Manorhaven, Sands Point incumbents all re-elected

Luke Torrance
Manorhaven Mayor Jim Avena is being challenged in the village election this year by Vincent Costa. (Photo courtesy of Mayor Jim Avena)

Three officials in Manorhaven and two in Sands Point were all re-elected on Tuesday, which did not come as a surprise as all five candidates were running in uncontested races.

The biggest surprise was the turnout in Manorhaven, where each of the candidates received at least 180 votes despite lacking an opponent.

“It’s always high turnout, we have over 3,000 voters here,” said Mayor Jim Avena. “It’s a very involved community when it comes to elections, the residents here want their voices heard,”

Avena secured the most votes of anyone running on Tuesday with 311. Deputy Mayor Priscilla von Roeschlaub received 250 votes and Trustee Ken Kraft had 186 votes. There were also 20 write-ins, with Brian Bordeau receiving seven of those votes.

In Sands Point, Trustee Peter Forman received 55 votes and Trustee Lynn R. Najman receiving 47.

Turnout in Manorhaven was by far the strongest of any Port Washington village this year. Despite being only 0.6 square miles in size, Manorhaven has the highest population of any village on the peninsula with 6,556 at the 2010 census.

But the 311 votes cast for Avena was far higher than that of Flower Hill Mayor Robert McNamara, who received just 54 votes in a village with a population of 4,665.

Najman was the only candidate on Tuesday who failed to clear 54 votes. McNamara’s total was the most received by any of the nine village officials in the March elections that took place in Flower Hill, Port Washington North, and Baxter Estates.

Elections in Manorhaven have been contentious in the past, and the uncontested races this year were something of an anomaly for the village.

Avena said that the fact he was running uncontested — and his high vote total — were signs that residents were happy with the Board of Trustees’ performance.

For me to run unopposed is unheard of and the number of voters who came out is overwhelming,” he said. “I believe that the vote is a testament to the work we’ve done.”

With the support of the village, Avena said that he and the board will push ahead with issuing a bond to make improvements to Manorhaven’s roads and sewers.

He wants to see work done on Manorhaven Boulevard, the completion of Morgan’s Dock, and to continue the cleaning of the Manorhaven Preserve.

Najman, who also serves as Sands Point’s building commissioner, said that she would like to see further development of building department.

Forman, who is also the village’s finance and treasury commissioner, said that his goal is to bring more consistent cell service to Sands Point.

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