With 486 out of 681 votes, Angela Lawlor-Mullins was re-elected on Tuesday to her fourth three-year term with the Port Washington Police District’s Board of Commissioners.
Her opponent, Stephen Scott, received 186 votes, and there were nine write-in votes.
In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Mullins said she is “grateful for all the support and is honored to be re-elected as police commissioner.” She added that she will “continue to serve with integrity and dedication and I look forward to working with Commissioners Franklin and Rice for the betterment of the community.”
Both candidates brought different skills to the contest. Mullins said her experience with the New York City police made her more attuned to the goings-on of the Police Department, while Scott said he believed he had more experience on the business side of operations.
The police district has been looking into either moving or expanding its facilities for a number of years.
In a previous phone interview, Mullins said she expects the project to move forward now that officials have made the decision to stay in the same location. She has been a strong advocate for the police facility staying where it is and voted against previously proposed locations.
She said she likes the current location because of its accessibility to residents.
In a past telephone interview, Scott said he would have made a simple phone call to the Nassau County Police Department, which recently redesigned two police precincts, to seek guidance in the process.
Another issue central to the election was the union contract with the PBA that expired last December.
Mullins said she has personally helped negotiate three union contracts during her time with the police district. She fought for a seat at the table for negotiations which was met with opposition by her former fellow board members.
She said she thought it was important to be involved with the process so she could “see how taxpayer money was spent.”
Mullins said the contracts were negotiated without an arbitrator, which she said was often relied on by previous boards. She added that the contracts included a minimal number of arbitration clauses.
Mullins previously said that in the future she would like to acquire a police dog to aid with the increasing traffic from commuters and the growing population.
“They are one of the best tools for police departments, large and small,” she said.
Port Washington Police Lt. Kevin McCarroll said there was not a particularly good turnout for the election.
