66.0°,
Overcast and Breezy Vote for new mayor is Tuesday
Four trustee candidates vie for two village board seats
In less than a week, residents will know who will lead Valley Stream for the next four years. Tuesday’s mayoral election pits village Trustee Ed Fare against Gibson resident Joseph Margolin. There are also four candidates vying for two trustee seats, while Village Justice Robert Bogle is unopposed for his seventh term.
Of the four trustee candidates, Vincent Grasso is the lone incumbent. He and Dermond Thomas join Fare and Bogle on the United Community Party ticket. Gibson residents Carol Crupi and Michael LoCascio round out the Citizens Independence Party linewith Margolin.
The Citizens Independence candidates have been critical of the village government for adopting the new Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps, which put much of Gibson into the high-risk flood zone. They say that the village neglected to challenge the maps before they went into effect, and left homeowners stuck with four-figure annual insurance premiums.
Margolin said that if elected, he will make the maps a priority, and constantly be on the backs of FEMA officials. “That’s a very real issue,” he said, noting that the inclusion in the flood zone devalues homes and lowers the entire village’s tax base.
The United Community candidates say they never expected the premiums to be so high, and that the village board adopted the maps thinking it was going to secure the lower, “grandfathered” rates for residents. As soon as officials learned that that wasn’t the case, they began working with federal officials to help residents.
The Citizens Independence candidates said they are concerned about the empty stores on Rockaway Avenue and on Gibson Boulevard, where storefronts were slated for demolition for a now-stalled housing development. Margolin, Crupi and LoCascio say they want to address areas of blight in the village.
Fare said that the village has already addressed one blighted area by approving a mixed-use development at the corner of Rockaway Avenue and Sunrise Highway. The project, which received a village-sponsored $2.5 million grant, will feature 64 apartments as well as commercial space. The building replaced a former adult store.
Margolin says that unifying the village is a centerpiece of his campaign. The former American history teacher says he has taught sectionalism — a phenomenon in which people identify with their region — and sees something similar in his own town. “There’s something wrong there if people don’t identify with Valley Stream,” he said.
He said he is also concerned that services aren’t delivered equally throughout the village.
Margolin, 66, has lived in Gibson for the past 10 years. His running mates, LoCascio and Crupi, have each lived in the community for more than 30 years.
Fare, 48, whose family has lived in Valley Stream for a century, said he wants to serve the community where he grew up, lives and works. The technology teacher at South High School said he has wanted to be mayor for many years. He was first elected to the village board in 2004, and re-elected in 2008.
Fare praised his running mates, Grasso, Thomas and Bogle, and noted that theirs is a true coalition. Fare and Bogle are Republicans, while Grasso and Thomas are Democrats. “The team we’ve put together here is the best team I can ever remember,” Fare said.
Margolin said he could not be more impressed with the skills that his running mates bring to the table. He cited Crupi’s leadership on the FEMA issue and the important role LoCascio, a former police sergeant, can play in addressing crime issues.
On the campaign trail
Fare said that one of his favorite aspects of an election is going out and talking to people in the community. He has gone door to door and introduced himself to residents at the train station. “The majority of responses have been extremely positive, extremely supportive,” he said. “I’m comfortable that we have the right message.”
Margolin said he has also visited the various neighborhoods, walked Rockaway Avenue, talked to the seniors at Monica Village and spent time at all three train stations — Valley Stream, Gibson and Westwood. “I’ve been getting a very positive response,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve had a negative response at all.”
Margolin said he has learned more about some important issues since beginning his campaign. Business owners say it is very difficult to do business in the village, noting the obstacles to obtaining permits and going before the zoning board, while homeowners find the requirements for fixing up their property too restrictive. “I would try to do something about it,” he said.
Fare said that people have been asking him about all the potholes created by the winter weather, and he has told them that the damaged streets are being repaired by highway crews every day. He also said he has gotten some questions about the flood maps. No matter the issue, Fare said, he takes the time to listen and to give everyone an honest answer.
In the days before the election, he said, he will continue to meet people and remind them to vote. “I want the opportunity to do the right thing by the residents and the taxpayers of the village,” he said. “I just have so many ideas, I can’t wait to try.”
Margolin said that during the campaign, he has come to believe that being mayor has to be a full-time job, even if it comes with a part-time salary. He questioned how Fare would be able to do the job while working as a teacher during the day. “Valley Stream is a very large village,” he said. “There are times when a mayor must go to court, attend official functions and make visits to community organizations. As a retired teacher, I cannot fathom how an active teacher could fulfill such responsibilities during the school year and during regular business hours.”
Fare explained that the job of mayor should remain a part-time endeavor, and that the village has a staff to run the day-to-day operations, led by a full-time clerk. “The job of the village board is to set policy,” he said. “We’re legislators.”
Fare also noted that during the day, he works at a high school just outside the village, is done by 3 p.m., has the summers off and rarely leaves the village when he isn’t teaching.
Margolin said he would continue roaming the village before voters head to the polls on Tuesday. “I’ll go wherever,” he said. “I have to go wherever I think I haven’t been.”
