Four running for Lawrence board

Two village seats are up in contested at-large election

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For the second time in three years, the Village of Lawrence will have a contested election for trustee, as Syma Diamond, Daniel Goldstein, Uri Kaufman and Rochelle Stern Kevelson are running for two board seats.

It is an at-large election, in which the two candidates with the most votes will win two-year terms.

Diamond, 39, a first-time candidate for public office, is running under the banner of the Voice of the People Party. A lawyer who has four children ranging in age from 17 to 2, she said she is vested in Lawrence and interested in helping the community.

“I hope to be able to provide a voice for the people who live down by Copperbeech Lane,” Diamond said, noting that the eastern portion of the village is not represented by the current board members. “It’s a good idea to have a representative from the other side [of Lawrence].”

If elected, she said, she would focus on creating more park and recreational space for children, improving street-lighting, solving the recurring mosquito problem during the warmer months so residents can enjoy their backyards, and mitigating the flooding that occurs in parts of the village. She said that with her litigation and negotiation skills, along with being a mother, she would bring a different perspective to the board.

Goldstein, 52, is no stranger to politics, having founded the Finance Party four years ago in Israel. The party has not won any seats in Israel’s Knesset, but has been influential, he said. Goldstein is running as a member of the Unity Party.

A real estate business partner of incumbent Trustee Irving Langer, 67, who is stepping down after two terms, Goldstein, an ex-captain of the Meadowmere Park Fire Department, said he believes in giving back to the community and thinks the village needs some upgrades — an improved library, a sidewalk for walkers and joggers on the south side of Causeway, road repairs and a simpler Building Department permitting process.

“I believe in what the residents believe in,” Goldstein said. “I want to succeed, and I’m not afraid to ask for a donation, get grants or make people change things.”

Kaufman, 52, a real estate developer, spent nine years on the Lawrence School District Board of Education, and now says he wants to put his experience to work for the village. Citing the five-acre, soon-to-be closed sewage treatment plant, he said that his area of expertise is cleaning up brownfields and ensuring the protection of wetlands. Kaufman is also running as a member of the Unity Party.

Relocating the Peninsula Public Library to the treatment plant site is an idea that needs to be studied, Kaufman said. And to add to the recreation amenities at the village-owned-and-operated Lawrence Yacht & Country Club, he said he would like to use the club’s pond for ice skating during the winter.

“I have the experience — I did it for nine years on the school board,” Kaufman said. “We brought universal pre-K to the district before most districts without raising taxes.”

Kevelson, 75, a member of the Lawrence Association for 35 years and a former president, says she wants to keep taxes low, and crack down on contractors who she says are not getting the proper permits to perform work, and are using false names. “The village does not have the manpower to check the credibility of the companies,” she said. Kevelson, a wholesale distributor of Judaica, is representing what the Star Party.

She said she thinks the village should pay more attention to apartment and condominium residents by creating a program for seniors that helps bring everyone together. She proposes a $25-dollar-a-ticket raffle to generate revenue — whose winner would not have to pay village taxes for the year. “I’m a solution person — I’m not interested in credit,” Kevelson said. “I know how things are made and done.”

The end of an era
Term-limited Mayor Martin Oliner, 69, who was first elected in 2010, is leaving village government, and the presumptive new leader is Trustee Alex Edelman, 67, who is running unopposed as a member of the Unity Party.

A board member for nearly four years, Edelman said he believes the village is a jewel that needs some polishing: new street lighting, curb repair, getting rid of double utility poles, fixing street signs, and improving the streetscape along its major thoroughfare, Central Avenue, with flower pots. “I have the time it requires to ask the daily questions and get results,” he said.

C. Simon Felder has been involved in Lawrence village government for nearly 30 years, serving on the zoning board and then the village board as a trustee, deputy mayor and mayor. He is not running for re-election.

“It’s time for other people to step up to the job,” Felder said. “It was a lot of fun, and there’s a great feeling of accomplishment. My advice is do it because you love the community and want to see it flourish.”

Village Justice Donald Buchalter, 79, meanwhile, is once again running unchallenged for a four-year term. He has served since 1987.

Uncontested village elections

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

Trustees Tom Cohen and Ken Kornblau and Mayor Mark Weiss 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 terms are two years. Election Day for all the villages is Tuesday, June 21. Voting will take place at village halls.