Challenged elections in Atlantic Beach, Hewlett Harbor

Posted

Five Towns village elections that would have taken place in March and June were postponed to Sept. 15 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The upcoming elections now include contested races with 11 candidates in Atlantic Beach and Hewlett Harbor.

In Hewlett Harbor, six candidates are running for three positions. Mayor Mark Weiss is facing a challenge from Ron Austin, a senior level executive in the mortgage industry. Kim Volman and David Mosayov are challenging incumbent Trustees Thomas Cohen and Kenneth Kornblau. Volman is the CEO Citiva NY and Citiva USA, a New York City-based cannabis medicine company.

Despite what appears to be serious credentials, Austin, Mosayov and Volman did not return multiple call and texts to explain their positions or why they are running. 

Weiss, a village resident since 1994, has served as mayor since 2007. “In my first meeting I said that my goal is to establish Hewlett Harbor as the Nordstrom of village governments,” he said. “I wanted to treat our residents as clients and every interaction with them is an opportunity to make them satisfied. You’re not always successful, but if that's your goal, then you have something to work toward.”

The terms are all two years. The two trustee candidates with the most votes win.

Cohen is a 27-year village resident and has been a trustee since 2009. “I feel that it’s every resident’s responsibility to help improve our community,” Cohen said. “It’s an honor to serve along with my fellow trustee Ken Kornblau, whose keen legal mind is always beneficial to our board’s discussions and serving under Mayor Mark Weiss has been a 10 year journey in continuing to make Hewlett Harbor one of the nicest places to live.”

Kornblau has been on the board since 2007 and said that he is running for re-election to keep the village in pristine shape. “I want to keep it beautiful, safe and friendly, with each neighbor respecting, caring and concerned for one another,” he said. “Our team has no personal agendas, and we have no potential for conflicts of interest. I want to maintain our proven track record of fairly representing each and every resident and to never be beholden to any particular group.”

Voting is from noon to 9 p.m. at Village Hall, 449 Pepperidge Road in Hewlett Harbor.

In Atlantic Beach, Mayor George Pappas is facing a challenge from his predecessor, Stephen R. Mahler. Pappas became mayor in 2014 after defeating Mahler who was mayor from 1996 to 2014. Incumbent Trustees Linda Baessler, Edward Sullivan and challenger Danielle Struss, a 12-year village resident, will be running for two trustee positions. All terms are two years.

Pappas said that he wants to focus on infrastructure if he is re-elected. “In the past six years we’ve done more road improvements than this village has ever seen and we’ve increased our road budget from a quarter million to half a million a year,” he said. “Some projects have been put on hold due to Covid, but we will continue to do roadwork.”

Mahler said that he is looking to become mayor again because he believes his opponent has caused the village to go backwards. “To see the current mayor reverse course of all I’ve achieved in making the village an independent village in terms of zoning is really something that’s very distressing,” he said. “That’s the reason I’m running. It’s been painful to see all these backwards steps.” 

Baessler, a retired teacher, has been a trustee since 2009. “I would like to add more activities in the village for kids and other residents such as planning a movie night, concerts on the beach when it’s safe to do so,” she said. “In general, I want to keep this village pristine as it has been while making infrastructure improvements.”

Sullivan is a 25-year village resident and first got involved with village government by joining the zoning board of appeals in 2005. “I think that the community is just as nice and if not better than it was 20 years ago,” he said. “I believe that I’m known as a person who understands how the village operates as it's not just as simple as deciding if you want to do something or don't want to do something. It's also a question of how you're going to do something, how you're going to pay for it and how it will affect people’s taxes.”

Struss works as a director for Global Strategic Sourcing Operations at Icahn Enterprises in New York City. She noted that she has been attending board meetings for as long as she has lived in Atlantic Beach.

“I really think the trustees are well meaning and I value the dedication they’ve given to the village over the years, but I think they can benefit from a strong, smart and proactive addition to the board such as myself,” she said. “I spent 25 years in management consulting at a hedge fund and I’m really frustrated with the fiscal planning, accountability and lack of transparency that the current board has.”

Voting is at Village Hall, 65 the Plaza, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Unopposed elections

Cedarhurst Trustees Myrna Zisman and Dan Plaut are both running unopposed for four-year terms. Zisman is running for her fourth full term. She joined the board in 2006. Plaut is running for his first full term after replacing Ron Lanzilotta, who stepped down in December. Voting is from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Village Hall at 200 Cedarhurst Ave.

Hewlett Bay Park’s mayor, Steven Kaufman, is running for his ninth term. Trustee Gail Rubel is also running for re-election. Trustee Joel Schneider is stepping down. Dr. Antonio Oliviero is the trustee candidate. All terms are two years.

Ross Epstein is running for a fifth term as Hewlett Neck mayor, and incumbent Trustees Steven Hochberg and Aron Schnell are also seeking re-election. All terms are two years.

Carl Cayne is seeking his eighth term in Woodsburgh. Trustee Barry Platnick is stepping down. David Perl is the candidate. All terms are two years.

Voting for Hewlett Bay Park is at Village Hall, 30 Piermont Ave, in Hewlett, from noon to 9 p.m. For Hewlett Neck and Woodsburgh, voting is at the Keystone Yacht Club, 190 Woodmere Blvd. S. in Woodmere.