Much to like in town government

In this space last week, we expressed our disappointment that the Nassau County Legislature puts politics before people, almost always voting along party lines, hardly ever working in concert to accomplish great things for a county that has never needed great things to happen more than it does now.

Compared with the county, the Town of Hempstead runs effectively. It balances its budget without property tax increases, gets high marks on the environment and provides generally excellent services.

From the supervisor, clerk and receiver of taxes on down to every Town Council member, officials are accessible and present in the communities they were elected to serve. They do not show up only in election years, but rather attend community events even when they’re not campaigning.

They have shown themselves to be dedicated, enthusiastic, knowledgeable people intent on doing the right thing for their constituents.

We are endorsing the incumbents in each of the three district races up for election this year — Districts 2, 3 and 5. While their challengers are strong, the incumbents have worked hard and gained a deep understanding of the issues from extensive experience, and we see no good reason to unseat them and lose that high competence.

Our endorsements in the town-wide races will be in next week’s issue.

All of the town’s positive accomplishments notwithstanding, there are still problems that shouldn’t be ignored. The town has been criticized for failing to act much more expeditiously on the demolition of the iniquitous Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead to make room for a residential project that will serve the community’s interests so much better.