempstead Herald. She was a 10-year volunteer EMT&nbsp;for the Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Corps.&nbsp;

toMALVELEX0190314

Malverne to have first contested mayoral race in 12 years

Malverne to have first contested mayoral race in 12 years

toMALVELEX0190314_photos

Valley Stream Mayor Edwin A. Fare faces a challenger in his bid for a third term, and four candidates are vying for two at-large trustee seats in the March 19 election. 
Each&nbsp;position is&nbsp;a four-year term. 
The incumbents seeking another term are Fare, 56, and trustees&nbsp;Vincent Grasso, 46, and Dermond Thomas, 42. The three are running on the United Community Party line. Grasso, the executive director of the Nassau County Bridge Authority, is up for re-election a third time;&nbsp;Thomas, a corporate attorney, is also seeking a third re-election. 
Fare’s opponent for the mayor's seat is Anthony Bonelli, 56, a computer consultant and former employee of the NYPD pension fund, who in 2012 was awarded $1.25 million in a legal settlement in a whistleblower lawsuit, according to published reports. 
Bonelli is running on the Achieve Party line as are trustee candidates Cristobal Stewart, 50, an assistant dean at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and&nbsp;Jed Kaplowitz, 57, a software developer. Of the challengers, only Stewart has held public office before, serving nine years as a school board member in the village, he said. 
Bonelli said Fare and the incumbent trustees are spending taxpayers’ money recklessly, pointing to the town’s credit recently being lowered to junk-bond status and a lack of reserve funds. 
Fare said the money has been well spent, and over his term&nbsp;the village&nbsp;infrastructure has been shored up with costly moves, including relocating a courthouse downtown. 
“There is a grand plan here, nothing was haphazard,” said Fare, an industrial arts teacher at Valley Stream South High School. “The courthouse, it’s a jewel ...&nbsp;Almost 3,000 people per month visit that building. That’s a shot in the arm for our downtown.” 
Fare said the village bought the&nbsp;historic building on Rockaway Avenue for $800,000 and spent $3 million to renovate it. About 50 employees work out of the courthouse, he said. The Justice Court used to be at Village Hall, a space Fare said he hopes to convert into a cultural arts center. 
Earlier this year, Valley Stream’s bond rating was reduced to junk bond status after an analysis by Moody’s Investors Service found the village with a mounting deficit.&nbsp;The village had $11 million in reserves when Fare took office eight years ago. 
Fare said projects such as moving the courthouse and expanding a waste transfer facility, were all necessary. 
Bonelli said he&nbsp;wants to sell the courthouse, cut down on overtime and reduce part-time employees to decrease property taxes.&nbsp;He also said he’s not going to accept the mayor’s $40,000 salary until the village bond rating is upgraded. 
Bonelli added he’d like to livestream village board meetings and set up emails for residents providing agendas for upcoming meetings.&nbsp; 
Stewart cited the top issue as the village’s finances being&nbsp;“out of control."&nbsp; 
“Valley Stream residents don’t feel like they have a say in their future," Stewart said. "That’s not right. We can do better." 
Kaplowitz said&nbsp;an empty reserve fund leaves&nbsp;village residents&nbsp;in peril.&nbsp;“What’s going to happen if the economy tanks in the next year or two? We will be in serious trouble," he said. 
But Thomas said&nbsp;residents tell him Fare and the trustees are doing a good job. 
“We went with a goal to make things a lot better and to make sure we had an infrastructure more suitable for residents,” Thomas&nbsp;said. “We know we have to slow down, and we will. You’ll find that in a few years, you will have a village that has the right amount of capital goods and the right amount of reserves.” 
Grasso cited the need for all of&nbsp; the infrastructure improvement.&nbsp;“There were several years where no investment in the infrastructure was made," he said. "We’re playing catch up. That’s not an excuse but it certainly is an explanation.”

