Manhasset-Lakeville race heats up

Bill San Antonio

Former Nassau County Legislator Lisanne Altmann was preparing to run for a Manhasset-Lakeville Fire and Water District commissioner’s position last year when her Great Neck home caught fire, requiring the department’s assistance.

“If not for the expertise and quick response of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department and other surrounding departments, my house probably would have burned down and I would have lost one of my dogs to the fire that night,” Altmann said in an e-mail.

The incident, she said, only made her even more determined to seek a position this year, to potentially fill the position that will be vacated by North Hempstead Public Safety Commissioner Andrew DeMartin at the conclusion of his second full term this December.

Altmann, who is now an account executive for PSEG Long Island, will be running as a Democrat against current Manhasset Park District Commissioner and Village of Munsey Park resident Mark Sauvigne, who said last month he would serve in both roles if elected.

The Manhasset-Lakeville Fire and Water District covers Manhasset and portions of Great Neck and north New Hyde Park.

“I think it’s important that there be a balance on the board so that the interests of the Great Neck portion of the district be adequately represented,” Altmann said.

Altmann said DeMartin, also a Great Neck resident, asked her last year if she would consider running for the position if he were to step down from the board.

Having served as a Manhasset-Lakeville commissioner since his appointment by the Town of North Hempstead in 2008, DeMartin told Blank Slate Media last month that “there are other avenues in my life that I want to explore.”

In preparation for her campaign, Altmann began attending the water district’s bi-weekly meetings and toured the district to get a better understanding of its equipment and operations. 

She was a member of the first Nassau County Legislature in 1995 and served six terms, until 2007. Previously, she was an assistant to former U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Queens).

“It is clear to me that whoever represents citizens on this board should have some background and experience in issues related to the preservation of our natural resources and also a working knowledge of public safety issues and budgeting,” she said.  

Sauvigne, a federal bond trader on Wall Street for the last 28 years, said in mid October that he considers himself a fiscal conservative, but would support district spending to replace equipment. 

He added that the fire district would also benefit from constant recruiting and he would explore tuition-assistance programs at the county and state levels for volunteers.

“There is no reason someone can’t do a summer internship at the fire or water district and not be able to get college credit for that,” Sauvigne said. “Is this not as important as doing an internship on Wall Street?”

Sauvigne said he was approached about running for a commissioner’s position last year, but “wasn’t sure the timing was right.”

It was only after the water district erected a 190-foot communications antenna atop its elevated water tower within the Village of Munsey Park – a project that cost more than $200,000 – and the two sides later became embroiled in litigation over the replacement of the water tower that Sauvigne said he was inspired to seek the position this year.

“It sounds to me as if they need a voice of reason to get involved,” he said.

Altmann said that based on her understanding of the project, attained through attending Manhasset-Lakeville meetings, the district came to the decision that best balanced its financial needs with those of its infrastructure and residents living in the area.

But she added that communication between the water district and the Village of Munsey Park could have been more frequent in conceiving the project.

“If you take a look at Long Island, we have so much aging infrastructure and so much government,” she said. “There has to be a point where municipalities have to communicate with each other and come up with the most mutually-beneficial solutions to these issues, and it’s better if you don’t have to do that in court.”

“Whether [Munsey Park] has the legal right to stop this,” she said, “we’re waiting to find out what the answer’s going to be on that.”

DeMartin said the litigation did not play in a role in his decision not to seek re-election. He said he decided against seeking a third term in June. 

“I enjoy situations like that. Controversy and hard government are not things I shy away from in any way shape or form. I like that type of situation,” DeMartin said. “As far as I’m concerned though, [the Munsey Park tank] has been put to rest. We prevailed legally and we’ll go forward with the elevated tank.”

“The second elevated tank is an exclamation point on my career,” he added. “It kind of brings my time with the district full circle for me.”

Sauvigne said he is running on a platform in which “accountability and transparency equals trust.”

If elected, he said he would increase transparency by listing minutes of public commissioner meetings on the district’s website and push back meetings from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. so more residents would be able to attend.

He’d also seek to prioritize spending by designating potential capital projects as “needs,” “wants” or “desires.”

“I am not running for this office for the compensation or benefits but rather to make a difference,” he said. “I believe it is time for a change. We could use a breath of fresh air in the district.”

Altmann said she would also advocate for increased transparency between Manhasset-Lakeville and the villages it serves.

She said she plans on reaching out to each of the village mayors in the next few weeks to discuss the issues she thinks face the district.

“To me, the more public participation, the better,” Altmann said. “That’s just how I operate.” 

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