Contested trustee race in Lawrence

Elections in five other villages for mayor and board members on Tuesday

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Atlantic Beach, Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, Lawrence and Woodsburgh village residents can vote for mayors, trustees and in the case of Lawrence, a village justice on Tuesday.

Syma Diamond, Daniel Goldstein, Uri Kaufman and Rochelle Stern Kevelson are running for Lawrence village trustee. It is an at-large election. The two with the most votes win.

Diamond a matrimonial lawyer, has a vested interest in the community as the mother of four children. She proposes to create more recreational space and wants Lawrence to have more family-oriented activities like Cedarhurst’s concerts in the park. Diamond said a contractor should be brought in to spray the Back Lawrence area for mosquitoes in the warmer months so residents could be more comfortable outside their homes. She was in favor of the village updating its parking meters.

Goldstein, a business partner of sitting Trustee Irving Langer, who is not running for re-election, has political experience. Goldstein helped establish the Finance Party in Israel with his brother, Benny. The party didn’t win any seats in the Knesset, but Goldstein thinks it had an impact.

He wants to simplify the Building Department process by eliminating the denial letter and just have residents apply for the requested variance and then a hearing. Running as a member of the Unity Party, along with Kaufman and presumptive mayor Alex Edelman (the incumbent trustee is running unopposed), Goldstein also believes in privatizing operations at the village-owned and operated Lawrence Yacht & Country Club.

Kaufman served nine years on the Lawrence school board. He touts his real experience and expertise with remediating brownfields as skills the village could use regarding the sewage plant property, nearly five acres of land. Kaufman proposes a community center with an indoor.

Privatizing the country club is something that should be done, he said, because there are things that government does well, but running a business is not one of them. He said he will never hid from raising taxes, but points to his record on the Lawrence board, where taxes were not raised significantly and services were continued to be rendered.

Kevelson, a former president of the Lawrence Association, the village's civic organization, is the only one of the candidates who attends board meeting. She has lived in Lawrence for 35 years. She has accumulated knowledge about how the village works and noted the complacency of the current board and how issues are tabled for weeks and months.

Kevelson wants to create a revenue-generating raffle, where the winner wouldn't have to pay village taxes for that year. She also would like the village to create place for seniors, widows and divorced people to meet and be involved in activities.

Lawrence Village Justice Donald Buchalter, 79, is once again running unchallenged for a four-year term. He has served since 1987. Trustee C. Simon Felder is ending his nearly 30 years of serving Lawrence. He was on the zoning board, the village board and has been mayor and deputy mayor.

Uncontested village elections
Incumbent Atlantic Beach Mayor George Pappas and sitting Trustees Linda L. Bassler and Edward A. Sullivan are running unopposed. In Hewlett Bay Park, Mayor Steven Kaufman and Trustees Gail Rubel and Joel Schneider are also unchallenged.

Mayor Mark Weiss and Trustees Tom Cohen and Ken Kornblau are unopposed in Hewlett Harbor. In Hewlett Neck, Mayor Ross Epstein and board members Steven Hochberg and Aron Schnell are running without challengers. Woodsburgh Trustees Carl Cayne and Barry Platnick are also running unopposed.

All mayoral and trustee terms are two years.

Voting takes place in Lawrence at Village Hall at 196 Central Ave. from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. In Atlantic Beach it’s from noon to 9 p.m. at Village Hall at 65 The Plaza. Hewlett Bay Park voting is at Village Hall at 30 Piermont Ave. in Hewlett. Hewlett Neck and Woodsburgh residents vote at the Keystone Yacht Club at 190 Woodmere Blvd. in Woodmere.

In Hewlett Harbor, voting takes place from noon to 9 p.m. at Village Hall at 449 Pepperidge Road. For results, go to liherald.com/fivetowns.