Joseph Margolin running for mayor of Valley Stream

Joseph Margolin has been a regular at Valley Stream village board meetings for the better part of two years. Come April, he hopes to move from the audience to the front of the room — to the mayor’s seat.

Margolin is running for the top position in the village on the Citizens Independence Party line. He has been a resident of Valley Stream for the past decade, and lives in the Gibson section.

When he attends village board meetings, Margolin doesn’t just sit and watch. During the public comment session, he brings up the concerns of his community, whether it is the condition of the roads or the flood map situation. Margolin said it disturbs him that there is little or no correlation between the board’s agenda and the issues Valley Stream residents are dealing with. “I don’t see the government that’s in place responding to what concerns the people,” he said.

Most notably, Margolin said, it took the outrage of residents to make the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s new flood maps a concern for the village board. Much of the Gibson section was put into the high-risk flood zone, leaving residents with four-figure annual insurance bills. Margolin said the topic was simply not addressed by the board until homeowners raised the issue.

Margolin also said he feels the Gibson section is neglected by the village board, and would bring the voice of that neighborhood to Village Hall.

When the new flood maps were adopted in 2009, Margolin said it divided the village. About 2,500 homeowners were split off from the other residents of the community. Their homes were devalued and their wallets were emptied, he said. “By signing off on the flood maps, they divided the village,” Margolin said of the current village board. “We’re interested in unifying the village.”

Margolin’s running mates include fellow Gibson residents Carol Crupi and Michael LoCascio, who are both seeking trustee seats. He praised the talents of his two colleagues.

If elected, Margolin said his first order of business every day would be the flood maps. He said he would tell FEMA officials that they created the problem, so it’s their obligation to fix it. “You have us all standing at the window waiting for a tidal wave,” he said.

Margolin said for four years, he would be on the backs of FEMA officials. He wants one of two results — for FEMA to remove Valley Stream from the high-risk flood zone, or to take measures to prevent coastal flooding in the community, if FEMA officials really do believe Valley Stream is at risk.

But the flood maps aren’t the only issue on Margolin’s platform. He said he is very concerned about the geese droppings at many village facilities, including around Village Hall and the Henry Waldinger Library, and at Hendrickson and Barrett Parks. It is a serious issue, he said.

“It sounds almost humorous,” Margolin said, “but it’s not. It’s a definite health problem. You can’t walk into the public library without watching every square inch you walk.”

Margolin said there are programs to deal with the geese problem and he would like to explore those possibilities. The village has great park land, he said, but residents can’t use it to its full potential. He has two grandchildren who live in Valley Stream, and wants them to be able to run around and play in the park without worrying about geese droppings.

If elected, Margolin said he would also declare a war on loitering. He would want the village’s public safety department to be more proactive, and stop and ask questions when people are just hanging around.

Margolin said he would only want to serve one term as mayor of Valley Stream. During that time, he said he would look to embrace the cultural diversity of the village. This isn’t 1950s Valley Stream, he explained, and even if people want it to be that way, it’s time to recognize that the community is different. “It’s a new town,” he said, “and believe me, it’s for the better.”

Village Hall would be a welcoming place where everybody would be able to come in and share their concerns, Margolin said. “My office would be open to anybody,” he said.

He also said he would be a “kid’s mayor” if elected to the position. Margolin explained that he would make an effort to ensure that every child in the village is aware of all the programs being offered. He is active in the PTA in the Hewlett-Woodmere district where his grandchildren attend school.

Margolin was a teacher for 32 years, spending most of his time working in the Commack School District where he founded a cultural exchange program between his high school and the Japanese School of New York. He is also a retired attorney and has worked as an educational consultant.

If he becomes mayor, Margolin said he would be an independent voice, and the next four years would be very different than the past several decades. He says a “spark” is needed in Village Hall to get Valley Stream moving in a different direction, and he believes he can bring that change and that energy.

“There would be a whole different attitude,” Margolin said. “I don’t come with an agenda that was developed 50 years ago. Everything and anything is on the table.”

About Joseph

Citizens Independence Party

Age: 66

Family: Married to wife Ellen, one daughter, one son, five grandchildren

Career: Retired high school social studies teacher; retired attorney; educational consultant

Education: 1962 Bayside High School graduate; Bachelor’s degree, Queens College; Master’s degree, Adelphi University; Administration certificate, St. Johns University; Juris doctorate, Touro College of Law

Other: Active with Hewlett-Woodmere School District PTA; New Jersey Bar Association; New York State United Teachers; American Federation of Teachers