Five villages in the Port Washington area will have elections Sept. 15, with two villages holding contested races.
Most village elections were originally scheduled for March and June, but following two reschedulings due to the coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order for all village elections to take place Sept. 15.
MANORHAVEN
Manorhaven Mayor Jim Avena is being challenged for his position by resident Vincent Costa in the village’s upcoming September mayoral election.
As confirmed by Village Clerk Sharon Abramski, a slate of candidates in Avena’s Manorhaven Residents Party will face off against a group from the Manorhaven Liberty Party headed by Costa.
Running for two open seats on the village’s Board of Trustees on the mayor’s slate are Deputy Mayor Priscilla von Roeschlaub, who seeks to maintain her trustee seat, and Zoning Board of Appeals member Joseph Zimbardi, running for the seat being vacated by Trustee Ken Kraft.
Kraft announced his intent to not seek re-election in January, citing a desire to “enjoy the winters in Florida, a much warmer climate.”
Prior to his years in public service, Avena worked for 30 years in the financial services industry, including serving as president of Cantor Fitzgerald and other investment firms. Additionally, he is a retired first lieutenant from the U.S. Army and worked with the Port Washington Senior Citizens Center, the Sands Point Preserve, the Port Washington Councils of the American Legion, Kiwanis International, the Knights of Columbus, the Sons of Italy and the Our Lady of Fatima Outreach Program.
A former trustee, Avena first ran for mayor in a tightly contested election in 2016 against former Mayor Gary Pagano. He, von Roeschlaub and Kraft were all elected that year and were all unopposed for re-election in 2018.
On Costa’s slate as trustee candidates are 10-year resident Walter E. Peters and local business owner Harry S. Farina.
Costa is a 38-year resident of Manorhaven who worked for UPS for over 25 years and has served as a firefighter, first in the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department and then the Port Washington Fire Department, for 44 years, also serving as captain of the latter department’s Protection Engine Company #1 and being the recipient of the Silver Medal of Valor in 1989, according to campaign materials.
In addition to his work as a firefighter, Costa was a founding member of and remains head adviser to the Port Washington Fire Department Juniors, is a member of of the Knights of Columbus and the Elks, and was a founding member and former co-chair of the Christmas tree lighting on Main Street.
The Village of Manorhaven is scheduled to hold its voting at Village Hall, 33 Manorhaven Boulevard, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
FLOWER HILL
The mayor’s seat and three spots on the Flower Hill Board of Trustees are contested for the first time in several years.
Mayor Brian Herrington, who took office after the death of Mayor Robert McNamara in April, is running for mayor under the Flower Hill Party banner, with incumbents Deputy Mayor Randall Rosenbaum and Trustee Gary Lewandowski on his slate.
McNamara, who was running for a trustee position under the same party at the time of his death, will remain on the ballot as per the rules of the executive order. The Flower Hill Party has announced their intention to place resident Claire Dorfman in the seat should McNamara win.
Under the Liberty Party banner, three-year Trustee Kate Hirsch is running for mayor, with residents Diane Turner, Jay Silverman and Jeffrey Greilsheimer rounding out her slate.
The elections, originally planned for the spring, saw Hirsch challenge the Flower Hill Party’s petition to have it thrown out, only for the Nassau County Board of Elections to rule in the party’s favor. Hirsch then filed an ethics complaint against Flower Hill’s chief election officer, village Administrator Ronnie Shatzkamer, alleging that she was assisting the Flower Hill Party in its campaign, with both Shatzkamer and Herrington denying the allegations.
Flower Hill’s election will take place from noon to 9 p.m., with residents voting at Village Hall at 1 Bonnie Heights Road in Manhasset.
BAXTER ESTATES
The Village of Baxter Estates will see two trustee seats and a village justice position up for election. Incumbent Trustee Alice Peckleis is running unopposed, along with village Justice Elizabeth S. Kase.
G. Douglas Baldwin, a trustee of 15 years, will have his name on the ballot, but in late July he withdrew from the race, citing his inability to leave Taiwan due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Voting will take place at Baxter Estates Village Hall at 315 Main Street in Port Washington from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
PORT WASHINGTON NORTH
Trustees Steven Cohen and Michael Malatino of the Village of Port Washington North will also be unopposed in their election.
Voting will take place at the Port North Village Office at 3 Pleasant Avenue in Port Washington from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
SANDS POINT
The Village of Sands Point has a pair of two-year trustee seats and a single one-year trustee seat up for election. Incumbent Trustee Peter Foreman is running to keep his seat for another two years, while incumbent Trustee Jeffrey Moslow is on the ballot to keep his single-year seat.
Trustee Lynn Najman did not file a petition to run, and her seat is being sought by Planning Board member Rita Sethi.
All three candidates are running unopposed, and voting will take place at Village Hall at 26 Tibbits Lane in Sands Point from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
