Head of the Harbor mayor, trustee races focus on transparency

Head of the Harbor Mayor Douglas A. Dahlgard is seeking a second term in Tuesday’s village election that also has two incumbent trustees seeking re-election.

The mayor faces a challenge from the village deputy highway commissioner and one challenger is running for one of the trustee spots.

Dahlgard, 71, is running on the Village Party line. He grew up in Queens and is a retired financial executive and received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Pace University in Manhattan. He was appointed trustee in 2013 and served on the village’s planning board and the Joint Village Coastal Management Commission.

Dahlgard said he’s proud of his first term’s accomplishments. “We have managed to keep the tax rate below the tax cap, and pave roads and plow the snow in a very effective way and take care of business,” he said, adding that if re-elected, he wants to work on protecting local zoning laws.

Challenger John Lendino, 62, the deputy highway commissioner, is running for mayor on the Watchdog Party line. The owner of a pest control business, he grew up in Nesconset and studied electrical technology at Suffolk County Community College. He serves on the board of the trade group Professional Certified Applicators of Long Island. He is also the chairman of the village’s beautification committee and has served with the Nesconset volunteer fire department.

He pledged more transparency in village administration if elected, pointing to proceedings for a recent law on deer hunting. “What we want to do is to make it necessary, in order to change the village code, that the village would have to notify everyone by email or U.S. mail,” he said. He also said village roads need significant improvement rather than patchwork repairs.

Trustee L. Gordon Van Vechten, 71, is running for his second term on the Village Party line. He is the co-chairman of a manufacturing company. He grew up in Floral Park and received an associate degree in mechanical engineering in 1964 from what is now Farmingdale State College. He was a member of the National Guard from 1966 to 1972 and is also president of the Brookhaven Industrial Group Assocation.

He said the current administration is effective and energetic. “We’re enthusiastic about getting things done, and we have more on our agenda we want to get finished,” he said, citing Village Hall’s renovated exteriors and recent contract renegotiations with the St. James Fire Department.

Trustee Judith C. Ogden, 54, is seeking her fourth term on the Village Party Line. She grew up in Northport and received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan in 1983. She is a landscape designer and installer, and serves as the village’s highway commissioner. She is a member of the advisory board for the Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk, an advocacy group for rape and domestic abuse survivors.

Ogden said if re-elected, she would focus on obtaining grants for road and harbor improvements. “The runoff from our roads is important to catch and eliminate so we can preserve the water quality in the harbor,” she said. She also wants to work on the village’s tree program.

Challenger John DePasquale could not be reached for comment. He is running on the Watchdog Party line for trustee and has volunteered for the village’s Beautification Committee, according to the village newsletter.