7 Mineola, WP candidates, 7 election wins

Richard Tedesco

With all seven races in the villages of Williston Park and Mineola uncontested, the only question was the vote total on Tuesday.

In Williston Park, Mayor Paul Ehrbar led the field with 322 votes. His running mate on the Integrity Party ticket, Deputy Mayor Kevin Rynne drew 308 votes, while Trustee Teresa Thomann, who ran for re-election as an independent, drew 237 votes. Village Justice Kevin Kiley drew 262 votes. Former Mayor Lud Odierna drew 19 write-in votes.

Ehrbar’s total represents about 6 percent of the approximately 5,000 residents who village officials said were registered to vote in an election that they said cost $3,500.

In Mineola, Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira drew 306 votes, Trustee Paul Cusato drew 275 votes and Village Justice John O’Shea drew 336 votes.

Pereira’s total represents about  3 percent of the approximately 12,000 residents registered to vote in Mineola, according to Village Clerk Joseph Scalero.  Scalero said the election cost the village about $10,000.

But candidates in both villages said they not concerned with the number of votes cast in their elections.

“For an uncontested election, I think the turnout was good,” Ehrbar said. 

“I think considering this was an uncontested election, the residents are supporting the direction we’re going in,” Thomann said.

Ehrbar, Rynne and Thomann all won re-election to their second consecutive four-year terms.

During the campaign, all three Williston Park trustee candidates emphasized their experience in appealing to voters.

Ehrbar cited the “numerous challenges” the village has faced over the past four years, which he said included coping with the state-mandated tax cap and local road repairs.

In the wake of Tuesday night’s results, Ehrbar said, “I look forward to working with the board of trustees for the next four years to continue accomplishing great things for this great village of ours.”

Ehrbar, who ran the DWI program in the Nassau County Department of Probation before retiring, was elected to the Herricks School Board in 1994. He continued to serve on the Herricks board for the next six years, three of those years as president.

Ehrbar is the second in his family to serve as mayor. His wife, Doreen, served as Williston Park mayor for six years, from 2000 to 2006. She was the campaign manager for the Integrity Party in this year’s election.

Rynne, who had run as a member of the Representative Party in 2010, said he particularly wanted to focus on controlling village taxes.

“I want to see us continue. I think we have a good board in place right now and I want to keep things going in the right direction,” he said.

Thomann had also served on the board in the mid-1990s. She was initially undecided about running for re-election this time, but decided her experience is an asset the board needed.

She cited the ongoing dispute with the Village of East Williston on how much the Village of Williston Park is charging for water as one of the key issues that needs to be addressed.

“I think it’s incumbent on both sides for the sake of their residents to bring alternatives to the table to resolve this,” Thomann said. “It’s in no one’s best interest for this to continue in this matter.”

In Mineola, Pereira and Cusato, both lifelong Mineola residents, have both supported the plan to develop the village’s business district, the most significant issue the village board has addressed in recent years although they represent different local parties. Pereira is a member of the New Line Party, which currently maintains a majority on the village board. Cusato is the one representative of the Home Party on the board. 

Pereira and Cusato appeared together Tuesday night with O’Shea at a gathering of New Line Party supporters in a Mineola restaurant. 

“I feel that we’ve been given the trust of the people for two more years,” Pereira said. “I’m excited about what is coming down the road. I want to be a part of that and I’m humbled to be part of a community that’s given so much to me.”

Pereira was appointed deputy mayor by Mineola Scott Strauss after Strauss was elected mayor in 2011.

Cusato, 65, a 47-year member of the Mineola Fire Department who’s served on the board since 2004, was elected to his sixth term on the board.

“We’re all on the same line of what’s going on,” Cusato said. “They’re happy with what we’re doing and we’re happy to have that support.”

Walter Hobbs, New Line Party president, said the results indicated he unity that exists in village politics.

“It shows that the best part of politics is working together,” Hobbs said. “We’ve all come together and that’s the main thing.”

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