toVALLELEX190312

Valley Stream mayor, trustees face contested election

Mayor, trustees in contested village election

toVALLELEX190312_photos

The&nbsp;Floral Park&nbsp;village board election&nbsp;features a first-time&nbsp;candidate&nbsp;who is already a regular at trustees&nbsp;meetings.&nbsp; 
Three people are vying for two seats in the March 19 election. Each seat carries a two-year term with a $5,000 annual stipend. The seats are&nbsp;held by former schools superintendent Lynn Pombonyo and Bronx District Attorney's Office investigator&nbsp;Frank Chiara. 
Pombonyo, who is seeking a third term,&nbsp;was appointed to the board in 2014 to finish the term of Mary-Grace&nbsp;Tomecki. Chiara joined the board in 2017 and is seeking a second term, in part, he said, because he wants to continue making improvements at the village pool and recreation center. 
"I know my responsibility to the public," Chiara said. "I know that I'm accountable to them. I enjoy working with people, and that's always been one of my strengths; I always listen to people."&nbsp; 
Chiara and&nbsp;Pombonyo's challenger is&nbsp;Nadia&nbsp;Holubnyczyj,&nbsp;former Hillcrest Civic Association president.&nbsp; 
Holubnyczyj, a vocal critic of the village board,&nbsp;said she is running because she believes residents have lost their faith&nbsp;in current trustees. If elected,&nbsp;Holubnyczyj said she would gather resident volunteers&nbsp;to serve on village committees because&nbsp;"the level of civic engagement has declined." 
All three candidates said developments are happening around Floral Park that need to be closely monitored to ensure residents' quality of life is disturbed as little as possible, particularly developments at&nbsp;Belmont Park and along the Long Island Rail Road&nbsp;mainline. 
Trustees and residents said they would be <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/belmont-floral-park-1.21442934">negatively impacted by state officials’ plans</a> to develop&nbsp;Belmont Park into an&nbsp;arena for the Islanders hockey team.&nbsp;The Belmont project calls for an 18,000-seat arena with 435,000 square feet of retail, a movie theater&nbsp;and a 250-room hotel.&nbsp;Earlier this month, village officials submitted <a href="https://fpvillage.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Village-of-Floral-Park-Comments-to-Belmont-Redevelopment-Project-3-1-19-PART-1-002.pdf">written criticisms of the plan</a> to Empire State Development, the state agency overseeing the project.&nbsp; 
Pombonyo said the state's plan lacks details on how traffic within Floral Park would be mitigated with an influx of arena visitors. Chiara said that&nbsp;if he is re-elected&nbsp;he would "continue to be an advocate for the best interest of the residents" when it comes to Belmont Park.&nbsp; 
"I realize Belmont Park needs to be redeveloped and Elmont does need economic development, but I just think they&nbsp;[Empire State Development] need more community engagement to find out what the needs of all the [surrounding] villages are," Chiara said.&nbsp; 
Holubnyczyj said&nbsp;she would fight against the proposed Belmont Park Project&nbsp; if she is elected. She also said she would work with trustees to continue monitoring the LIRR third track construction.&nbsp; 
Floral Park is one of many&nbsp;North Hempstead communities&nbsp;seeing parts of <a href="https://fpvillage.org/lirr-third-track-information/">the village transformed under the LIRR construction</a>.&nbsp; 
Pombonyo said&nbsp;she would focus in part on making sure 3TC tells residents about planned construction work well ahead of time "and with great specificity." 
"3TC and the LIRR have to ensure they can demonstrate respect for our community's daily quality of life and daily activities in a way that they're not disturbed," she said.&nbsp; 
Holubnyczyj echoed Pombonyo's thoughts and added that she already has experience lobbying state officials. 
"I will work to mitigate the negative impacts of this project and protect the best interests of the residents —&nbsp;just like I did when I lobbied the MTA, LIRR&nbsp;and the governor's office for the now pending elevators at our train station," Holubnyczyj said.&nbsp; 
Dominick Longobardi is running unopposed for a second term as mayor.&nbsp; 
Polls &nbsp;will be open from noon to 9 p.m. at the&nbsp;Reliance Fire House in the 1st District;&nbsp;the&nbsp;Recreation/Pool Building in the 2nd and 3rd districts; and the&nbsp;Atlantic Avenue Fire House in the 4th District.

