Panzenbeck secures Glen Cove Mayoral victory with 62 percent of the Vote

Pamela Panzenbeck, the affable, optimistic former Glen Cove city councilwoman, will remain the city’s mayor, unofficially winning roughly 62 percent of the vote on Tuesday in her race against former Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos.
A retired business and computer education teacher, Panzenbeck, a Republican, is a lifelong Glen Cove resident. Her passion for and commitment to improving her hometown is equaled by her stated love of its residents, many of whom know her from the years when she was a volunteer, before she got involved in city government.
Maragos, a Democrat who captured only 37 percent of the vote, blamed his defeat on national issues, pointing out that other towns on Long Island had similar GOP wins. Adding that he had no regrets, he said he would support Panzenbeck, and offered his help.
“People are feeling our economy is not working for everybody with the cost of living so high,” Maragos said. “Earlier results indicate that more Democrats came out then Republicans. The Democrats crossed over, as did the blanks,” he added referring to voters with no party affiliation.
Although Panzenbeck’s win was all but certain, votes cast early and absentee ballots remained to be counted, which could affect the outcome in City Council races, which were closer. As of midnight Tuesday, for example, the margin between Democrat John Zozzaro, who was in sixth place among 19 candidates, and incumbent Republican Jack Mancusi, in seventh, was two votes.

“It’s terrible to have these cliffhanger nights,” Panzenbeck said. “We’ll see how it all goes. This is far from finished.”
The Democratic incumbents on the City Council, Danielle Fugazy Scagliola, who won 10 percent of the votes, and Marsha Silverman, who won 9 percent, were re-elected.
City Democrats celebrated winning one more seat on the council — Zozzaro, the former owner of the Downtown Café, although he said he would remain cautious until the election was certified by the Nassau County Board of Elections. He received 8 percent of the votes.
“I don’t want to be a politician,” Zozzaro said. “I want to do the right thing for people. It’s not a Democratic or Republican thing.”
Republican City Council incumbents Kevin Maccarone and Grady Farnan were also re-elected, but Jack Mancusi and Barbara Peebles were not. Newcomer Michael Ktistakis finished fifth, with 8 percent of the votes.
“Two years ago, when I won, I was in the top three, and I was very happy,” said Mancusi, who was a Glen Cove police officer for 25 years. “Now I’m in the bottom, and I’m just hoping for the best when the absentee and early voting results come in. People voted, and they’ll get the people they wanted in office. I’m very comfortable with whoever they choose.”
First elected in 2018, Maccarone, 33, is the city’s youngest elected official ever. His father, John, is the head of the Glen Cove Republican Party. He captured 9 percent of the vote, and was in third place.
“I really give all the council people so much credit — everyone worked so hard,” Maccarone said.
Maccarone had posted disparaging remarks on Facebook about Silverman. When the Herald asked Silverman if it would be difficult for her to work with him on the council, she paused.
“Every campaign I’ve run is on my qualifications and contributions to the City of Glen Cove,” Silverman said. “I’ve never stooped to the nastiness. This has happened to me in the past. I put it behind me then, and will do so again to work with anyone who is elected for a better Glen Cove.”
Fugazy Scagliola described this election as “a little dirtier.” She said her focus would be on doing the right thing. “When you spend time going negative on others, it’s a waste of your time,” she said.
County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, a Glen Cove Democrat, enjoyed her re-election to a seventh term in the 11th District. She defeated John Stalzer, of Sea Cliff, by a wide margin, garnering roughly 64 percent of the vote.
“I really, truly enjoy my job,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “And I love working with the people in that district.”
DeRiggi-Whitton, who served on the City Council before becoming a legislator, has spearheading a number of environmental projects on the North Shore. She is known for working with those across the aisle, a characteristic that she said is attributable to being a moderate and coming from a family of both Democrats and Republicans. She said she was looking forward to continuing her work in the Legislature.