Who will lead East Rockaway?

In what can only be described as the most contentious and competitive local election in recent memory — and one as riveting to watch as a six-car pileup — the race to find a new mayor and two trustees for the Village of East Rockaway is winding down, but not quietly.

With the Pride Party raising and spending close to $80,000 on glossy mailings and massive signage around East Rockaway and surrounding areas, and the Freedom Party working with less than $20,000, the fight for leadership started well before a local election usually does. Some say it began well before the unexpected death of Mayor Ed Sieban last July.

Fran Lenahan, 60, a trustee on the village board for four years, threw his hat into the ring last September, backed by the Village Pride Party. “The three major planks of [my] platform resonate with every East Rockaway resident, especially in today’s turbulent and uncertain economy,” Lenahan said after making the announcement. “And they are: cutting taxpayer-funded, highly paid administrators; the responsible growth of the village; and an overall village tax cut which will benefit every homeowner.”

Lenahan’s trustee candidate running mates, Stanley Lombardo and Ed Corrado, were announced soon afterward.

That same month, Deputy Mayor Richard Meagher announced the formation of a new party, the Freedom Party. “One key reason for founding the Freedom Party of East Rockaway is to create a village party that will pledge to avoid seeking and avoid accepting the assistance of any local organization of any national political party,” Meagher said.

He added that Sieban had begun to explore the need to create a new party as far back as the fall of 2009, in meetings he held with colleagues. “The legacy of [Sieban] needs to be carried on,” Meagher said. “In particular his independence in reaching decisions on what was the right thing for village residents — although such decisions might have upset those who sought to direct or control him.”

Meagher soon announced his candidacy for mayor, along with Freedom Party trustee candidates Bobby Klose and Harry Levitt.