No petitions were filed to challenge members of Floral Park’s Citizens Party in the village’s March 16 elections.
Officials said Trustee Kevin Fitzgerald is running unopposed for mayor to succeed Dominick Longobardi, who was first elected as mayor in 2017 and decided not to run again.
Trustees Lynn Pombonyo and Frank Chiara are running unopposed for two-year terms.
Pombonyo, who was first elected to the board in 2014, served as the superintendent for the Floral Park-Bellerose school district. She also holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Seton Hall University.
Chiara, a chief investigator in the Bronx district attorney’s office, was elected to his first term as a trustee in 2017 and has been a Floral Park resident for 19 years.
Fitzgerald was appointed to the village board in 2011 and was made deputy mayor in 2016 after James Rhatigan’s death.
He first got involved in village government as a member of the Third Track Task Force, fighting the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s plan for a third Long Island Rail Road track in the mid-2000s.
Though a trustee seat will remain vacant with Fitzgerald running for mayor, village officials said, a third trustee seat will not be up for grabs in the coming election and the mayor will appoint someone to that position.
Longobardi said stepping down after two terms is a longstanding tradition of the Citizens Party, of which he and Fitzgerald are members.
“There are no term limits in the village, but it is a [party] tradition carried on for many years, and it’s just my time to pass the torch,” he said in a phone interview. “Kevin is a great guy and I have all the confidence in the world that he will thrive in the position.”
Longobardi touted his staff and the people of Floral Park for their support and efforts to constantly improve the village over the past two terms.
“I am absolutely honored, blessed, and very thankful to be a part of this board for the past 13 years and to also leave as its mayor,” he said. “I also thank the dedicated residents of Floral Park for their ongoing efforts and participation in countless numbers of committees and organizations to help make this village a better place to live every day.”
Residents can cast their ballots at the Reliance Fire House at 3 Holland Ave., the Atlantic Avenue Firehouse, and the Floral Park Recreation Center at 124 Stewart St. from noon to 9 p.m. on March 16.
Earlier, Village of New Hyde Park Mayor Lawrence Montreuil announced that he will not seek re-election in the coming election. Montreuil has served as mayor since April 2017 and his term ends March 31.
“While it has been my absolute passion and privilege to serve my New Hyde Park neighbors for 30 cumulative years, I plan to shift my attention from the important concerns of my neighbors to matters closer to home,” Montreuil said.
Voters will cast ballots for mayor and two trustee seats on March 16, all of which are forfour-year terms.
Trustee Richard Coppolla will not seek re-election but Trustee Richard Pallisco will run, Montreuil said at a meeting of the village Board of Trustees on Jan. 28.
The election has a new local political party throwing its hat in the ring with endorsements from a previous village mayor.
Former New Hyde Park Mayor Dan Petruccio, who served from 2001 to 2013, has endorsed the New Hyde Park Unity Party’s slate of candidates.
The candidates are Christopher Devane for mayor, Madhvi Nijjar and Arthur Savarese for the two trustee positions, and Timothy Jones for village justice.
Devane served as a village justice from 2003 to 2021.
Nijjar is a 20-year resident of the village who works in the mental health and human services fields, teaching others who aspire to work in the same profession. Nijjar earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from John Jay College before receiving a master’s in social work with a major in psychotherapy from Adelphi University.
Savarese works in marketing and sales and has served on the board for and coached local Little League teams, and Jones is a trial attorney for the Scahill Law Group in Bethpage.
According to the party’s mission statement on its website, it stands for “the principles of an open, honest, diverse and inclusive form of Village government.”
Also running for trustee in the at-large election is Bassam Khoury, who is running on the Common Sense Party line. Residents can cast their ballots at the Marcus Christ Hall at 1420 Jericho Turnpike from noon to 9 p.m. on March 16.
