Lawrence trustees unopposed

Village of Lawrence incumbent Trustees Joel Mael, who serves as the deputy mayor, and Michael Fragin are running unopposed for re-election on Tuesday. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Village Hall, at 196 Central Ave.

Mael, 54, is the vice chairman of the Florida Marlins baseball organization and one of two founding partners of a merchant banking firm in New York City. He is married, has four children and has lived in Lawrence since 1988.

He is running for his fifth term, and said there is “unfinished business” he wants to complete, which includes finding a new location for the Peninsula Public Library. But Mael said that no viable plan has ever been presented to him regarding the relocation. “I would be more than happy to analyze any proposal as I would with any proposal that comes to the village,” he said. “Though there have been a few ideas over the years, the library can’t seem to get to the point where something can be presented in a complete fashion.”

The Nassau County Sewer Consolidation Project is also among Mael’s priorities. He said it is important for the county to continue solving the issues at the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant, such as the smell and the facility’s capacity. “The sewage plant in Bay Park has the capacity and is far more advanced in terms of having the latest technology to meet the [Department of Environmental Conservation] requirements,” he said. “They pump 70 million gallons a day in Bay Park, and in Lawrence and Cedarhurst we would add three and a half million gallons. The problems [in Bay Park] will be there with or without our three and a half million gallons.”

Mael has been in favor of having trustee term limits since he was first elected eight years ago. “I think it would be very healthy to have other people who want to have civic involvement,” he said. “Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a lot of people who have shown a desire to work in the area. By forcing this issue and letting people know there are opportunities and open doors, we would be able to have new blood coming in with new enthusiasm to do things.”

He would like to continue to focus on quality-of-life issues in the village, such as half-built, foreclosed or abandoned properties, the influx of flies and mosquitoes in the area and snow removal. “These are quality-of-life issues we can all do a better job at,” Mael said. “We need to make sure residents are safe and comfortable.”

Previous performance is the reason residents should vote for him, he said. “Based on both my track record of what I’ve done and what I hope to accomplish,” he said, “I think I’m well suited to be an advocate for the residents of this village.”

Michael Fragin

A resident of Lawrence since 1999, Fragin, 37, is married with five children. The real estate investor is running for a second term, and said he would like to have more openness and transparency on the board. “I’d like to see more information posted on the village website,” he said. “If you look at other village websites, they’re more user-friendly, and we need to get there.”

After getting the minutes from village meetings posted on the website, he would like to make it possible for residents to pay their parking tickets online in the near future.

Stabilizing the finances of the Lawrence Yacht and Country Club will be the village’s No. 1 priority this year, Fragin said, calling the club a “wonderful amenity” but adding that it needs to be self-sustaining. “We’ve been very focused on trying to make the necessary improvements,” he said, which includes getting a second kosher caterer at the club and settling litigation with the restaurant, Mezza on the Green, that operates at the club.

Like Mael, Fragin looks forward to the completion of the county’s Sewer Consolidation Project and to the village finding a use for the Lawrence sewer plant property. “The land will be able to be used,” he said of the plant once the county takes over. “Hopefully for public use or as taxable land.”

Fragin said he does not believe that term limits would help improve the quality of government. “There is a steep learning curve, and a term limit would create a situation of making things more political rather than a team atmosphere,” he said. “The idea has merit, but significant limits could be detrimental.”

During his past term, his accomplishments included getting voting hours extended and working to improve the use of technology. He would like to expand Zion Park and create more usable public space.

“With three years on the board, I’ve made very positive contributions and made a lot of improvements,” Fragin said. “I’ve served outside the village in government positions, and I am very well qualified.”