Valley Stream election is Tuesday

Tuesday’s ballot for village trustee contains only two names, incumbents John Tufarelli and Virginia Clavin-Higgins. The pair are seeking re-election to serve on the village board for the next four years.

Tufarelli, 50, was first elected in 2007. He said that the last four years have been difficult, with the deaths of Mayor Ed Cahill and Deputy Mayor Guido Cirenza, but the village board has been able to keep its focus on delivering services to residents while keeping taxes down. “Through all of the ups and downs, our mindset stayed the same,” Tufarelli said.

Clavin-Higgins, 49, is the newest member of the village board. She was appointed to fill a vacancy in October, created when Ed Fare was elected mayor. Her mother, Rosanna Clavin, served as the village’s first female trustee. Clavin-Higgins said she has enjoyed the opportunity to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

She said that her primary issue in this campaign is taxes. Valley Stream is a blue-collar community where many people live on fixed incomes or work several jobs to make ends meets, she said, and for that reason, the village board must avoid raising taxes. “It’s about being responsible,” she said.

Clavin-Higgins also supports efforts to increase the village’s revenue without raising taxes. She said she likes an idea being considered by the village board to repurpose underutilized municipal parking lots and rent spaces to commercial vehicle owners.

Tufarelli said he wants to make sure that the services the village offers remain intact. It’s important, he said, that the streets are in good condition, the garbage gets picked up, the trees are trimmed and the parks are kept clean. Additionally, he wants a responsive village government that immediately addresses problems brought to its attention. “We want to do the right thing by the residents,” he said.

Last year’s election featured much debate about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood maps, which added a significant portion of Valley Stream to the high-risk flood zone. Tufarelli said that the village administration takes this issue seriously, and he and several other trustees, along with the mayor, have contacted federal officials on several occasions seeking help. “We’ve reached out everywhere we could,” he said. “The ball’s in their court.”

Tufarelli was on the board when the village adopted the new flood maps. He said that the decision was based on the best available information at the time, along with the advice of legal counsel. Since the new maps went into effect, Tufarelli said, he realizes how little information the village was given by FEMA and the federal government about the changes and their impact on residents.

Both he and Clavin-Higgins support the acquisition of 195 Rockaway Ave. to serve as a Village Hall annex. The village is looking to take possession of the building through eminent domain proceedings for its court and law enforcement departments.

Tufarelli said that the expansion into 195 Rockaway Ave. is intended to bring more people downtown. “We’re getting positive feedback about investing some money down there,” he said. “The store owners are … excited about it. They believe it’s very much going to be a benefit to them.”

Rockaway Avenue also needs an anchor “name brand” store, he said. But the village government can only do so much, Tufarelli noted, until the economy turns around.

Clavin-Higgins said that despite the lack of opposition in the election, she has still been out campaigning. She wants to meet residents and hear what they have to say about the state of village affairs.

She lives near Firemen’s Field, and said she has concentrated her campaign efforts by going door to door in other areas of the village where she is less known. “I’m trying to give them a face to go with the name,” she said.

Clavin-Higgins grew up in Valley Stream and has been in her current home for seven years. She is married and has two sons and a daughter who attend Holy Name of Mary School. She is a principal law clerk for Nassau County Court.

Tufarelli has lived in the village for 34 years, is married and has a 20-year-old son. He is the former president of the Valley Stream Baseball League and the current executive director of Nassau OTB.

He believes there is a strong interest in village government, he said, and the lack of opposition is a sign that the current administration is doing a good job. He would like to see that reflected at the polls, as well. “People should come out and show their support, that they believe in us,” Tufarelli said. “That will make us believe that we’re doing a good job.”

Clavin-Higgins said she always tries to work toward a compromise with her fellow board members, but isn’t afraid to stand by her convictions. No one can call her a pushover, she says.

She, too, is hoping for a good turnout on Election Day, and said that government officials should know that the people they are representing are watching them. “We have to answer to them,” she said. “That’s what keeps government responsive and responsible.”