Residents of the villages of Floral Park and South Floral Park will go to the polls on Tuesday for elections that were delayed from March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
South Floral Park has three candidates running for two trustee seats and village Justice Paul Lawless running uncontested for re-election.
One candidate, George Ingram, has been a village trustee for 20 years and was appointed deputy mayor about a year and a half ago. He is a member of the Residents Party, which he said focuses on improving and maintaining the quality of life for village residents, increasing property values and keeping taxes at modest levels. The latter, he said, was the most challenging since the village is small and has no businesses to tax and generates most revenue from property taxes.
Ingram is being challenged by Nyakya Brown, his next-door neighbor. He said he has known Brown since she was a young child and thinks she would be “an excellent trustee.” Brown did not respond to requests for comment.
The third candidate is Porsha Lyons, who is running for the first time. She worked as the deputy village clerk in South Floral Park from 2016 to 2018. She said she wants to “help be a voice for the community for all of our working residents,” adding that many residents, especially now, are not able to come to meetings and make their voice heard.
Lyons has lived in South Floral Park for about 13 years and is running as a member of the Voice of Change Party, which she said focuses on “keeping everyone connected.” She described the village as a tight-knit community and a “hidden gem.”
On top of being a long-time trustee, Ingram is the village fire commissioner and human resources commissioner. He said one of his proudest moments as a trustee was securing a new fire engine for the department about two years ago. Another was installing solar panels on the roof of Village Hall and opening Village Hall to residents during superstorm Sandy as a refuge center to cool down in the air conditioning and use electrical outlets.
“It shows the strength of our community,” Ingram said.
In Floral Park, two trustees, Archie T. Cheng and Deputy Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald, are up for re-election. Both are running unopposed.
“I truly enjoy serving my neighbors, which includes solving problems for them directly, which is a hallmark of local government,” Fitzgerald said. “Floral Park is a truly great community and I would be honored to continue serving my friends and neighbors.”
Cheng said he is looking forward to continuing to serve the village as it faces the redevelopment at Belmont Park, the COVID-19 pandemic and fiscal impact and the Long Island Rail Road third track project.
“We have two very qualified candidates on the ballot,” Mayor Dominick Longobardi said. “I can very much attest to their dedication and commitment to every resident in the village of Floral Park.”
