Two Village of East Hills residents announced Tuesday their candidacy for March’s village election for two Board of Trustees seats.
Jana Goldenberg and Neil Foster are running on the Residents’ Party line against incumbent Deputy Mayor Manny Zuckerman and incumbent Trustee Clara Pomerantz, who announced in November they would run for re-election.
“It’s not about the other trustees. All we want is this is time for change,” Goldenberg said. “There’s nothing about these other trustees, they’re residents and they’re friends. It’s not about what they did and didn’t do, it’s about change that’s it.”
Polls open on March 15 at the Theater at the Park in East Hills.
Goldenberg and Foster released a joint statement explaining that they created the Residents’ Party to give East Hills residents more of a voice in the village.
“We are a village of incredibly smart and successful people who have extremely good ideas and those ideas need to be heard,” the statement reads. “With the support of the residents, we will be successful. Residents can rely on us to be their voice within village hall.”
Goldenberg’s past experience within the village includes serving on the Architectural Review Board, Aircraft Noise and Air Pollution Abatement committee, the Building, Zoning, Tree Review committee, as well as recently serving as Country Estates Civic President.
East Hills officials announced a partnership with National Grid in September to extend village gas lines at no cost to any resident that chooses to convert to gas service from oil.
Goldenberg, who was not present at the September news conference, told Blank Slate Media she spearheaded the gas line project, which was first offered to residents of Country Estates and eventually the rest of the village.
“It is me and my perseverance that got this project done,” she said in September, having amassed nearly 500 written commitments from East Hills residents for gas service and documented email correspondence with National Grid and East Hills officials dating back to October 2013.
In an email to Country Estates residents the night of the news conference, Goldenberg wrote she had only been informed of the news conference that morning but was notified the project was approved and “to keep this under wraps” until National Grid’s marketing department had the authority to announce it.
East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz had said the village was not responsible for calling the press conference, and that East Hills made sure to credit Goldenberg for her participation on the project.
National Grid spokeswoman Wendy Ladd said at the time that a media advisory — which was not sent to the Roslyn Times — was issued to outlets and officials at the village’s request.
“They invited us to their press conference, so they could have invited anyone they wanted to,” Ladd said. “We were there on their behalf.”
Foster currently serves as an alternate to the Board of Appeals.
Zuckerman was first elected as a trustee in 2000, having previously served as president of the Nob Hill/Lakeville Estates Unified Civic Association for 10 years.
He was selected as deputy mayor by Koblenz in 2010.
“I want to continue the great work we’ve been doing,” Zuckerman said. “Right now the village is in the best position it has ever been in the history of the village.”
He also said he was involved with many different functions of the village including overseeing security, personnel and contracts, the fire budget and the gas expansion program.
Pomerantz was appointed to her trustee position in 2010 after former Trustee Linda Nathanson moved to Florida.
In 2011, she ran in an election to fill the remainder of Nathanson’s term, which lasted until 2012.
Running unopposed in 2011, Pomerantz retained her trustee position.
“I love to make a difference and give back to the community, which is the reason I got involved in the first place,” she said. “It is a great community, great people and I’m really excited to bring the best I have to offer.”
Pomerantz runs the East Hills “Environmental Day” and also serves as a liaison to the Seniors Committee, the 5th Anniversary Celebration Committee, and the Playgrounds Committee.
She said she has been active in trying to get grants and funding for the village, which has helped freeze taxes every year for the past 6 years.
Koblenz stated his support of Zuckerman and Pomerantz Wednesday, citing their achievements while serving as trustees.
“I am fortunate that Manny and Clara are running for re-election. They have been two great pillars of my administration. Because of Manny and Clara, and our outstanding residents, East Hills has become one of the finest, safest, and most prized places to live in America,” he said in a statement. “I am proud of their strong record of accomplishments. I am fortunate to have two such experienced, knowledgeable, nice and able candidates running again to serve our Village!”