toFLORELEX190311

Floral Park trustee candidates focus on third track project, Belmont Park plans

3 candidates seek 2 seats on village board

toFLORELEX190311_photos

Three Massapequa Park residents are running for two two-year trustee seats in the village’s March 19 election.&nbsp; 
Two incumbents, Tina Schiaffino and Daniel Pearl, are running on the Village Peoples Rights First party line, while first-time candidate, Salvatore Balestrieri Sr., is running on the We the People First Party of Massapequa Park line. 
Schiaffino, 57,&nbsp;a property manager of the Southgate Homeowners Association in Massapequa Park, has served on the board since&nbsp;being appointed in 2010. She said she wants to continue to improve the village’s parks, and pointed to her involvement in a $300,000 project to fortify the waterfront at Colleran Park. 
She’ll also make keeping an eye on the village budget a priority. 
“I think it’s always important to budget properly and remain financially aware of what’s happening, whether it’s buying a truck or putting in new lights,” Schiaffino said. “I think that as a board we’ve always been cognizant of that.” 
All three candidates say they’ll focus, if elected, on fixing Massapequa Park’s roads. 
“We’re really working on getting the roads up to par,” said Pearl, 46, a deputy commissioner for Oyster Bay Town’s Department of Public Works. 
Pearl first won election in 2012 and has served on the board since. Pearl said he wants to continue to help residents work with New York Rising. He also wants to look at ways the village can streamline its building permit process to make it more “user-friendly for residents.” &nbsp;&nbsp; 
“I think I’m the best guy for the job at this point to continue in the work we’ve been doing,” Pearl said. 
Balestrieri, 83, is making his first bid for a trustee seat. The retired NYPD officer said he thinks the village needs to do a better job of communicating with residents at its board meetings and addressing their concerns. 
If elected, Balestrieri said, he’ll focus on fixing the roads, improving lighting on village streets, addressing flooding and “fighting for the people” whose homes are affected by water damage. 
As a retiree and someone who has lived in Massapequa Park for 45 years, Balestrieri said he thinks he has an edge on the incumbents. 
“Most of the people on the board are working, so they don’t have as much time as I do to help residents,” Balestrieri said. “I will fight for them.”

toMASSELEX190315

First-time candidate challenges two incumbents in Massapequa Park

1st-time candidate challenges incumbents in Massapequa Park

toMASSELEX190315_photos

Freeport voters will go to the polls March 19 to elect two&nbsp;out of five candidates vying for village board trustee seats. 
Incumbent Jorge Martinez will look to defend his seat while the other&nbsp;candidates seek a seat&nbsp;vacated by trustee Bill White, who served for two years to finish the term of former trustee Debra Mule&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;after&nbsp;she was elected to the Nassau County Legislature. Both seats are at-large. 
Candidates said they will try to hold the line on taxes, increase transparency and improve the village infrastructure. 
Martinez, 56, has&nbsp;served&nbsp;11 years on the village board. He said he has worked with the board and Mayor Robert Kennedy to keep taxes down amid rising pension costs and contractual salary raises. 
“We want to continue fiscal responsibility and run the village with a zero percent tax increase, which we’ve achieved for six years in a row,” Martinez said. 
He is running on the Unity Home Rule party line with Christopher L. Squeri, 46, who owns two Freeport yacht marinas and is a member of the Freeport Community Development Agency. 
Martinez touted the hiring of 20 police officers and a reduction in crime, in addition to bolstering the village’s 350-member volunteer fire department. 
The village will look to continue paving roads and preventing floods&nbsp;after adding tidal valves and other flood mitigation tools, Martinez said. 
Freeport school board president and retiring police officer Michael Pomerico, 58, is running for trustee on at-large seat on the Village First party line. 
Pomerico is a lifelong Freeport resident and has served 12 years on the school board, including four as president, where he touted no tax increases under his helm. 
He has &nbsp;been on the&nbsp;Freeport force for 30 years and is the&nbsp;acting executive director of the Freeport Police Activity League. 
Pomerico said the village will need to address multiple-owned properties, the Freeport Armory and replacing the Moxey Rigby apartments. He called for more transparency in the village budget. 
“I think an outside voice on the board would be good and not a rubber stamp,” Pomerico said. 
Joseph Gambino is running with Jennifer Winters on the Residents Stand United party line. Gambino, 39, is president and founder of the South Freeport Civic Association, and Winters, 35, is vice president. 
Gambino is a chiropractor and serves on the Nassau Police Commissioners Council, the Freeport Chamber of Commerce and Operation Splash. Winters is a finance professional with New York Life. 
He said their ticket will focus on transparency and improving infrastructure in the village, including roads, water mains and sewer lines. Gambino said the village should post all contracts online and open contracts for competitive bids. 
“I think I have new ideas that are helpful to the community, and we need new faces on the village board,” Gambino said.

