Mineola Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira is running unopposed for mayor, and Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar is also unopposed as he seeks re-election.
Mineola will have a new mayor for the first time since 2011, the first year Mayor Scott Strauss was elected. Strauss is not seeking re-election following four terms on the village board.
Pereira is running with Trustee Janine Sartori and resident Jeffrey Clark on the New Line Party slate.
Elections for the Village of Mineola will be held on Tuesday, March 15, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the village’s calendar. Up this year are seats that have been held by Trustee George Durham, who is not seeking re-election, and ex-Trustee Dennis Walsh, who is serving on the North Hempstead Town Board.
Scott Fairgrieve, the village justice, is running unopposed for re-election.
Pereira was first elected to the board in 2008 and became deputy mayor in 2011. He has lived in Mineola for over four decades and has the support of Strauss, according to a New Line Party press release.
“Paul has consistently fought to keep our Mineola way of life,” the statement reads. “He worked to lower debt and hold the line on taxes. He has voted time and time again to invest in infrastructure such as roads, sewers and clean water. Paul is the natural choice to succeed Mayor Scott Strauss and has his full backing.”
If Pereira is elected as mayor, his seat on the board would become vacant. Someone would have to be appointed to fill his seat and finish his current term, similar to what Trustee Sartori is currently doing for Walsh’s term.
Sartori moved to the village with her husband and two sons 17 years ago from Staten Island. Before her appointment to the board, Sartori was on the Mineola Board of Zoning Appeals for four years and has been active in the community through school organizations.
“Janine has taken her position very seriously,” the party said. “She has attended many events and meetings on behalf of the Mineola residents she was asked to serve. Her Degree in Finance and long history of involvement in our schools and community make her a solid choice for election as a Village Trustee this year.”
Clark is running for the seat being vacated by Durham. Clark has been a Mineola resident for 35 years with his wife and six children.
He is currently a warden on the fire council of the Mineola Fire Department, where he previously served as chief. In addition, Clark was previously president of the Irish American Society and chosen as grand marshal for Mineola’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
“Jeff has also coached his and many other children through the great athletic programs found in Mineola,” the party press release said. “He is a great choice because he understands what it takes to keep Mineola a community of friends and families.”
In Williston Park, Ehrbar is running on the Integrity Party slate alongside Trustees Kevin Rynne and Bill O’Brien and Village Justice Kevin Kiley. Village elections will be held Tuesday, March 15. On the ballot will be the seats for mayor, two trustees and the village justice.
Ehrbar, first elected in 2010, is running for a fourth four-year term after winning re-election in 2018 against former Williston Park Fire Chief Anthony Gagliardi by 410 votes. Rynne, who is deputy mayor, and O’Brien are seeking their fourth and second terms, respectively.
Kiley has been in his current role with the village since 2007.
“Mayor Paul Ehrbar, Trustees Kevin Rynne, Bill O’Brien, and Village Justice Kevin Kiley are proud to be seeking reelection as candidates under the Integrity Party nominations,” a party news release said. “All four have been honored to serve the Village. They are anxious to work towards the continued improvement and betterment of this great Village of Williston Park and all its residents… Statements from the candidates will be forthcoming, in a future issue of the Williston Times.”
Ehrbar, who ran the DWI program in the Nassau County Department of Probation before retiring, was elected to the Herricks school board in 1994. He served on the Herricks board for the next six years, three as president.
Ehrbar has overseen the village during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the ongoing village roads project, among others.
He is the second in his family to serve as mayor. His wife, Doreen, served as Williston Park mayor from 2000 to 2006.
East Williston does not have village elections this year.
