What the New Hyde Park village election lacked in suspense, it also lacked in voter turnout, as Deputy Mayor Robert Lofaro and Trustee Richard Coppola were re-elected to their respective village board seats with no opposition.
Lofaro drew 123 votes and Coppola drew 125 in the village exercise in democracy on Tuesday.
As a point of comparison, the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park school budget election last May drew 2,641 voters to cast ballots.
Observers were anticipating a low turnout. At the village board meeting preceding the vote, Village of New Hyde Park Mayor Daniel Petruccio urged residents to come out and vote so they wouldn’t get out of the habit, despite the fact that the outcome was a foregone conclusion.
Lofaro declined to comment on his re-election. Coppola was unavailable to comment on the election.
Both men were first elected to the New Hyde Park Village Board in 1999, joining the board at a time when the village finances were in a state of disarray and the village was facing the prospect of dissolution.
Lofaro has been a resident of New Hyde Park for 25 years, and Coppola has lived in the village for 33 years.
Lofaro was the chairman of a five-member citizen’s budget advisory board that gave the village recommendations to the village board on streamlining expenses and reducing taxes. He is director for trade and risk services for an international financial institution.
Many of the recommendations of that committee were implemented after he was elected as trustee.
Lofaro has cited the completion of several major road improvement projects in the village, the beautification and revitalization of the area around the Long Island Rail Road tracks, and local statutes to curb over development of the village among his primary accomplishments during his time in office.
Coppola is the village board liaison to the LIRR, the little league, the chamber of commerce, the parks commission and the Nassau County and auxiliary police.
Coppola is president of All Vehicle Leasing, Inc. at Hempstead Ford Lincoln Mercury.
Coppola has been a member of the New Hyde Park Fire Department for 29 years. Lofaro has been a member of the Floral Park Fire Department for 32 years.
Both men have been involved in village recreation. Coppola is past president of the New Hyde Park Little League. Lofaro has been a coach and manager for girls softball in that league. He has also been a coach for the New Hyde Park Wildcats Soccer Club and girls basketball for Notre Dame Church CYO.