toFREEELEX190313

Freeport candidates focus on keeping taxes down, transparency 

Freeport candidates focus on taxes, transparency 

toFREEELEX190313_photos

The three challengers vying to replace the mayor and two trustees in Babylon Village on March 19 say they want to improve the business atmosphere, encourage participation in government and focus on public safety. 
Kathy Hoffman, a legal assistant who headed the athletic board of CYO Long Island for a decade, is challenging Mayor Ralph Scordino, a four-term mayor who was a trustee for 15 years, for the village's top post. 
Hoffman, 61, said she’d like to make getting village approvals for businesses easier. 
“I think we can set a better tone to be more welcoming and user friendly,” she said. “If not here, they’ll go somewhere else.” 
She also wants to make the meetings of various boards more welcoming for the public and encourage more participation, she said. 
“I think it’s very intimidating for people who do want to participate.” 
Scordino, 70, pointed out that all village meetings are public, and residents are encouraged to speak during them. 
He noted the village has a Facebook page to help keep residents informed&nbsp;and, two years ago, he started a regular Saturday-morning “coffee with the mayor” session for the public to give input on village affairs. 
“People bring up questions, and we answer them right off the cuff,” Scordino said. 
The mayor said businesses in the village need approvals just like anywhere else and he doesn’t hear feedback that it’s burdensome. 
Debbie Kolovich and Michael Tenety are challenging trustees Tony Davida and Robyn Silvestri. 
Kolovich, 61, is an accounting consultant, and shares Hoffman’s desire to make village meetings more welcoming. They're both running on the&nbsp;Vote for Babylon Party line. 
Kolovich also thinks the number of vacant storefronts in the village is too high and wants to see the village take on less debt. 
“I want to get a grip on increasing our budget every year,” she said. 
Davida, 66, a longtime Babylon firefighter and former chief who works for the state Parks Department, and Silvestri, 49, a former PTA president who used to work in marketing, disagree with Kolovich about the storefronts, saying the number of vacant spots is at a record low and the empty ones turn over quickly to new tenants. 
“We make every effort we can to bring people to these storefronts,” said Davida, also in his fourth term. He, Silvestri and Scordino&nbsp;are members of the Better Babylon Party. 
As for the debt, it’s a sign the village is in good shape, the mayor and trustees said, because it means the new AA bond rating is helping the village invest in things like road repair and new&nbsp;equipment like fire trucks. 
Silvestri, who is running for election to her first full term after being appointed in July to complete former trustee Debbie Basile’s term,&nbsp;said the Chamber of Commerce does a good job of helping new businesses navigate village laws and that she and the other incumbents are there to ensure the village maintains a certain charm. 
Tenety, 42, is a Suffolk County Police detective and head of security for Babylon Union Free School District, and said he is concerned with public safety, including <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/mta-police-babylon-lirr-station-1.26678120">at the Babylon train station</a>. 
“I’m all about the safety of the community,” he said. 
He is running on the Babylon Strong Party line&nbsp;and is&nbsp;opposed to a recent move by the village to allow height&nbsp;increases in buildings on Railroad Avenue to encourage development. 
He’s afraid the village may be overdeveloped, he said, and wants “to keep the quality of the village the way it is.” 
The trustees noted the new law only allows buildings to increase to 40 feet, the same height on nearby Deer Park Avenue, a necessity if the village is going “to meet demand,” Silvestri said, for more transit-oriented rental housing, which Scordino said&nbsp;means “you’re improving the downtown district.”

