Malverne to have first contested mayoral race in 12 years

Malverne on March 19 will have its first mayoral race in a dozen years and its first trustees contest since 2012. 

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 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 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 important for residents' voices to be heard. She said the board should examine a $5.6 million bond issued last year — which she said was not communicated  to residents — 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.  

Lang said she wants to use existing bonds to cover costs and work with a smaller government.

“Communication with residents is 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 Pfeffer and Rossana Weitekamp.

Touchard previously served as a village prosecutor and a village youth board and senior group liaison. She works as an attorney with McLaughlin and Stern in Great Neck. 

Sullivan 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 multifamily housing. 

Pfeffer works as a licensing and intellectual property attorney with Manhattan-based Orrick, Herrington & 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 for the Malverne Volunteer Ambulance Corps. 

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.