No challengers step forward yet as Great Neck village elections near

Joe Nikic

While six of Great Neck’s villages have elections this March to fill Board of Trustees seats, the early stages in the filing period show no indications of the kind of challenge that defeated three incumbents in the Village of Great Neck last year.

The filing period for interested candidates began on Feb. 2, but none of the villages have officially received filing petitions.

The Village of Great Neck Plaza has three board seats up for grabs, with the terms of Mayor Jean Celender, Deputy Mayor Ted Rosen and Trustee Pamela Marksheid coming to an end.

Village Clerk-Treasurer Patricia O’Byrne said she had not yet received filing petitions from any of the three incumbents or from interested candidates.

Those interested in running are required to submit a petition with 50 resident signatures before Feb. 9 to officially run for a board seat.

Celender, who works full-time as mayor of the village, is paid an annual salary of $62,500. Rosen is paid $12,500 as deputy mayor and Marksheid is paid $10,000, according to seethroughny.net.

Residents can cast their ballot at Village Hall, located at 2 Gussack Plaza, on March 15. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., according to the village website.

In the Village of Kensington, three seats are up for election as the terms of Mayor Susan Lopatkin, Deputy Mayor Phillip Bornstein and Trustee Jeffrey Greener are coming to an end.

Village Clerk Arlene Giniger said the incumbents “have not officially filed, but I know they will.”

Giniger also said she had not received any petitions from other interested candidates.

Those interested in running are required to submit a petition with 50 resident signatures before Feb. 9 to officially run for a board seat.

Kesington’s mayor and trustees are unpaid positions.

Residents can cast their ballot at Village Hall, located at 2 Nassau Drive. March 15. Polls will open at noon and close at 9 p.m.

In the Village of Russell Gardens, the terms of trustees David Miller and Matthew Ellis will end this March.

Village Clerk-Treasurer Christine Blumberg said the incumbents had not officially filed to run for re-election yet, but believes they will.

Blumberg added she has not received any petitions from other interested candidates.

Those interested in running are required to submit a petition with 50 resident signatures before Feb. 9 to officially run for a board seat.

Russell Gardens trustees are unpaid.

Residents can cast their ballots at Village Hall, located at 6 Tain Drive, on March 15. Polls will be open from noon until 9 p.m.

In the Village of Great Neck Estates, trustees Lanny Oppenheim, Howard Hershenhorn and Jeffrey Farkas will see their terms come to an end.

Village Administrator Kathleen Santelli said none of the incumbents have filed for re-election.

Since Farkas began his term last year after he was appointed to replace former Trustee Sidney Krugman, Santelli said, his seat is up for only a one-year term.

Those interested in running are required to submit a petition with 50 resident signatures before Feb. 9 to officially run for a board seat.

Residents can cast their ballots at Village Hall at 4 Atwater Plaza between the hours of noon and 9 p.m. on March 15.

In the village of Thomaston, the seats of trustees To-On Pang and James Sharkey will be up for election.

Village Administrator Denise Knowland said she had not received any filed petitions.

Knowland also said she “believes” Sharkey and Pang will run for re-election.

Thomaston trustees are unpaid.

Those interested in running are required to submit a petition with 50 resident signatures before Feb. 9 to officially run for a board seat.

Residents can vote at Village Hall, located at 100 East Shore Road, between the hours of noon and 9 p.m. on March 15.

In the Village of Saddle Rock, the seats of trustees Manny Alani and Kamran Barelli will be up for election.

Efforts to reach Village Clerk Hinda Goldman for election updates were unavailing.

Residents can cast their ballots at Village Hall at 18 Masefield Way between the hours of noon and 9 p.m. on March 15.

In June, Village of Great Neck Mayor Pedram Bral defeated former Mayor Ralph Kreitzman — who had received endorsements from numerous federal, state and village officials — 1,040 to 391, more than 72 percent of the vote.

Bral’s running mates Anne Mendelson and Ray Plakstis Jr. both won the two open trustee spots with 980 and 1,020 votes respectively, beating out incumbent trustees Mitch Beckerman, who received 346 votes, and Jeff Bass, who received 350 votes, as well as Lone Bridge Party candidate Sam Yellis, who received 136 votes.

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