Suffolk

toBABYELEX190311

3 challenge mayor, 2 trustees in Babylon Village election

3 challenge mayor, trustees in Babylon Village

Jean-Paul Salamanca

Five candidates are on the ballot for two open seats on the Greenport Village Board of Trustees as the March 19 election approaches in the seaside village. 
Deputy Mayor Jack Martilotta, who was elected in 2015, is the only incumbent in the race. Village trustee Doug Roberts said he will not seek re-election so he can focus on his business and family. 
Martilotta — who is running on the Porters Party line — is seeking his second four-year term. Martilotta, 44, a teacher and football coach at Greenport High School, said that Greenport has made “impressive strides” in fixing the roads and infrastructure of the village in the past few years and that he wants to continue to push for more road repairs if re-elected. 
Martilotta said he also wants to tackle water-quality issues, especially regarding the &nbsp;expansion of the village’s sewer system. He said village officials want to connect a sewer hookup to Sterling Harbor Marina within the next few years. That, Martilotta said, would be “a huge win for water quality on the East End.” 
Peter Clarke, 60, is a registered Democrat making his first bid for public office. He owns Clarke’s Garden and Home store on Main Street and served on the board of directors for Greenport’s Business Improvement District before stepping down in 2015. 
If elected, Clarke said he wants to focus on several issues, including expanding the sewer district in Greenport, bolstering code enforcement and preserving the village’s overall financial health while keeping taxes in check through “careful and thoughtful” development of Greenport’s business district. Clarke said if the village government gets behind business development in “a more involved manner,” Greenport properties that have low to no tax on them can be developed to provide additional housing and improve the tax rolls without putting financial pressure on residents. 
Lily Dougherty-Johnson, 38, is also making her first run for public office. Dougherty-Johnson works for Community Action Southold Town — a nonprofit that manages the local food pantry — in addition to being a farm owner, landscaper and freelance writer. 
If elected, Dougherty-Johnson, who is running on the Our Home party line, said she wants to push for the village government to create a stronger social media presence and improve communication between the village and residents. Dougherty-Johnson said she also wants to focus on improving the village’s long-term planning and fostering a stronger sense of community. 
Devin McMahon, 33, the former chairman of Greenport’s Planning Board, said if elected, he will focus on addressing affordable housing, improving the village’s basic infrastructure and examining “a range of solutions” to solve parking and congestion issues during the busy summer season. 
Those solutions include considering partnerships with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Long Island Rail Road, and taking several elements of the best proposals for a plan to address parking and congestion. 
Cindy Pease Roe, also a trustee candidate, did not respond to requests for comment. 
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Third Street Fire Station at 236 Third St.

toGREEELEX190315

Greenport board candidates focus on issues ranging from sewer district to summer traffic

