Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide on 15 positions in six Great Neck villages — none of which is contested.
But the candidates may not want to assume victory just yet with memories still fresh of the surprise write-in campaign launched by Village of Great Neck Mayor Pedram Bral’s and two challengers for trustee positions in 2013.
Bral, Village of Great Neck trustee Anne Mendelson and Christine Campbell were part of an under-the-radar write-in campaign in the 2013 elections, which resulted in hundreds of residents lining around the block from the Great Neck House to vote for the challengers.
Bral, Mendelson and Campbell were narrowly defeated in that race, but Bral and Mendelson — joined by Raymond Plakstis taking the place of Campbell — unseated Mayor Ralph Kreitzman, Deputy Mayor Mitchell Beckerman and Trustee Jeffrey Bass two years later.
In this year’s elections in the Village of Great Neck Plaza, Mayor Jean Celender, Deputy Mayor Ted Rosen and Trustee Pamela Marksheid are running on the United Residents Party line.
Celender began serving on the Board of Trustees in 1984, and was elected mayor in 2000.
Rosen has served on the board since 1985, and when Celender became mayor, she appointed him deputy mayor.
Marksheid began serving on the board in 2008.
Celender, who works full-time as mayor of the village, is paid an annual salary of $62,500. Rosen is paid $12,500 as deputy mayor and Marksheid is paid $10,000, according to seethroughny.net.
The Village of Great Neck Plaza is the only municipality in Great Neck with elections in March that provides a salary for mayors and trustees.
Efforts to reach Celender, Rosen and Marksheid were unavailing.
Residents can cast their ballot at Village Hall, located at 2 Gussack Plaza. Polls will be open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.
In the Village of Kensington, Mayor Susan Lopatkin, Deputy Mayor Phillip Bornstein and Trustee Jeffrey Greener are all running on the Kensington Preservation Party line.
Lopatkin began serving on the board in 2008.
Bornstein and Greener have served on the board since 2012.
Efforts to reach Lopatkin, Bornstein and Greener were unavailing.
Residents can cast their ballot at Village Hall, located at 2 Nassau Drive. Polls will open at noon and close at 9 p.m.
In the Village of Great Neck Estates, trustees Lanny Oppenheim, Howard Hershenhorn and Jeffrey Farkas are running for re-election. All three are running together on the Better Government Party line.
Since Farkas began his term last year after he was appointed to replace former Trustee Sidney Krugman, Village Administrator Kathleen Santelli said, his seat is up for only a one-year term.
Hershenhorn began serving on the board in 2008 and Oppenheim began serving on the board in 2011.
Residents can cast their ballots at Village Hall at 4 Atwater Plaza between the hours of noon and 9 p.m.
In the Village of Russell Gardens, trustees David Miller and Matthew Ellis are running on the Evergreen Party line.
Both Miller and Ellis began serving on the board in 2012.
Efforts to reach the two incumbent trustees were unavailing.
Residents can cast their ballots at Village Hall, located at 6 Tain Drive. Polls will be open from noon until 9 p.m.
In the village of Thomaston, incumbent trustees To-On Pang and James Sharkey are running on the Good Neighbors Party line.
Sharkey began serving on the board in 2010 and Pang began in 2012.
Efforts to reach Pang and Sharkey were unavailing.
Residents can vote at Village Hall, located at 100 East Shore Road, between the hours of noon and 9 p.m.
In the Village of Saddle Rock, trustees Manny Alani and Kamran Barelli filed to run for re-election.
Barelli began serving on the board in 2014.
Village Clerk Hinda Goldman said Alani has served on the board “off and on” for the last 15 years.
Efforts to reach Barelli and Alani were unavailing.
Residents can cast their ballots at Village Hall at 18 Masefield Way between the hours of noon and 9 p.m.
