U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer called for maintaining the Town of North Hempstead’s infrastructure and environment at the swearing-in ceremony for the town’s officials, including Supervisor Judi Bosworth.
Receiver of Taxes Charles Berman, Councilman Peter Zuckerman, Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey and first-term Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte were also sworn in at the ceremony on Sunday at Clinton G. Martin Park in New Hyde Park.
“It’s a great day for the elected officials that we are swearing in,” Schumer, a Democrat, said, after being introduced by Town of North Hempstead Democratic Chairman John Ryan.
Schumer complimented Bosworth, running through her history as a Parent-Teacher Association president at Great Neck South Middle School, a member of the Great Neck Board of Education and a county legislator.
“She got here the old-fashioned way, she earned it,” Schumer said. “It’s a great day for Judi.”
The senator then listed what tasks were to come for the public servants, and cited “old” infrastructure needing to be rebuilt, and the “beautiful” environment and the Long Island Sound as good aspects in the North Hempstead area that need constant work. Schumer also mentioned building affordable housing and retaining young people while maintaining “a degree of fiscal responsibility.”
“It’s a beautiful, beautiful community,” Schumer said. “And it has a lot of advantages, but you can’t let things go by the wayside.”
Schumer also said that the ‘torch of power’ had been passed peacefully in North Hempstead, and took a shot at Washington, D.C., when mentioning the intentions of the nation’s founders.
“[The founders] were worried that the people who would put themselves forward for office would do it only for themselves, for money, for power, for ego,” Schumer said. “Sound familiar? In Washington? No comments about anyone in particular, of course.”
Bosworth was sworn in for her third term by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, and followed up on Schumer’s comments in her inaugural address.
“I have to say that [democracy] seems to be operating better in North Hempstead than it is in, I don’t know, Washington, D.C., as Congressman [Tom] Suozzi can attest to,” Bosworth said. “When I look out at this audience, I see the faces of my partners in this self-governing adventure.”
New York State Attorney General Letitia James also spoke, commending Bosworth for her attitude in her work.
“The first time I knew about Judi, I was campaigning and as I was driving into North Hempstead, I saw all these signs that said, ‘strictly enforced by the order of Judi Bosworth,'” James said, eliciting laughs from the crowd. “They were all over, and I said, wow, this woman must be tough. This woman must be the type to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘do not cross it.’ This woman must be someone who is, basically, no-nonsense.”
Berman was then sworn in for his third term by County Court Judge Tammy Schwitz Robbins, the sister of his former aide; Zuckerman for his second term by East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz, with whom he had served on the East Hills Board of Trustees; and Lurvey for her first elected term by state Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck), whom she was appointed to replace early in 2019.
Dalimonte, the newest addition to the Town Board after defeating incumbent Dina De Giorgio in November, was sworn in by Bosworth and received a standing ovation after her inaugural remarks.
“I, the months ahead, I’ll take steps to be the bridge between constituents and the local government, and the first step in doing that is listening,” Dalimonte said. “So I look forward to not only meeting with individuals and organizations to hear their voices and ideas, but to holding town hall meetings across my district to provide the community a direct line of communication to help strengthen our community so that the next generation can live, thrive and raise their families here, too.”
