North Hempstead Councilman Peter Zuckerman (D-East Hills) has been on the Town Board for less than two years, but he said his experience before he got there has allowed him to do much in the time he has been there.
Before being appointed to the Town Council in November 2013, the East Hills resident had more than 11 years of local government experience as a village trustee, which he said gave him deep insight into how to run the town.
“You can’t just roll out of bed and become a councilman,” Zuckerman said in a sit-down interview with Blank Slate Media. “My years of experience, my years of training are what helps me to do this job.”
But his Republican opponent Henry Golis said he didn’t just roll out of bed and decided to run for Zuckerman’s Second District seat.
Thirty-five years in the public works department taught Golis the town’s “inner workings,” he said, giving him a unique insight into government.
“I was out there working every day keeping the infrastructure going,” Golis told Blank Slate Media in a sit-down interview.
The lifelong Albertson resident said thinks Zuckerman and the Town Board have room to improve.
For example, he said, they could save money by ending some public works contracts.
Its $1 million worth of paving equipment is going unused, he said; and auto maintenance contractor Napa is over-charging for parts.
Zuckerman, though, touted efforts to trim $600,000 from the budget and reduce debt by $30 million over two years, leading to a strong Aa1 Moody’s bond rating.
“We’ve earned that (bond rating), and I’m proud of it,” he said.
Zuckerman said a new building commissioner and an advocate to help residents navigate building applications and permits have made progress toward resolving a building department backlog.
Response times have improved, he said — 85 percent of cases are addressed within two weeks, up from 75 percent in 2013.
But the state tax cap makes it difficult to raise money to get that number to 100 percent, he said. “It’s not something that can be cured in one day.”
Golis criticized the town’s lax zoning codes, saying it has allowed many houses to be built that are inconsistent with the surrounding area.
Those houses, he said, only appeal to wealthy buyers in a town that lacks affordable housing options for young people.
“It’s like pieces of a puzzle that, if you’re there, one piece is bigger than the other and it just doesn’t quite fit,” Golis said.
Along with stricter zoning enforcement, Golis proposed a 10-year, 5-percent property tax discount for first-time home buyers to attract younger residents, similar to what it offers seniors.
A similar incentive should be available to small businesses to help fill empty storefronts, he said.
Zuckerman said a town initiative to match up to $10,000 for beautification projects in its business improvement districts will help rejuvenate villages’ downtown areas.
The town could do more to aid small businesses, Zuckerman said, but the grant is a “step in the right direction.”
The councilman said the town is “open” to affordable housing projects for young people and seniors, but added that the town’s parks are already attracting younger families.
Zuckerman’s district contains some notable parks, including Clark Botanic Garden and the Park at East Hills, which he spearheaded as a village trustee there.
He touted several improvements to the Clark Garden and the Sagamore Ball Field.
But the town’s project to reopen the Roslyn Country Club remains stalled by two lawsuits between residents and owner Manochehr Malekan.
Once they are resolved, Zuckerman said, construction will start as soon as possible and some parts could be complete by late spring.
“We are ready to go, ready to get shovels in the ground if and when we get the right decision,” he said.
Golis said the town should not be spending money to create what he thinks will be an exclusive facility.
He said he would like to see the town broker a deal between Malekan and a new private developer to restore the club to its former use.
As a retiree, Golis said, he could devote more time and energy to serving his constituents in the Second District, which includes Greenvale, Roslyn Harbor, East Hills, Roslyn Heights, Albertson, East Williston, Searingtown, Herricks and Manhasset Hills.
“I feel that I could provide them more service because … I have more time to devote to their concerns,” he said.
Zuckerman, a real estate attorney, said he doesn’t do the job for the $49,000 salary.
“You do this to help the public,” he said.
The town council in January appointed Zuckerman to fill the remainder of the term vacated in November 2013 by former Councilman Thomas Dwyer, who resigned after accepting a consulting job. Zuckerman then defeated Village of East Williston Deputy Mayor Bonnie Parente in November 2014 to allow him to complete Dwyer’s term.
