A new contender announced his bid to run for a seat on the Williston Park Board of Trustees.
Bill O’ Brien will join the Integrity Party Team in the village’s March election, according to a party announcement.
“I think that right now the current board has been doing a great job in Williston Park,” O’Brien said. “All I’m looking to do at this point is to help to do whatever is necessary to help make Williston Park the great town that it is.”
O’Brien is running to fill Trustee Teresa Thommann’s seat, as Thomman is not seeking re-election.
Mayor Ehrbar and Deputy Mayor Kevin Rynne are seeking re-election on March 20, and welcome O’Brien to the ticket, according to the announcement.
Williston Park Fire Chief Richard Sais announced in October that he would be running for trustee as well. Sais, a member of the Suffolk County Police Department, will end his two-year term as fire chief in April.
O’Brien is a town native; he was born and raised in Manhasset and is a Chaminade High School graduate.
He and his wife of 23 years, Colleen Dempsey, briefly lived in Floral Park before moving to their Concord Avenue home in Williston Park.
They’ve lived in the village for 19 years, raising four children, Liam, 19, Maeve, 18, Malachy, 14 and Emmett, 12.
O’Brien, who works at NBC Universal’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza office in the Global Responses and Intelligence Division, has been an active member of the village community.
He was part of Boy Scout Troop 201 Committee and coached his daughter in volleyball and his sons in basketball at Saint Aidan’s School, according to the announcement.
He’s also coached both baseball and softball for the Williston Park Little League over the past 10 years, and has been the Vice President of the Williston Park Little League for the last five.
O’Brien said now that his kids have aged out of Little League, he’s looking for another way to get involved with the community.
“I thought the natural transition would be to move into government and see if I can help the town by being a trustee,” O’Brien said.
As someone who hasn’t been involved in politics for too long, O’Brien said, he can bring a fresh point of view to the board.
Ultimately, O’Brien said his goal is to work hard to continue to make Williston Park “one of the best places to live on Long Island.”
