Three vie for Sea Cliff Village Trustee

Two seats are open on the board

Posted

Sea Cliff residents will choose between three candidates for two open seats on the Sea Cliff board of trustees during the village election March 16. The candidates are incumbent Dina Epstein and challengers Jim Mozer and James Versocki.

Elena Villafane, a current village trustee and deputy mayor, is running for mayor uncontested.

The Herald interviewed the three trustee candidates to learn more about what they plan to bring to the village if they were to win a seat on the board. Here is what they had to say.

 

Herald: What are the biggest issues facing Sea Cliff today, and what would you do to address them?

 

Dina Epstein: The most pressing issue right now is the water company and municipalizing the water. The village board has been very out front, and we wouldn’t even be at this point had the village not written the Article 78 proceeding regarding those unreasonable rate increases that New York American Water was granted in 2017. As a result of the settlement, rates were reduced for all New York American Water customers in the Sea Cliff district and New York American Water agreed to spend $1 million on water conservation.

We then got grants from Senators Marcellino and Gaughran to conduct the water feasibility study for the Public Service Commission. We hired Walden Environmental Engineering, and the end result was that, for the price of $19.2 million, we could float a bond. Bond rates are very low, and it would be a perfect time to municipalize the water district.

We’re waiting for April 1 so see what the outcome of the governor’s investigation is, and I’m ready to respond to that. Along with the village board, we’ve been very strong proponents of municipalizing the water supply. It’s not even just about the cost — we should not be paying five times the amount for our water than our neighbors are, but it’s also a safety issue. The Glen Head well having PFOS chemicals concerns me. If there were local control over our water, we could implement some other kinds of measures to conserve water and make sure that, until that filtration system is installed, we’re not using water from the Glen Head well.

 

Jim Mozer: I don’t think there are many issues. I think the only thing that I would like to address is a little more continuity in the building department, but other than that, I feel that the village is run fiscally well. I think the people that have been running the village since I’ve been around have been doing a great job, so I want to keep that going. I don’t see any issues with the way the village is run and I just want to be a part of that.

 

James Versocki: One of the most paramount issues right now is protecting our water supply and the community’s fight for municipal water. I’m fortunate enough to be involved in that fight with some of the local community groups, including North Shore Concerned Citizens, which I’ve been a part of since its foundation. The village has been a leader in that fight, and I think my role as a trustee would be to continue to have Sea Cliff on the forefront of that fight as the local municipal government that has undertaken the feasibility studies and has commenced litigation against American Water through the Public Service Commission to protect ratepayers. Sea Cliff has played a role in this battle, and I will gladly provide my experience and knowledge to continue that fight.

There’s also been a huge amount of development in the surrounding communities, and I think Sea Cliff has also been a leader in addressing regional growth. We need to continue the village’s involvement in monitoring development, including large developments that impact our waterways, like our aquifers and Hempstead Harbor. I would make sure that development is done properly and environmentally safe.

I’ve had a deep connection to the youth in our community through my service with the various leagues. The village has a youth liaison position, and I would certainly love to serve in that capacity as trustee.

 

Herald: How would you help facilitate change in the village while still maintaining its distinct character?

 

Epstein: The long-range planning committee that Elena [Villafane] has headed has a survey that is a very good gauge of what the possibilities are that could happen in the future of Sea Cliff. Do we want more development? Where do we want that development to be if we want it? Do we want more houses? Do we want to encourage more businesses? It lays out the possibilities of what could happen in the future and asks for people to weigh in. I believe that would be an excellent gauge to take the temperature of the community, and we can see what it is that our residents want, because we always want to be responsive to our residents.

 

Mozer: With people being home, I think that getting people involved in the community to help is important. This is not a one-person job. With the people I know in the village, I think I can get them engaged in volunteering and helping to keep the village strong.

 

Versocki: There is a huge interest in Sea Cliff right now, and I see this firsthand on the Zoning Board of Appeals. We’ve rarely seen the amount of applications we’re getting for construction in the village, and that’s because Sea Cliff is a place people want to be. It’s a place they want to raise their families, so we have to welcome those who come to Sea Cliff, and part of that is getting them involved civically, whether it’s through their families, schools or participation in civic associations, and welcoming them. A community that is desirable is a beautiful place to be. Protecting it is also important, and we do that through the many committees and boards.

We also have to make sure that government is user-friendly. People’s interactions with Village Hall are so important because it sets the tone. Most people coming into the village are often buying homes, revitalizing them and putting a lot of money into them, so the building department and Village Hall are places they deal with. Continuing to have a positive working relationship with the community is integral. Trustees play that role as well. People see them in the street and ask them questions, and we need to be welcoming of that, while also making sure people know the right processes to handle their issues.

 

Herald: What would your goals be if elected?

 

Epstein: One of the reasons why I decided to run again is because a lot of the things I wanted to accomplish this last year were brought to a halt by the pandemic, and I could not finish out many of the projects I wanted to.

Sea Cliff became a registered Climate Smart Community right before the pandemic, so we’re working towards a designation, which would make us more competitive for grants going forward. When the pandemic was starting, I had plans to collaborate with the Youth Activities Board for a Porch Fest to provide information on environmental initiatives. We have a culvert assessment grant that’s going to go forward this spring, and all of the water that flows toward Hempstead Harbor will be addressed. There’s also a redesign and re-engineering of Prospect Avenue to make it a safer roadway, and I know the residents are really clamoring for that.

 

Mozer: I would want some continuity between the boards — to have people talking to each other, knowing what the other boards are doing and having relationships between them. They need to be more connected. I would also want to keep the streets safe, have clean garbage pick-up, keep our parks and Sea Cliff Beach clean and up to date and get people to help out the community.

 

Versocki: Bringing municipal water to Sea Cliff and our surrounding communities is one of my major goals to see accomplished. I would also continue to support the ever-expanding transparency in local government. People demand nothing less than that anymore.

The village continues to face incredible pressures from Covid. We received a good amount of state grants and funding, and a lot of that is going to be severely strained due to the pandemic. We need to make sure the village continues to be run in a fiscally prudent way so we can provide the services we need.