Businessman Steve Reiter has thrown his hat in the ring to become a commissioner of the Great Neck Water Control District, challenging-five term incumbent Jane Rebhuhn.
Reiter, president of business consulting firm Creative Media LLC, said his experience in both public and private enterprises makes him a strong candidate for a position on the three-member board.
“I think that I’m qualified to undertake both the challenges and responsibilities of commissioner,” Reiter said.
Reiter told the Great Neck News that he has served on the architectural review board in Great Neck, acted as the chairman of a the sewage treatment committee on a condominium board on Montauk, and held the position of vice president at Temple Emanuel in Great Neck for three decades.
The water pollution control district, which is responsible for water treatment in Great Neck, is currently renovating its sewage treatment plant to reduce levels of nitrogen dumping in the Long Island Sound, as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Rebhuhn, who is a past chair of the Great Neck Plaza Board of Zoning Appeals and a member of her co-op’s board of directors, issued a press release announcing her desire to win re-election “because she is deeply involved, and has been for many years, in a major reconstruction of the district’s sewage treatment plant, and wants to see this essential public utility project through to a successful completion.”
The release said the plant’s renovation is complex project that is on track for a successful completion, and that Rebhuhn’s experience as an architect and an engineer qualifies her for re-election.
Rebhuhn also touted the water pollution control district’s preparations for Hurricane Sandy, which she said protected its operations from the impact of the storm.
Reiter said he was motivated to seek election out of a sense of public service.
“It’s really service to the communities and families in the district and to help protect the environment,” he said. “I just think that I’m more qualified.”
Rebhuhn, who serves as treasurer of the water pollution control district, told the Great Neck News that she was not familiar with Reiter’s qualifications.
The election will be held Tuesday, Dec. 11.
