Peter Zuckerman was first elected town councilman for District 2 in 2013, the same year Judi Bosworth was elected town supervisor in North Hempstead.
So Zuckerman is justified in claiming at least a share of town’s current health, which includes a Aaa bond rating, its listing among the best places to retire and relations between residents and elected officials that are generally cordial.
But as in Bosworth’s case we’d like to see more in his representation of District 2, which encompasses Albertson, East Hills, East Williston, Glenwood Landing, Greenvale, Herricks, Manhasset Hills, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights and Searingtown.
Zuckerman, a Democrat, said he supports Bosworth’s plan to help revitalize the town’s downtown business districts by creating a cultural master plan.
That’s a good idea but not enough.
The town, at a minimum, needs to consider zoning to permit mixed-used use developments that combine retail locations to allow business districts to better compete with malls and online shopping. Mixed-use developments, especially near public transit, also offer a solution to the exodus of millennials in a town where the population is graying.
Zuckerman said each application for mixed-used developments should be looked at “on a case-by-case basis.” Developers have complained this is a deterrent that adds time and expense to each project.
Zuckerman would not discuss the status of a long-delayed town park at Roslyn Country Club as well as cost overruns claimed by the contractor at the Clinton G. Martin Park project, citing litigation in both cases.
Additionally, he did not comment on the proposed Macy’s Brookfield development in Manhasset, saying he was “looking forward” for the plans to be presented to the town council.
Zuckerman said the long-criticized town Building Department had made significant process in recent years with the addition of more examiners and an applicant advocate and efforts to make things more efficient and more user-friendly.
At the same, he said, he realized it’s not a “perfect situation” and more needed to be done.
Zuckerman is opposed by Ragini Srivastava, a Republican from Manhasset Hills, and Cassandra Lems, a Green Party candidate from New Hyde Park. Neither has held elective office.
Srivastava offered some worthy suggestions in her League of Women voters questionnaire to help revitalize and promote downtown revitalization.
They included a proposal to create a downtown development organization focused on promoting the downtowns as well as supporting amenities that make downtowns more walkable such as narrowing lanes of traffic.
She wrongly said the most significant issue in the campaign was financial mismanagement. But correctly faulted the town for at least some of the blame for Clinton Martin Park construction projects.
Lems said that based on anecdotal evidence she agreed that the Building Department took too long to approve applications and more needed to be done.
She cited “cronyism” in local government, specifically members of the Board of Elections being named by those currently in office, as one of her major issues but it is not one under the purview of the town council.
Blank Slate Media endorses Zuckerman.
