Roslyn goes to the polls

Rose Weldon
Voters can now apply for absentee ballots. (Image courtesy of Flickr)

Seven races for seats on the North Hempstead Town Board and Nassau County Legislature in Tuesday’s election will decide the Roslyn area’s representatives for the next two to three years.

Two additional races will decide Nassau County’s district attorney and receiver of taxes for the next four years.

In one of several races for the North Hempstead Town Board, incumbent Democratic Councilman Peter Zuckerman of East Hills is challenged by Republican Ragini Srivastava of Manhasset Hills and Green Party candidate Cassandra Lems of New Hyde Park for the 2nd District, which includes Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Albertson, East Hills, East Williston, Glenwood Landing, Greenvale, Herricks, Manhasset Hills and Searingtown. 

Zuckerman, who is running for his third term, said he wishes to implement a cultural master plan for the town to “maximize potential” of commercial and downtown districts.

Srivastava, a small-business owner, is in favor of creating a “downtown development corporation or similar organization,” and Lems, a paralegal, says she would encourage shopkeepers and arts organizations to “band together to create events that draw people into commercial areas.” 

Democratic Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey of Great Neck is  running her first campaign to retain her seat on the Town Board. Lurvey was appointed to the position after now-state Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck) stepped down in January. Lurvey said taxes and downtown revitalization are among the prominent issues in the district.

Running against her is Republican David Yaudoon Chiang, a Manhasset resident. As the president of the Chinese American Association of North Hempstead, Chiang is a proponent of bringing more diversity to the Town Board.

They are running in the town’s 4th District, which encompasses Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, North Hills, Manhasset, Kings Point, Great Neck, Kensington, Thomaston and Great Neck Gardens.

Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth, a Democrat from Great Neck, is being challenged by Republican David Redmond of Mineola.

Bosworth, who has been supervisor since first being elected in 2013, has touted her experience and public service record throughout the campaign.

Redmond, vocal on the need for a change of management style in the town, is running for supervisor after losing in the town clerk race to Wayne Wink in 2017.

In the Nassau County Legislature, incumbent Republican Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello of New Hyde Park is running against Democrat Mal Nathan for the 9th District, which includes Roslyn Estates, Albertson, Plandome Manor, Plandome, Plandome Heights, Munsey Park, Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Garden City Park and New Hyde Park. Nicolello and Nathan are facing off for the third time and have expressed differing views on county reassessment.

District 16 of the Legislature is also up for election, with incumbent Democratic Legislator Joshua Lafazan of Syosset facing Republican candidate Timothy Jenks of Glen Cove to represent the areas of East Hills, Old Brookville, Brookville, Upper Brookville, Muttontown, Syosset, Woodbury, Glen Head, Matinecock, Cove Neck, Centre Island, Bayville, Laurel Hollow, Oyster Bay Cove, Oyster Bay, Mill Neck, Lattingtown and Locust Valley.

Lafazan is touting his record as a freshman legislator, in which he has seen 10 bills passed, most of which provide resources to combat substance abuse among residents. Jenks is calling for further transparency in the Legislature, writing in a League of Women Voters questionnaire that “taxpayers should be the ones choosing their elected [tax] assessor,” and saying that it was unfortunate that the “Assessment Bill of Rights” did not pass.

Also in the Legislature, incumbent Democrat Delia DeRiggi-Whitton of Glen Cove, Republican candidate James Greenberg of Glen Cove and Libertarian candidate Blay Tarnoff of Port Washington will face off for the 11th District, incorporating Roslyn, Roslyn Harbor, Port Washington, Sands Point, Glen Head, Glenwood, Sea Cliff and Glen Cove. 

In the Legislature’s 16th District, Democratic incumbent Arnold Drucker of Plainview is running against Republican candidate and attorney Jennifer Garber, also of Plainview, to represent Old Westbury, Roslyn Heights, Plainview, Old Bethpage, Jericho, Syosset, Woodbury and Hicksville. Garber has accused the legislator of being inaccessible to his constituents, while Drucker takes issue with his opponent’s past as a registered Democrat. 

The race for Town of North Hempstead receiver of taxes features incumbent Democrat Charles Berman taking on Republican Ron Rochester.

Berman, a resident of Roslyn Heights for over 20 years, was first elected as the town’s receiver of taxes in 2010. He has made it clear that he will not be running for “any other office now or in the future.” Berman said he wishes to use the “best people possible” in the tax office, political parties aside. 

Rochester, of Port Washington, said that, if elected, he would strive to make improvements with the town’s “antiquated” electronic bill-payment website. He offers 25 years of law enforcement experience, along with work in forensic accounting. 

In the race for Nassau County district attorney, Madeline Singas, the Democratic incumbent, is opposed by Republican candidate and Long Beach resident Francis McQuade. 

Singas, a Manhasset resident, was elected to the district attorney position in 2015 and has a 28-year tenure as a prosecutor. She has focused efforts on combating drug and gun trafficking, violent gangs and sexual assaults over the past four years.

McQuade, a former police officer and priest, has said that some of the prominent issues of this election are criminal reform, gang violence and the prosecution of drug manufacturers over the growing opioid crisis.

 

Rob Pelaez contributed reporting. 

Share this Article