Two candidates vie to be mayor of Valley Stream

Martin Zirpolo
Age: 60
Occupation: Director of security operations in a high-priority building
Family: 92-year-old mother; longtime partner, Samantha
Education: Nassau Community College, Hofstra University, Adelphi University, Chicago University
Party: Neighborhood Party
Years in the village: 55
Experience: Valley Stream Recreation Department for 17 years; created the Valley Stream Roller Hockey program; creator and director of the Barrett Park Summer Camp program; worked at Evergreen Events in conjunction with Madison Square Garden and NYC Parks and Recreation; in his present capacity, works closely with NYPD and FDNY, and federal agencies like the FBI and Secret Service.
closely with NYPD and FDNY, and federal agencies like the FBI and Secret Service.

Marty Zirpolo said he is concerned about the direction the village is going. He points to the more than 100 vacant storefronts, several new multistory apartment buildings and what he sees as residents’ feelings of being disconnected from village government as grounds for that concern.

“When considering building proposals, we must keep in mind that we want to maintain our suburban atmosphere,” he said. “In order for our village to thrive, we must take into consideration the entire area, not just plot by plot.”

A village should have an overall theme that new development keeps with, he said, and new buildings should be landscaped into the community in a cohesive way, with plenty of input from the community. He said economic development can be better facilitated by the village if proper planning were in place.

“In the mall business, the management develops their anchors to increase walk-through traffic, then they fill in the stores in between,” he said, noting his experience supervising security at two malls.