Three to run for Valley Stream mayor

For the first time in 20 years, there will be a three-way race for mayor in Valley Stream. Jim Darcy and Ed Fare have announced their candidacy, joining Gibson resident Joe Margolin on the ballot.

Margolin, who announced that he would be a candidate three weeks ago, is running on the Citizens Involvement Party ticket with Michael LoCascio and, as of this week, Carol Crupi. Fare’s running mates include trustee candidates Vincent Grasso and Dermond Thomas, and Village Justice Bob Bogle, who is unopposed for his seat. Darcy is running a solo campaign for mayor.

Fare, a village trustee for the past seven years, said he has been planning to run for mayor ever since he was a child growing up in Valley Stream. “It’s not something I thought of at the last minute,” he said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to be.”

He noted that his oldest daughter, Samantha, represents the fourth generation from his family to graduate from Central High School. He has two other children still in Valley Stream schools.

Darcy is seeking a return to the mayor’s post. He held the position from 1995 to 1998, stepping down a few months before the end of his term to join the State Assembly. He now represents the 3rd Council District on the Hempstead Town Board, a position he has held since 2001.

Margolin said he would likely serve only one term, and would make the Federal Emergency Management Agency flood map issue his first priority every day. He said that the new high-risk flood zone in Valley Stream has created a nightmare for people and has devalued homes in the community, especially in Gibson.

Margolin added, however, that he would not forget the needs of the rest of the village.

Crupi, who has become widely known in the community for her opposition to the FEMA flood maps, will join Margolin and LoCascio. “We were short one person,” she said, “and I thought it would be best if we had a full ticket.”

After spending a good part of the past year fighting the flood map changes and the four-figure insurance premiums residents have had to pay, Crupi said she wants to take her community activism to the next level. A spot on the village board, she said, might win her more credibility with FEMA.

But she said she would not be a one-issue candidate. She is concerned about the vacant stores on Rockaway Avenue and Gibson Boulevard. Crupi said she would also like to see the village do more to fix the roads. “I was thinking that maybe I could do some good,” she said about her decision to run for trustee. “Valley Stream is a very special place to me.”

LoCascio, a 35-year resident of the village, said he would focus on quality-of-life issues if he is elected. He said he would be the “fresh voice” that is needed in Village Hall, and would make sure that the Gibson section is adequately represented.

“I’m tired of talking about what someone else should do,” he said in explaining why he is running for the village board. “Maybe that someone else is me. The old word is ‘put up or shut up.’”

Thomas, who ran unsuccessfully for State Assembly in November, is hoping for a different result this time around. The father of two young children said he is committed to the future of Valley Stream and is excited about the chance to make decisions on the village level.

One of his goals, Thomas said, would be to increase recreational opportunities for families. He said he would like to see more programs offered at the village parks and library. “We have a lot of great space that we can utilize better,” he said.

Thomas added that he wants to focus on the downtown revitalization project and create an environment in which businesses can thrive. And most important, he said, is the work of maintaining the financial health of the village.

Grasso is the lone incumbent of the four trustee candidates. He has served on the board for 13 months since being appointed to the late Guido Cirenza’s seat. The challenges of the coming years, he said, include getting village homeowners relief from the flood maps, finding ways to revitalize Rockaway Avenue and keeping the village’s fiscal house in order.

As a father of one, Grasso said he has nothing but the best interests of Valley Stream in mind. “I bring a lot of the concerns that are shared with the parents of young kids,” he said. “They plan to be in the village a long time, as I do.”

Bogle is unopposed for his seventh term as village justice, a position he was first appointed to in 1988 when he was just 29. Valley Stream has one of the top-grossing village courts in New York state, bringing in about $1.75 million annually.

“I love the job,” Bogle said. “I love being the judge in the community I grew up in. It’s a wonderful way to service the community.”