East Williston residents Emil Samuels and Mitchell Flachner are vying for the position of village justice in the March 18 election. James Lark and Anthony Gallo are running uncontested for two trustee spots.
Lark took on the trustee position left vacant by Trustee and former Mayor Anthony Cassella in October. He is a vice president for Fidelity National Title Insurance Co. in New York City and recently helped charter a Boy Scout troop for girls at the Community Church of East Williston.
Gallo has over 15 years of experience working in the New York heavy civil infrastructure construction industry, which has provided him with the skills to help the village make the right choices about public works projects, he said. He has lived in East Williston with his family, including two children in the East Williston school system, since 2013, and has been a Cub Scout den leader for three years.
The village justice seat is currently held by Joseph Sperber, who was elected to the position in 2008 and recently announced that he would not seek re-election.
Samuels, currently associate village justice and an attorney with the firm Kelner & Kelner, served as acting village justice.
“In my time as the associate and acting village justice, I know what the job requires,” Samuels said in an interview with Blank Slate Media in February. “I know that there are two sides to every story and will seek to remain impartial and I will balance the best interest of the village and its residents accordingly.”
Samuels has 30 years of courtroom and trial experience outside of the village, representing human rights in state and federal courts. He also served on the village’s Board of Zoning Appeals from 2004 to 2008.
An East Williston resident since 1999, Samuels expressed his long-held commitment to improving the community.
“I first volunteered at the village’s Memorial Day 5K in 2003,” he said, “and it began my passion for aiding the community. If I am elected as the village justice, I will be honored to continue that tradition of making East Williston a great place to live.”
Flachner, an attorney with Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP, also emphasized his dedication to the community.
“When I moved here, I knew that this would be a village I wanted to contribute to,” he said. “I have a great deal of respect for this position, and if elected, I would want to hold this role for a significant amount of time and give it the proper attention it requires.”
Flachner has lived in East Williston for five years. In an interview with Blank Slate Media in February, he said that he has been introducing himself to village residents in person in the months leading up to the election.
“My election is really going through word of mouth and in-person interactions,” Flachner said. “People have been extremely welcoming, and have given me insight into the village I did not know prior to meeting them.”
While he acknowledged that Samuels has lived in the village longer, Flachner said that his fresh perspective and litigation experience make him the best candidate for the position.
“Though my opponent has spent more time in this village and has done enough to remain in his position, sometimes a fresh face is needed to help lead the community going forward,” Flachner said. “I believe my experience as an attorney gives me the necessary knowledge and expertise to be someone the village is proud to call their village justice.”
Voting will take place at Village Hall at 2 Prospect St. on Wednesday, March 18, from noon to 9 p.m.
