Between the villages of New Hyde Park and Floral Park, voters next month will decide one mayor, one justice and four trustees, with all six incumbents saying they plan to run to retain their seats.
The deadline to file petitions for a spot on the ballot is Feb. 10, so additional candidates may also come forward.
Of the six positions up for election, four are in Floral Park: mayor, justice and two trustees. The mayor and trustee seats represent a majority of the village’s five-person governing board.
Mayor Thomas Tweedy, Justice Douglas J. Hayden and Trustee Dominick Longobardi are running for re-election as members of the Floral Park Citizens Party, the party’s website states.
Additionally, Lynn Pombonyo, a trustee appointed mid term after former Mayor Kevin Greene stepped down, is running on the party ticket to be elected for the first time, according to the website and a representative from the village clerk’s office.
Each would need 100 signatures to appear on the ballot, the village clerk added. The Floral Park mayor earns $10,000 per year, and trustees earn $5,000
In New Hyde Park, Trustees Richard Coppola and Donna Squicciarino, both members of the Village party, are running a joint campaign for re-election.
Though all five New Hyde Park trustees belong to the same party, Coppola said the trustees’ ideals vary and do not fall neatly along partisan lines.
“All government is not democrat or republican. We’re all independents. We’re all different,” he said. “We vote on what we feel is best for the residents, and we agree to disagree.”
Coppola, a 37-year resident of New Hyde Park, is seeking his fifth term as trustee. He won unopposed in 2011, and though he would like another uncontested race, he said his record speaks for itself.
“I hope nobody else is running, but you never know. I try to do the best I can,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for sixteen years, and people like what we’ve done.”
During his tenure, Coppola said, the trustees have improved communication between the board and residents, such as by adding a weekly newsletter. He said the board has also kept the budget in check with a pay-as-you-go policy.
“We’re tax all taxpayers too,” Coppola said of the trustees. “So we try to watch it as best we can.”
His role, he said, is to act as a liaison between the trustees and various government agencies and municipal services, including the parks, police and chamber of commerce. By doing this, he has helped the village secure funding for schools and park renovations.
“Our parks are used all summer long, all spring long, all fall long,” he added.
Coppola said he has worked as a firefighter for 33 years. An ex-captain, he now works as a treasurer at the Jericho fire station.
As of last week, he said he had roughly 75 signatures, but he estimated that combined with Squicciario, with whom he is sharing positions, the two had already surpassed the requisite 100 signatures to appear on the ballot.
Squicciarino could not be reached for comment.
Trustees in New Hyde Park serve four-year terms and earn $8,500 per year, the village clerk said. The board meets every Tuesday.
If re-elected, Coppola said he hopes to continue the work of the board the last few years and facilitate good communication between the village and its residents.
“We want to keep residents and businesses informed of what’s going on,” he said. “We want open communication. I give my cell number to many people, I don’t have a problem with that.”
