Lone contested Mineola election features former, current village employees

Robert Pelaez
Village halls are closed, but villages will continue to provide essential services to the community. (Photo by Noah Manskar)

Two Mineola residents with experience working in the village are running against each other for village justice in the March elections.

The election follows the death of village Justice John O’Shea in November. He was appointed as village justice in 1995 and won a special election the following year.

Competing to succeed him are acting village Justice Steve Barnwell and former village Trustee Scott Fairgrieve.

Barnwell worked side-by-side with O’Shea for the past two years when he served as  associate justice.

Barnwell was appointed to the associate village justice position by Mayor Scott Strauss with the approval of the Board of Trustees in 2017.  He was subsequently appointed acting village justice by Strauss in November following O’Shea’s death.

Barnwell’s career in law began in 1983 when he worked as a New York State court officer.  Eight years later, he became an assistant district attorney in Nassau County, handling crimes such as corruption, white-collar crimes and insurance fraud.

Fairgrieve served as a Mineola village trustee from 1982 to 1994.  He was appointed to the deputy mayor position in 1985 and retained that role for the next two years.

Fairgrieve has been a Nassau County District Court judge since 2001 and has taught business law as an adjunct professor at LIU Post since 2005.

Fairgrieve graduated from St. John’s University Law School in 1976. He was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1977 and is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association.

The election for village justice and trustee positions will be held on March 18 from 6 a.m  to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall Community Center at 155 Washington Ave.

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