Farmingdale mayor won't seek second term

Farmingdale Mayor George Starkie announced Wednesday he will not seek a second term, pledging to forge ahead in his final months in office with ambitious plans for village development, even if they run counter to the town leader's vision for the village.

In a letter to Farmingdale residents about his decision to retire, Starkie contrasted Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto's platform of preserving the suburban lifestyle with the village's plans for a revamped downtown.

"Don't let nay sayers like my good friend John Venditto . . . claim 'urbanization' to scare you," Starkie wrote. "Tearing down old warehouses and blighted vacant buildings is not urbanization, its [sic] revitalization."

Starkie was at the forefront of a four-year push for a higher-density, transit-oriented downtown area. The village board approved the plan in November.

"As other downtowns die a slow death due to high taxes and rents, Farmingdale will be a model and a roadmap to change," Starkie wrote.

In an interview Wednesday, Starkie said he supports fellow Republican Venditto on other issues. "I like him, and I like what he's done in the town overall," he said.

Venditto reciprocated the respect but reiterated his views on protecting a suburban quality of life.

"There's no question that our good relationship is going to continue well into the future," the supervisor said, adding, "What the mayor characterizes as revitalization . . . is not revitalization at all. It is overdevelopment. It is urbanization."

Starkie said he is declining to run for re-election to a four-year term in March to focus on his family and his gardening business.

Starkie became a trustee in 2006 and mayor in 2008. The salary for the office of mayor is $15,000, but Starkie volunteered to take $12,000.

Republican Trustee Ralph Ekstrand, who officially declared his mayoral candidacy Wednesday, applauded Starkie's tenure.

Georgiana Sena, also a registered Republican, announced last month she would run for mayor. She could not be reached for comment.