The winners of two seats on East Williston’s Village Board both have local government experience, but only one was an incumbent.
Sitting Trustee Christopher Siciliano retained his seat Tuesday with 339 votes, and former Mayor Anthony Casella won the open seat with 256 votes.
Former East Williston school board President Ellen Ritz came in third with 79 votes.
“You said you’d never go back, but I’m going back, and I’m looking forward to it,” said Casella, the Better East Williston Party candidate, on Tuesday night.
Siciliano, the Neighborhood Part candidate, said he is “very thankful” to stay on the board.
He thanked outgoing Trustee Robert Vella for his service to the village. Vella was elected with Siciliano in 2012 and decided not to pursue re-election this year.
“I love the job and I’m looking forward to another four years,” Siciliano said.
Efforts to reach Common Sense Party candidate Ritz on Wednesday morning were unavailing.
Casella’s return to the Village Board could push East Williston further toward signing the water-service agreement it has brokered with Williston Park.
Casella made finalizing the agreement the foundation of his campaign. He opposes the village’s $7.5 million proposal for an independent water system and has said it could actually cost the village up to $10 million including interest payments.
He functionally replaces Vella, the board’s sole outspoken supporter of the well project.
“Let’s sign it, let’s get it over with, let’s move on, because we have other issues in East Williston that we have to be concerned about, and we have an obligation to Williston Park, who have been great neighbors for 90 years,” Casella said.
Siciliano has not yet taken a public stance on the issue because East Williston has not yet received a final draft agreement from Williston Park, but he said he will state his position once that happens.
“I want to get the best contract we can from Williston Park and then put it on the table and see what it is,” Siciliano said Wednesday.
Casella said he thinks he could form a majority opposing the authorization of a bond referendum for the supply system, which some trustees have called the most democratic approach to resolving the village’s water supply issues.
Deputy Mayor Bonnie Parente and Trustee James Iannone have publicly supported the agreement, but only Parente has said she would vote against a bond referendum.
“I think tonight was the referendum,” Casella said. “I think tonight, people who voted … knew my position, which was let us continue our great relations with Williston Park, sign a water agreement and continue on going.”
Siciliano said Wednesday he favors a referendum, but will make his stance on both the referendum and the well once East Williston gets a draft of the agreement.
Casella was not the only candidate to explicitly support the agreement.
While Ritz spoke to the advantages of an independent system in January, she said last week she favored the agreement after both villages’ trustees finalized the terms March 3.
She has said she would “probably” vote against authorizing a referendum as a trustee.
Casella thinks East Williston should move past the years-long water dispute to focus on other issues, such as repairs to village roads and fire trucks.
Siciliano, the board’s public works liaison, has touted his public works, such as road and drainage work, the replacement of street signs and the purchase of a new dump truck and street sweeper.
“We just want to keep up and do things where everything’s lasting longer,” he said in an interview last month.
Siciliano and Casella will serve four-year terms and earn $200 a month as trustees.
Village of Williston Park Trustees William Carr and Michael Uttaro won unopposed bids for their second four-year terms Tuesday.
Carr got 110 votes and Uttaro won 118. Both were running with the Integrity Party.
“It feels like the village supports us that no one ran against us, and we’re headed in the right direction,” Carr said. “And we had a good turnout considering that there was no one running against us.”
Efforts to reach Uttaro Wednesday were unavailing.
The pair has touted progress toward resolving the two villages’ water-service dispute, which started just before they were elected in 2012.
Carr said he is proud of how far the village has come, but is “disappointed” that East Williston is still planning a referendum.
“We worked as hard as we could on our end to come up with an agreement that was amicable for both villages, and I think we did that,” Carr said.
Williston Park trustees are paid $7,150 per year.
