Service drives EW bid

The Island Now

My name is Bonnie Parente and I am announcing my candidacy for East Williston village trustee.

I am a resident of East Williston and have been since 2003 but I did not arrive in East Williston by accident or by chance; I chose East Williston. I grew up in nearby Mineola and have always admired the beautifully manicured lawns and quiet streets in the neighboring village of East Williston. My husband, Kevin, and I knew early on that this is where we wanted to raise our family.

Now that there exists an opportunity to serve my village as village trustee, I am asking for the support of my neighbors and fellow residents as I announce my candidacy.

I am honored to be running for office with Trustee Dave Tanner, who will seek the position of Mayor, and Bobby Shannon, who will be seeking one of two Trustee seats being vacated.

When people ask me why I want to run for village trustee, the answer is simple: I believe in serving my community and in March there will be an opportunity to do so. With two of our experienced board members choosing not to run for re-election, East Williston needs new members and I come with the background, experience, and the education to fill the position.

By way of history, I was born and raised in Mineola where I resided for over 30 years. My parents, Louis and Patricia Santosus, were very active in our community, and my father served for many years as a Mineola Village trustee so I know firsthand the commitment required to effectively serve as trustee.

I attended the Mineola public schools and attended Hofstra University, earning a business degree in finance. I continued my education at Touro Law School and earned my law degree. In 1998, I married my husband, Kevin, in St. Aidan’s church. Kevin is a school teacher at Chaminade High School. We moved to East Williston in 2003 where we currently reside with our two children, Emma (age 11) and Kevin Jr. (age 9).

I have practiced law since 1994 with a specialization in the field of labor and employment, first working in private practice and then as in-house labor manager for Newsday. I currently work for the New York Racing Association as director of human resources. My experience in law and human resources can prove valuable to my service as village yrustee. Specifically, my experience in negotiating labor agreements with unions and administering union contracts would be an asset to any governing body and especially invaluable at the local level of village government.

Outside of work, I have utilized my time on numerous clubs and committees including Wings of Winthrop and The Mercy League, but I am most proud of my time spent as a Girl Scout Leader and Cub Scout Leader. In 2008, I was appointed as an alternate on the Village of East Williston Board of Zoning and Appeals and in 2010 was selected as a representative on the St. Aidan’s Parish Council.

On March 15, 2011, eligible voters in East Williston will have an opportunity to select their next members of the new village board. I have watched closely over the past years as dedicated Trustee David Tanner listened intently and thoughtfully to issues raised at Board meetings. He served us well as trustee and has decided to seek the position of mayor. I support his candidacy and look forward to working with him as trustee along with Bobby Shannon, a well-known businessman, friend and neighbor. Together, we are running as a skilled and accomplished hard-working team of individual minds with the common goal of getting things done for East Williston.

I have the knowledge, experience, dedication, and desire to serve as Village Trustee and am asking for your support and the support of our team on March 15th.

Bonnie Parente

East Williston

 

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