Handful of candidates seeks 2 seats on board

toGREEELEX190315_photos

A crowded field of candidates is jostling for two trustee seats up for election on the Hempstead Village board, as six candidates&nbsp;seek&nbsp;to distinguish themselves from one another on issues of development and downtown revitalization. 
Most of the contenders in the March 19 election say the village has been poorly served by many of the property tax breaks known as PILOTs — short for "payments in lieu of taxes" — given out to local businesses or developers, and many said they would focus on spurring commercial development if elected. 
Trustee Jeffery Daniels, a senior vice president at a&nbsp;commercial real estate services company&nbsp;and the only incumbent running, said the village has been "stagnant" for decades. 
Daniels, who was first elected last year,&nbsp;proposed creating a uniform tax exemption policy for the village&nbsp;to "provide guidance" to the Nassau County and Hempstead Town industrial development agencies in granting tax breaks in the village.&nbsp; 
"It could provide incentives for businesses to come into the village, but it mandates that the benefits actually go to the village," he said. 
The other seat is open because trustee Perry Pettus is not seeking re-election. His attorney Jim Druker said&nbsp;the decision was motivated by a recent death in Pettus’ family, not the four indictments he faces on corruption charges.&nbsp;He pleaded not guilty. 
Daniels, 46, is running on a slate with Waylyn Hobbs Jr., a pastor, volunteer firefighter and former village trustee and deputy mayor. Hobbs, 57, said the village should create a registry for vacant homes and require the banks that own them to pay fees. 
"We're going to make it so that it's not comfortable for the banks to leave the homes vacant," he said. 
Candidates Darrell J. Garner and Sherina Gonzales-Lucas, who are also running together on a slate and were endorsed by village Mayor Don Ryan, are strongly opposed to new apartment construction in the village. 
"We feel that apartment buildings are overcrowding our infrastructure," said Garner,&nbsp;45,&nbsp;a community service representative for the Nassau County Commission on Human Rights and the son of former village Mayor James A. Garner. 
Gonzales-Lucas, 37, a real estate broker, said the village should create a land bank to purchase zombie homes, renovate them&nbsp;and sell them to village residents. 
Two candidates are running independently: Dorothy Shelley Brazley and Michael Abrahams. 
Brazley, 62, a former Hempstead school board member and a legislative aide in Hempstead Town Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby's office, said she did not think the village infrastructure "can bear the addition of new apartment units." She said the village should study relocating its downtown away from the courthouse on Main Street to make it more attractive to new businesses. 
Abrahams, 51, the director of operations of a nonprofit and former Hempstead Village administrator, said the village should ramp up code enforcement and sanitation services in the village's public spaces. 
"All I see when I&nbsp;get to the train station is litter, crime and social decay," he said. 
The village fired Abrahams from his post in 2007, and in response he sued the then mayor, Newsday has reported. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed. 
Abrahams was the only candidate to say he would seek to combat "corruption" and "nepotism and patronage" in the village government.

toHEMPELEX190313

6 candidates vie for 2 seats in Hempstead Village election 

6 vie for 2 seats in Hempstead Village election 

toHEMPELEX190313_photos

Vera Chinese

An incumbent and two newcomers will seek a pair of seats on the East Williston Village Board in the March 19 village election. 
James Iannone, an attorney with a practice in Williston Park, is seeking his second four-year term. First-time village board candidates Raffaela Dunne, a civil engineer, and James Reichman, a lieutenant in the FDNY, are also running for a seat. 
All three candidates cited water quality in the village, where sediment and pressure issues have been a problem, as a primary concern. 
Iannone, 45, touted the current board’s ability to reach a contract agreement in 2016 with Williston Park — which sells its water to East Williston — in a deal that regulates rate increases. He noted that the village&nbsp;continues to get its water from Williston Park while one of that community's tanks is down, though it is expected to come back online near Memorial Day. Once that happens, some of the sediment issues may be alleviated and the board will be in a better position to assess the problem, Iannone said. 
He said the village has also taken steps to curb the problem by issuing summonses to contractors who open up hydrants without prior village authority. 
“Unfortunately, we have older infrastructure,” Iannone said. “Hopefully, the water situation will improve once Williston Park’s tank is back up.” 
He said he would also like to work with North Hempstead Town officials to install a traffic light on East Williston Avenue near Northside Elementary School. 
Dunne, 50, has a master’s degree in sanitary engineering and works for the Manhattan-based real estate development firm Washington Square Partners. She said her background makes her uniquely qualified to act as a liaison between village residents and water consultants on the issue. 
A member of the village planning board, Dunne said her background also gives her a good understanding of potential zoning changes being studied during a moratorium on conditional-use property applications. She said she would also like to see public field access preserved should the Northside Elementary School install a fence around its property. 
“I think I have lived in the community for long enough, which gives me a good perspective about how the village operates and what makes it a special place,” Dunne said. “I am able to navigate between a lot of different opinions and work toward a solution.” 
Reichman, 47, who along with Iannone is also a volunteer firefighter in the East Williston Fire Department, described himself as a fiscal conservative focused on maintaining quality of life in the quiet bedroom community. Reichman, who worked in construction prior to the FDNY and said he has done extensive research on the sediment issue, also said his skillset would be useful in addressing the issue. 
“I want to get out there and make sure it’s getting done,” he said. “It’s a huge quality-of-life issue for the residents.” 
Calling the village “a little jewel tucked away in a beautiful spot of Long Island,” Reichman said he is also interested in beautification and addressing vandalism. 
Incumbent trustee Bonnie Parente is running unopposed for mayor. Mayor David Tanner, who has served on the board for 21 years, the last eight as mayor, will not seek re-election. 
Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. March 19 at Village Hall, 2 Prospect St. 
CLARIFICATION: East Williston Village continues to get its water from Williston Park while one of Williston Park's tanks is down. In an earlier version of this story, East Williston Trustee James Iannone said the village was getting the water from Mineola.

