North Hempstead Town supervisor reflects on final weeks of 4 terms at the helm

North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth is doing something this winter that she has not done in nearly three decades — prepare for life outside of public service.

Bosworth, 73, of Great Neck, served six years in the Nassau County Legislature and 16 years on the Great Neck Public Schools Board of Education before being elected supervisor in 2013. She announced in January that she would not seek reelection after doing some soul-searching during the pandemic, she said. Her term ends Dec. 31.

"You get to the point where you realize life is not a dress rehearsal where you can keep talking about what you’re going to do and when," Bosworth said. "You always want to leave someplace better than you found it, and this was the time."

When Bosworth became supervisor in 2014, she faced challenges from the 2007 corruption scandal in the building department. Steven Markowitz, vice chairman of the North Hempstead Democratic Committee and president of the Great Neck Democratic Club, said her strength and determination to get rid of any fraud improved the department.

"She has impeccable credentials in terms of honesty, character and compassion," Markowitz said.

He added that her willingness to "clean house" when necessary helped better the department. Under Bosworth’s leadership, he said, North Hempstead was the "best-run town on Long Island."

Bosworth said the ethics reforms and anti-nepotism policies passed in 2017 for town employees was a major accomplishment in her administration. She said other highlights of her four terms in office included reestablishing a town Veterans Advisory Committee, moving up the public comment period for board meetings and obtaining an AAA rating from credit-rating agency Moody’s Investors Service, the highest a municipality can earn.

Bosworth said that though the pandemic has been difficult, it brought many valuable programs, such as virtual classes for seniors, which she hopes will remain past her tenure.

"From the beginning to the end, Judi has been doing everything … all the resolutions that she was interested in were to be helpful to the people that live here," said Town Councilwoman Lee Seeman, who has represented the 5th District since 2005.

One of Bosworth’s final tasks will be to facilitate the transition of her successor, Republican candidate Jennifer DeSena, whose challenger — Democrat Wayne Wink Jr. — conceded on Tuesday. DeSena, executive director of the nonprofit Manhasset Community Coalition Against Substance Abuse, has worked with Bosworth on issues such as legislation to prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.

"What I admired most was that she did not only follow party lines. I think she’s respected for being a centrist," DeSena said.

Wink, who has been town clerk since 2013, told Newsday that Bosworth has done an outstanding job bringing fiscal stability and integrity to the town.

With just under seven weeks left in office and her 74th birthday approaching on Dec. 22, Bosworth said her sole focus is on finishing her term as strong as possible. When asked about her plans after retirement, she said she had none.

"I want a chance to take a deep breath and see what this next chapter looks like," Bosworth said. "Right now it’s an open book with a lot of blank pages."