N. Hempstead Town supervisor, council members face November challengers
Elected and appointed incumbents in North Hempstead Town face challengers in the November elections. Credit: Howard Schnapp
The North Hempstead Town Council races slated for November feature a familiar face and a newcomer running her first-ever campaign.
Democrat Veronica Lurvey will run her first campaign as she faces Republican challenger David Yaudoon Chiang. Lurvey was appointed in January to represent the 4th District after former Councilwoman Anna Kaplan won a state Senate seat.
If elected, Lurvey said she would focus on passing laws that naturally protect North Hempstead's environment, including finding alternatives to spraying pesticides on town property. One strategy, she said, is finding specific animals that feed on unwanted vegetation.
“For example, if there’s an overpopulation of poison ivy, you bring in something that eats poison ivy,” Lurvey said. “It could be less expensive, and they won’t pollute the area around them.”
Chiang did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Incumbent Supervisor Judi Bosworth, a Democrat, faces Republican challenger David P. Redmond. Redmond is a returning candidate who lost a race for town clerk in November 2017.
Bosworth said her campaign will remind residents that, under her administration, the town "has achieved a Triple A bond rating, the highest a municipality can achieve."
"I am proud of the work we have done during the past six years to make North Hempstead a premier place to live," Bosworth said. "Services to our constituents have been, and will remain, a top priority."
Redmond said he's running again, in part, because the town isn't providing residents the services or information they have been asking for. Redmond mentioned the additional funds the town will spend to finish renovating the pool facility at Clinton G. Martin Park in New Hyde Park and said residents are wondering how much extra money those renovations will cost.
"They’re saying they’re going to renovate North Hempstead Beach Park, but if they can’t handle smaller projects like this [the Clinton G. Martin pool], I’m concerned about how they’re going to manage larger projects," Redmond said.
Also slated for November, incumbent Democrat Peter Zuckerman is in a three-person race with challengers Ragini Srivastava, a Republican, and Green Party candidate Cassandra Lems. Lems unsuccessfully ran for Nassau County executive in 2017.
Republican Dina De Giorgio will face challenger Mariann Dalimonte, a Democrat who is executive director of the Greater Port Washington Business Improvement District.
Dalimonte is a lifelong Port Washington resident who said she wants to host more public meetings, particularly about legislation governing development in the Port Washington Waterfront Business District.
“I want to get down and dirty and I wanna meet with the residents and find out what is our vision for Port Washington," Dalimonte said. "And when we have a vision, then our next step is how can we get to that vision.”
