On the heels of winning the election in the Town of North Hempstead’s 6th District, Mariann Dalimonte (D-Port Washington) said she is eagerly waiting for her term as councilwoman to begin.
“I’m so excited for this all to happen,” Dalimonte said. “I just wish that it was January First already.”
Town Board terms do not begin until the first day of 2020, but until they do, Dalimonte is preparing with help from someone who knows her position well. In fact, she held that very seat for the past eight years.
“Dina [De Giorgio] and I are scheduled to meet in December,” Dalimonte said, referring to the Republican incumbent she defeated. “I also want to say how appreciative I am that she reached out to me and wanted to make this a smooth transition. I thank her for her last eight years of public service.”
Dalimonte emphasized the importance of a seamless transition, especially with an anticipated learning curve. Knowing the issues, learning about other ones that are prominent in the town, and being a catalyst for starting a dialogue are just a few of the tasks that she wishes to accomplish early in her term.
“My main goal is to begin what I set out to accomplish during my campaign, which is bringing transparency back to the public,” Dalimonte said. “I will be meeting with the town’s IT department to start drafting a voluntary email service that will notify the public of pressing matters within the town.”
It would up to residents whether they participate in the email service, according to Dalimonte. She also spoke on making issues, meetings and important events more accessible to residents of the district with an informative Facebook page.
“Meeting so many amazing people along the campaign trail made me further realize the importance of our residents being in the know of what’s happening,” she said. “We are so lucky to have a great community. Not just Port Washington. Our entire community is passionate about where they live, and I will be passionate about serving them.”
Dalimonte mentioned that Dec. 31 will officially be her final day working at the Business Improvement District, where she is executive director, but said she plans to establish a smooth transition for a successor and to help on a volunteer basis. She also said that she will be using her experience working with businesses to combat the trend of empty storefronts in the town.
“I would never just abandon the BID. I will be making sure that whoever steps up next will have all the resources at their disposal,” Dalimonte said. “As a councilwoman, I am looking into hosting productive roundtable discussions that include small-business owners, real estate figures and property owners. I want these storefronts filled.”
Though she is the lone newcomer to the council, Dalimonte touted her past experiences working with people in her community and the town.
“I know the players,” she said. “I’ve worked with many prominent figures while at the BID, but I am also excited to officially meet people such as local mayors, more residents and anyone else who also wants to improve our community.”
Saying that it is tough to please everyone is an understatement, especially in today’s world of political discourse. Dalimonte said she knows that there are people who did not vote for her, those who may still be on the fence and those who did show support for her. She also knows that bringing those three groups of people together is the main goal, she said.
“I’m a team player, I’m not an “I” person,” she said. “I want to be there for residents whether they voted for me or not. We now have to collectively work together, combat the issues we all face, and be a team in this.”