toEASTELEX190314

East Williston Village Board candidates cite water-quality concerns as major issue 

Board candidates cite water quality as top issue

toEASTELEX190314_photos

Long Island village elections 2019

Newsday

liVOTE--cropped

Most Popular

NEWSDAY TV SHORTS

Vertical videos

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa stops by Smokin' Al's in Massapequa to try their oversized nachos, known as Macho Nachos.

Trendy Bites: 'Macho Nachos' at Smokin' Al's

From a surf lesson to eating along the boardwalk, Newsday travel writer Carissa Kellman explores Rockaway Beach.

Surf’s up: Best waves, best bites in Rockaway Beach 

NewsdayTV's Doug Geed takes us out to East Hampton, where an old farm turned arts center hosts community events.

Out East: Duck Creek Arts Center

The consequences depend less on the alleged crime than on the county where police make the arrest. Newsday political reporter Bahar Ostadan has the story.

Women arrested at illicit spas in Nassau risk deportation, but not in Suffolk

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa visits Macchiato Espresso Bar in Mattituck to learn the art of the latte.

LI Works: Whole latte love goes into this art

Stretches of forest are turning into lifeless tree trunks, known as ghost forests, as salt water intrusion destroys the soil. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie has more.

Climate change creating ‘ghost forests’ on Long Island 

NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano tries a Hyrox fitness class at Black Bear Athletics in West Babylon.

Why Hyrox is trending on Long Island

Matthew Smith sentenced to up to 22 years in prison for drunken-driving crash that killed Nassau County Police Officer Patricia Espinosa. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie has more.

Man who drove drunk and killed Nassau police officer gets up to 22 years in prison

From pizza to clams, Newsday food writer Andi Berlin visits two restaurants that are on the way to Northwell at Jones Beach Theater.

Eats en route to Jones Beach

Former Holy Trinity lineman Lance Swift spoke with Newsday high school sports reporter Jared Valluzzi after the Titans suspended their football program.

Former Holy Trinity lineman reflects on football program suspension

Latest Videos

Latest videos

Suffolk police charged three people following a street takeover involving at least 200 ATV's, dirtbikes and motorcycles that began in Hauppauge.

'Street takeover' prompts police response

The population rose by 13.4% compared with 2024, even as statewide figures dropped. NewsdayTV spoke to the executive director of the LI Coalition for the Homeless.

'The cost of housing ... just continues to go up'

Seth Kurpiel, who suffered a broken neck in 2025, reconnected with the medical professionals who helped him get back on his feet. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger has more.

