Thursday, October 1, 2026
Atlantic Beach residents will vote on their village representation later this month, as incumbent Trustee Douglas Garczynski, Andy Bass and Joseph Montilli vie for two open seats on the board of trustees. Mayor Barry Frohlinger is running unopposed on the same line with Garczynski and Bass.
Voting is on June 16, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., at Village Hall, 65 The Plaza, in Atlantic Beach.
Barry Frohlinger
Elected as a trustee in June 2024, Frohlinger, 71, is an accountant and the president of Barry M. Frohlinger Associates, a management consulting firm. He was unanimously nominated village mayor last August, and replaced George Pappas, who resigned in July amid the village’s litigation involving Chabad of the Beaches.
Since becoming mayor, Frohlinger and other village officials have focused on an effort to reduce property taxes by 2 percent following an unprecedented 87 percent tax increase last year
The board has also looked for new revenue sources. In February, village officials passed a resolution supporting a bill that would impose a 3 percent tax on hotels, motels and beach clubs in the village. Sponsored by State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, the measure passed the Senate and is awaiting action in the assembly.
“We remain committed to full transparency in all governmental actions,” Frohlinger wrote in a statement. “Together, we’ll keep moving forward. We’re here to listen, to communicate cleartly, and to work for you.”
Douglas Garczynski
A semi-retired dentist and businessman, Garczynski, 71, has lived in Atlantic Beach for 34 years. He was unanimously appointed as a trustee last September after two seats on the board were vacated during the village’s litigation with Chabad of the Beaches.
“When the remaining board members reached out to the community for help, I felt it was my civic duty to accept an invitation to serve on the board,” Garczynski said.
Garczynski said he helped strengthen the marine recreation district zoning code by removing “ambiguous” language he believed could be exploited by developers. He also cited efforts to lower taxes and help resolve litigation affecting the village.
“I have a skill set and solution-driven approach complemented by a deep commitment to public service,” he said. “I’m asking for the community’s trust.”
Garczynski’s wife, Suzy Schneider, is the founder and former chair of the Village Garden, across the street from Village Hall.
Andy Bass
Bass, 70, grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, and spent time visiting his grandmother’s house on Queens Avenue in Atlantic Beach, which he has owned since the early 2000s.
The president of Haskell Brokerage Corp., Bass graduated from New York University’s Stern School of Business in 1980 with a degree in finance. He has worked as an insurance broker for nearly four decades.
Throughout his career, Bass said, he has often helped resolve disputes between companies and claimants. In one case, he helped a Manhattan resident navigate an insurance claim after belongings stored during a home renovation were damaged.
“I was able to turn that negative into a positive for her,” Bass said. “If elected, I would represent the village as fairly as I can without any agenda other than doing the right thing and being transparent.”
Joseph Montilli
Montilli, 58, moved to Atlantic Beach in 2006. He initially rented the home he now owns on Cayuga Avenue from the late Michael Surkes.
Montilli graduated from New York Institute of Technology with a bachelor’s degree in business, and has been a master plumber since 1995. Since 2011 he has also been a state code enforcement officer, and he currently serves on the Town of Hempstead Plumbing Examining Board. There he has helped strengthen enforcement efforts related to the misuse of plumbing licenses, he said.
Montilli has been a commissioner of the Atlantic Beach Fire District since 2017, and as a commissioner of the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department since 2020. In Atlantic Beach, he said, he helped modernize fire apparatus, and supported the addition of two ambulances and paid paramedics.
If elected, Montilli said, he hopes to continue rebuilding public trust in the village’s government. “In the last seven months, we’ve overcome some hurdles for sure,” he said, adding of the board seat he is seeking, “I want to continue to strengthen that position, through accountability and transparency, as well as regain the trust of Atlantic Beach residents.”
