Veronica Lurvey has had a seat on the North Hempstead Town Board since January, but she has already developed a strong feel for the issues in District 4, which includes Great Neck and parts of Manhasset, North Hills, Roslyn Estates and Roslyn.
This can be explained in part by her work as co-founder and co-president of North Shore Action, which advocates on pressing community issues such as gun violence, the opioid crisis, mental health issues, and the protection and conservation of the environment.
Lurvey, a Great Neck Democrat, also offers strong skills at mediating disputes honed as a lawyer at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP from 1994 to 2012, working her way from legal assistant to counsel.
These are skills needed in seeking solutions to the empty storefronts that line a Great Neck business corridor that stretches across several villages.
She also has expressed an understanding of issues surrounding development including the town’s Building Department and local zoning as well as a willingness to participate in building a consensus for redevelopment issues.
Lurvey is opposed by David Chiang, a Manhasset Republican, who promises to “shake things up” if elected to the Town Board.
Chiang, who worked in the finance industry before becoming a stay-at-home father nine years ago, said the town council has been dominated by lawyers and would benefit from his background in financial services in keeping expenses down.
He said as a Chinese-American in a district that is 18 percent Asian he also would offer a different perspective to the council that would bring more people into the political process.
One of the aspects of the town that Chiang looks to immediately address is the “inefficiency” of the Building Department.
“I think we need to put people in there that are more efficient,” he said. “I feel like a lot of these jobs are given to people who know people. I would definitely re-evaluate these people and make sure they are professionals who are running this department efficiently.”
He also offers a welcome call for government to treat local businesses as partners and find ways to speed up the process of opening a store.
Blank Slate Media endorses Lurvey.
