Re-elect Glen Cove Mayor Tim Tenke

After finding ways to cut expenses and raise new sources of revenue, Tim Tenke deserves to be re-elected for two more years as mayor of Glen Cove.

Over the past two years, Tenke has kept the city running smoothly, and we believe he has been able to prove his capability as leader of the city, bring the city through the pandemic on a stronger footing than when he started. Although homeowners did see a tax hike last year, the increase, Tenke said, was necessary to prevent service cuts. Without that increase, he, said, he would have been forced to lay off 40 employees, close the senior center, eliminate the recreation and camp programs, and reduce garbage pick-up to once a week. Instead, he made the tough call of raising taxes 7.32 percent, yet has managed to keep the budget down for 2022, with a zero percent tax increase, and will add jobs and slight pay raises as well.

This year, he implemented two new revenue streams for the budget, a mortgage registry program and a rental registry program, which will offset expenses. Additionally, his administration has implemented a five-year plan for capital borrowing. The city is expected to have a modest surplus at the end of this year, thanks to this fiscal responsibility.

His opponent, Pam Panzenbeck, was engaged as a city councilwoman, and has continued to remain active and involved in the community. She clearly cares about Glen Cove and would be a strong leader for residents if elected. One thing she said she would focus on is finding opportunities to bring new business to the downtown area, and would also prioritize making the downtown cleaner and more attractive. With new residents moving in, having fewer empty storefronts would be a positive thing for the city. We believe she would be open to new ideas and would take residents’ concerns to heart.

Still, noticeable improvements have been made over the past year to the downtown and new businesses have opened, even during the pandemic. Tenke has plans for pedestrian walkways and is exploring zoning changes to attract new business to make the downtown more vibrant. We believe he has set the city on a good path overall, and would like to see what he can continue to do. We throw our support behind Tenke and believe voters should, too.