N.Hills, Sands Point, Manorhaven

In North Hills, where three candidates are vying for two trustee seats, a whopping $37-million village fund has become a campaign issue.

Newcomer Roberta Popper said the administration has "been sitting on it for quite a while. This is a village with a huge, huge amount of money and nothing's happening."

But the two trustees seeking re-election say they are, in fact, pursuing projects -- commuter parking and a golf course -- that would be paid for with the funds. The village collected the money under its "incentive zoning" law from developers in exchange for building projects with density higher than allowed by code.

Popper, 69, is an alternate member of the village's zoning board of appeals and serves on her condominium board. An adjunct professor at Nassau Community College, she is making her first run for office on the Progress party line.

If elected, Popper said, she would use the incentive zoning funds to improve transportation for residents. For instance, she said, a bus service could serve commuters, child care workers and health aides as well as the elderly.

The incumbent mayor, Marvin Natiss, is running unopposed for re-election. Running with him on the Homeowners party line are incumbents Dennis Sgambati, the deputy mayor, and Gerry Cohen.

Cohen, 66, was appointed by the mayor in August to serve the remainder of a vacant term. He owns a self-storage facility and has served on several co-op and homeowner association boards.

Sgambati, 62, previously a trustee from 1992 to 1997, was appointed deputy mayor by Natiss after winning a term in 2003. He was re-elected in an uncontested race in 2007. He is a city contractor specializing in drywall taping and finishing.

Sgambati and Cohen said the administration is seeking to put some of the $37 million toward providing parking for village residents at the Long Island Rail Road station in Manhasset.

Sgambati said they are "looking at several buildings within a half-block of the LIRR in an attempt to change the buildings into a parking facility for the residents of North Hills."

They said the village was also pursuing various options for a golf course. Cohen said they wanted "to try to locate a golf course that we could purchase for the village."

In response, Popper said that the parking and golf course ideas have been discussed for years and "are dependent on an outside entity or source granting permission."

But Cohen said it was important for the village to do its homework. "There is no timeline to spend this money -- we're not looking to waste money."

The terms of the trustee seats are four years.

Voting is Tuesday from noon to 9 p.m. at Village Hall, 1 Shelter Rock Rd.

Sands Point

Sands Point incumbents have a lone challenger in this year's village elections, and he says he's fed up with what he calls an out-of-control village budget.

"Each year I've seen my taxes go up and up and up," said candidate Barry Miller, who has lived in the village for four years. "Finally I said, 'Enough is enough.' "

Miller, 41, the head of private equity for the New York City comptroller's office, is challenging incumbents Katharine Ullman and Marc Silbert in a contest for two trustee seats. The terms are for two years.

In a village that saw a 9.1 percent property tax increase last year, Miller is not advocating for tax cuts, he said, but for cutting costs and getting the budget under control.

Ullman, 71, who has lived in the village for most of the last 60 years, said the tax increase was due to projects that could not be put off, including road repairs and a new well. "I don't think any of it was optional," she said.

Additionally, the assessed property value in the village went down, she said, so some of the property tax increase was necessary to make up for that.

Silbert, 60, also defended the tax increase, saying the board's job is to maintain the quality of life and ambience of the village.

"Sometimes that gets expensive," said Silbert, who's been on the board for 10 years.

During his tenure, Silbert has served as building commissioner and led the planning of a $30,000 solar-panel project at Village Hall. The village got about half its money back in rebates, he said. "It's saving money and saving the planet at the same time," Silbert said.

In her 17 years on the board, Ullman said she has overseen road improvements. "It's very costly," she said, "but people don't want to live where there are potholes or the drainage systems don't work. I think that's what I am most pleased about."

Edward A.K. Adler, a 20-year veteran of the village board, is running uncontested for mayor.

Voting is Tuesday from noon to 9 p.m. at Village Hall, 26 Tibbits Lane.

Manorhaven

In Manorhaven, four candidates are vying for two trustee positions.

Challengers Gerald Volpe and Vincent Mitchell are running on the Unity party line.

They are going up against two incumbent trustees and lifelong residents: Rita di Lucia and John di Leo Jr., who are on the Light party line. Terms of the positions are two years.

Volpe, 64, a business owner, is in the retail textile industry. "What I'd bring to the table is an expertise in managing," he said, touting his business background.

Volpe said he's heard residents complain that the board isn't responsive and he would seek to "improve communication between the village board and the residents" and address community needs "in a more expeditious manner."

Mitchell, 46, owns an entertainment agency that books performing artists. He serves on the village's board of zoning appeals.

"We have beautiful waterfront here," he said. But citing litter and overgrown grass, Mitchell said, "I'd like to make this village more of a pristine community, working with our village to clean this place up."

Di Lucia, 43, was first elected to the board in 2007. She is the village liaison for the Morgan's Dock project and represents the village on the Long Island North Shore Heritage Association.

She is involved with several other community groups and said that gives her rich experience "when it comes to negotiations, judgments and reliability."

Di Leo, 47, who owns a landscaping business, is running for his fifth term. He previously served on the village's zoning board for six years. "I pretty much know the whole workings of the village," he said.

Di Leo said he is seeking another term to continue pushing road work and sewer projects.

Voting is Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Village Hall, 33 Manorhaven Blvd., Port Washington.