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Rain Fog/Mist Running for reelection and looking forward
Island Park trustees talk about upcoming election
Elections for seats on the Board of Trustees for the Village of Island Park are coming up in less than two weeks, on March 16. Two seats are up for grabs this year, but incumbent trustees Joseph Annarella and Henry “Mickey” Hastava are both running unopposed as they seek reelection for their second full terms.
Both trustees were appointed to their positions five years ago. Hastava replaced a trustee who retired and Annarella replaced a trustee who died. After sitting on the board for one year, he ran for a four-year term and won. Hastava has been involved in village politics for the past 25 years.
“I was president and vice president of the Unity Party many years ago,” he said. “I’ve only been a trustee for five years, but before that, I was active in the Republican Party and the Unity Party, which is the party in Island Park.”
Hastava has lived in Island Park for nearly all of his 74 years, and it’s one of the reasons he decided to run for office again. “There’s a lot of stuff that has to be done in the village,” he said, “and I figured with my experience of living here for 74 years, to help them accomplish it.” Annarella has also lived in Island Park for most of his life, moving there 42 years ago when he was 10 years old.
For Annarella, the decision to run for reelection was an easy one for one main reason — he wants to continue helping the village and its residents. “I want to continue some projects that we’ve been working on in the village to make it better,” he said.
In Island Park, each trustee is responsible for a certain area of village government. Hastava is in charge of Parks and Recreation and Annarella is in charge of the Department of Public Works. Hastava feels that his department has made great strides since he took over, which he feels is his biggest accomplishment.
“We’ve installed concerts on the beach free to the residents, we’ve improved the beach, we’ve started recreation programs for the kids,” Hastava said. “Everybody loves those concerts.”
Annarella feels that helping to improve the quality of life for Island Park residents is among his best accomplishments. “Just making it a place where people want to live,” Annarella said. “Making it nicer.”
