Three of five spots on the Village of Mineola Board of Trustees will be on the line in local elections this March, and all three incumbents, including Mayor Scott Strauss, are looking to retain their seats.
Strauss, who won unopposed in 2013, is running a joint campaign with trustees George Durham and Dennis Walsh, who are also up for re-election.
The three are all members of the New Line Party, which currently holds four spots on the board. The mayor serves as both village executive and a board member.
The New Line Party works to be “fiscally responsible” and “cut out waste,” said Durham, who is seeking a third term as trustee.
The party’s “pay-as-you-go” policy – funding projects as money becomes available rather than borrowing – has helped Mineola reduce its deficit from $33 million to about $15 million, he said.
Durham said the village is also continuing to invest heavily in infrastructure and public projects, like the renovation of Mineola Memorial Park.
In 2011, Moody’s Investors Services upgraded the village’s bond rating to Aa3 after two successive surpluses.
So far, no candidates have filed with the village clerk to appear on the ballot, the clerk said. But the deadline to submit petitions is not until February and other candidates may come forward.
New Line Party president and campaign manager Rick Maher estimates that Strauss, Durham and Walsh have easily surpassed the requisite 100 signatures for a ballot spot, though they have not yet filed.
Maher said that, if elected, the New Line Party candidates intend to keep taxes low and encourage new businesses to open in Mineola.
“We want people to come in and invest in our community and bring life into our community,” he said. “We built our New Line Party with the slogan ‘honesty, integrity, and accountability’ and that’s been pretty much our track record.”
He also lauded Strauss’ emergency preparedness, particularly during Superstorm Sandy.
Sandy wasn’t Strauss’ first time dealing with catastrophe. In 2001, he was an emergency responder to the 9/11 terrorist attacks as a member of the New York Police Department. His role in the rescue was subsequently dramatized in the Oliver Stone film “World Trade Center.”
Strauss ascended from Mineola trustee to mayor in 2011, after then-Mayor Jack Martins was elected to the State Senate. The board of trustees voted to appoint Strauss over Martins’ deputy mayor, Larry Werther. Two years later, Werther lost his trustee re-election bid following a campaign in which he frequently attacked Strauss’ record.
Maher said he was unsure if Werther or any other potential New Line Party opponents intend to run. Werther did not respond to attempts to contact him through his 2013 campaign website.
Durham, talking about the current members of the board, said they have a long history together and make an effective team.
“I’ve lived here my whole life,” he said. “I went to school here. I’ve known the mayor since I was five years old. We want to do what’s right for the residents.”
Efforts to reach Strauss nor Walsh were unavailing.
The Mineola elections will take place Wednesday, March 18.
