Village of Munsey Park resident Kenneth Weigand won a three-man race for a Manhasset Park District commissioner’s position on Tuesday, unseating incumbent Jay Hernandez.
Weigand received 212 votes to Hernandez’ 204. Matthew Falcone, commander of American Legion Post 304 in Manhasset, received 148 votes.
“It was a tight race and it came down to eight votes and I’m thrilled I got the support of my friends and residents in the community,” Weigand said. “I’m looking forward to taking on the position and bringing some value to Manhasset.”
Hernandez, who was appointed to the park district in March following the resignation of former Commissioner John Regan, said Wednesday he is seeking a recount of the 564 total votes because the result was so close. He had no further comment.
Weigand said he was in contact with the other park district commissioners and the district’s attorneys and “as far as they’re concerned and as far as I’m concerned, I’ve won the race.”
“[Hernandez] is entitled to do what he feels he needs to make him feel comfortable with this election,” Weigand added. “But as far as I’m concerned and from what I’ve been informed, I’ve won the race.”
Weigand is a lifelong Manhasset resident who now manages facilities contracts for Canon Solutions America, an extension of Canon, Inc.
He said last month that the park district should monitor illegal parking he said he sees along Plandome Road and increase its non-commuter weekend parking rates as an additional revenue source.
“I’m used to dealing with conflicts, issues and getting them resolved,” he said at the time. “The daily work that I do will give me the ability to handle the issues and complaints and concerns with residents within the community.”
Weigand said the park district should explore a strip of parking spaces located directly behind Mary Jane Davies park that are operated by the Town of North Hempstead and often go unused.
“There’s only so much that we can do and focus on, but I’m open to exploring new opportunities for purchasing new parking lots within the community,” he said at the time.
He also said he would support the demolition of the park district’s headquarters at 62 Manhasset Ave. for the creation of more parking spaces there, an initiative the current commissioners have considered before.
“I think we’re taking up a tremendous amount of space for a facility that’s outdated and if we’re able to identify a different location, we’d be in a much better position,” he said.
Parking was the biggest concern among the three candidates, who each offered differing perspectives on how to maximize current spaces and acquire new lots.
“I think we need to find a way to move around those spaces or reassign parking spaces to take advantage of them as needed,” Hernandez said last month. “No one in our town wants to put up a parking garage, so for me it’s a matter of studying and identifying where we need the parking spaces.”
Hernandez, a 22-year Manhasset resident who was a salesman and negotiator for various international banks for more than 30 years, is also a member of the Strathmore Vanderbilt Country Club and is in charge of its forward planning initiatives and in the past has coached his daughters’ basketball, soccer and volleyball teams.
He said he would have sought to incorporate modern technologies into district parking meters, so employees do not have to collect the quarters accumulated from the meters each week.
“I’m a forward thinker, it’s just in my nature,” he said. “I don’t look for things for today or tomorrow, but how they will be affected three years down the road. I think about problems and why they surface.”
Falcone, a 40-year Manhasset resident, said in November that he would like to open a discussion about the community’s parking problems before Manhasset residents and allow them to provide their possible solutions.
“I know how to get the best out of people, even those who don’t know what talents they have. I can tell right away how a person is. I’ve been doing this all my life,” Falcone said.
Falcone served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the early 1960s and went on to superintendent positions of various electrical contracting companies in the New York City area.
He is also past president of the Keystone Club of New York, the Bayview Civic Association, the Futurian Society of New York and a past grand knight of the Knights of Columbus, and serves as an usher at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church.
Additionally, he said he’d like to see the installation and maintenance of beautification efforts throughout the area, and would use his abilities as a negotiator to reach solutions and compromises in disputes.