'The impossible is possible'

The end of the program could send thousands back to Haiti, which has been severely afflicted with gang violence, political instability and displacement. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.

'They can't survive'

Wednesday commemmorated the 100th anniversary of Babe Ruth catching a baseball dropped from a plane at Mitchel Field in Uniondale. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa has more.

'I wish I was around here to see it'

Sign up for the NewsdayTV newsletter

Long Island Newsletter Widget

Ruben Pitts, of Philadelphia, said he was hauling bananas when he had to make a split-second decision.

Driver unhurt, describes 'blessing' after tractor-trailer flips on exit ramp of LIE

Long Island Article Bottom Module

The driver of a Nissan, a 26-year-old Bay Shore man, was uninjured.

Bay Shore woman killed in Brentwood crash

Police arrested three men, including one with a loaded gun, and impounded 10 vehicles.

Street takeover by 200 vehicles swarms Route 347

Both teams play again on Sunday in pool play.

Port Washington Little League wins baseball state tournament opener, St. James/Smithtown loses

"It's an honor," he said. "We were all throwing well, and I thought the competition made us all better today."

St. Anthony's Anthony Diieso wins National Football Foundation QB Challenge

The pop-up educational event, ongoing through the summer, gives beachgoers a chance to learn from experts about the large fishes that can be both fascinating and terrifying.

'Shark Shack' event brings jaws to Robert Moses State Park

An e-bike caused the fire on Park Avenue that began shortly before midnight, according to the Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office.

1 person hurt, 3 displaced by house fire in Seaford

Long Island Video Playlist

Bay Shore residents voice concern over plan to turn former Monfort Missionaries seminary into an Islamic boarding school. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'You're in the middle of a residential area'

'Nothing is going to bring my wife back'

There is a new push to look into the effect of screen time in classrooms. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn spoke to Newsday state reporter Keshia Clukey and other experts on the topic.

'I don't advocate for one blanket policy'

Two months into the state's "bell-to-bell" ban on electronic devices in schools, some districts are reporting positive changes in the classroom. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'Students are much more talkative to one another'

NewsdayTV's Jasmine Anderson and Newsday education reporter Dandan Zou talk to Long Island school administrators about how the school cellphone ban is going so far.

'Kids are outside. They're playing. They're laughing together.'

Homeowners say their taxes make it almost unaffordable to live on Long Island. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa sat down with Newsday towns reporter Sam Kmack to learn more about residents who are taking action.

'Homeowners are under real financial pressure'

Following two days of hazy skies from the Canadian wildfire smoke, NewsdayTV meteorologist Geoff Bansen has a look at what the weekend weather will look like.

Long Island weather: Expect bluer skies this afternoon

An arbitrator detailed ex-officer George Trimigliozzi's poor job performance before his high-profile criminal case. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie and Newsday investigative reporter Jim Baumbach has more.

'He really wasn't being a police officer'

NewsdayTV goes behind the scenes of the day Rex Heuermann was sentenced for the Gilgo killings.

'A million years isn't enough'

The hazy skies are hanging around Long Island Thursday as smoke from the Canadian wildfires continues to fill the air.

Long Island weather: When will smoke, heat go away?

'Honestly, I was hurt'

A heat advisory remains in effect on Long Island through late Thursday. NewsdayTV's meteorologist Geoff Bansen has the forecast.

Canadian wildfire smoke could impact Long Island

Homepage Trending

Cyclospora: How to protect yourself

Wallet Watch

FeedMe Magazine

Summer Fun Book

<a href="https://www.newsday.com/video/newsdaytv-top-stories">Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories</a>

Newsday TV

NewsdayTV Top Item

How Theresa Vazquez wound up injured on the parking lot pavement on her way to play bingo is at the center of a dispute. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn has more.

'It's so obvious on the tape'

App Nativo Ad Unit Slot

Long Island - megaslot

Follow all the latest news on Long Island with Newsday. Read top local stories, watch video, and see pictures from all around Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Most Popular

Latest Videos

Stay logged in.