By Andrew Hackmack and Mike Caputo
Bonilla, Turman face off in town clerk race
First-time candidate challenges
two-term incumbent for clerk's seat
By Andrew Hackmack
Town of Hempstead Clerk Mark Bonilla is seeking his third term on Election Day. The Republican incumbent is being challenged by Democrat Steve Turman.
Bonilla, 44, became the first Hispanic elected to a town-wide position in Hempstead in 2003. He grew up in Queens and moved to Long Island as a teenager, graduating from Island Trees High School. He practiced law for 10 years before being elected town clerk.
Turman, a graduate of Hewlett High School, is a bankruptcy and business-reorganization attorney. The 33-year-old is running for political office for the first time. He and Bonilla are both residents of Bellmore.
Bonilla describes his position as the "best job in town." He estimates that his office sees between 100 and 125 people a day. "We cover everything from birth certificates to death certificates and a number of things in between," he said. Bonilla added that one of the best parts of his job is the 6,000 or so marriage licenses he issues a year, and the nearly 200 marriages he performs himself.
He has also implemented a passport application service. The town has become the largest acceptance facility in the country, he said, processing more than 40,000 passport applications annually. The turnaround time for a passport is now four to six weeks.
Bonilla noted that he has been recognized by the State Department for the passport service. "We're very, very efficient," he said.
The other initiative Bonilla is particularly proud of is the town's child safety program. It was created by the New York State Senate and Assembly, and Bonilla said he has worked hard to make the program accessible to local residents. Child identification cards are available at Town Hall, and Bonilla has also brought the program to the schools. "The beauty of it is we take it to them," he said. "I think it's the best program in the town."
Turman said that one responsibility of the town clerk is to handle Freedom of Information Law requests from the press and public, and that the person responsible for gathering this information should not pick and choose what documents he or she wants people to see. But with one-party control in the town for more than a century, Turman said, it can be easy to hide information. "We've been in the dark for the last 100 years as to what's been happening in the Town of Hempstead," he said.
The town clerk's office, Turman said, also needs to do a better job of informing the public about controversial issues to be discussed at town board meetings. For example, he said, the council will soon be discussing the lease renewal for Covanta, about which he believes the public should be well informed.
Turman said that if he were elected, his goal would be to run an efficient office and make sure taxpayer money is being well spent. "You want somebody in there who is actually going to be held accountable to the public," he said.
He mentioned a recreational vehicle that is being used as a mobile town hall to bring services to various communities, and questioned whether a van this large is necessary and a good use of tax money. Just because people are happy with the services they receive, Turman said, doesn't mean that their money is being spent as wisely as it could be.
Bonilla described the mobile town hall as an effective means of bringing government to the people. He said that anytime his office offers a mobile service, he is on board. "It is important that residents see the people they vote for," he said.
When people can't make it to Town Hall, Bonilla said, he finds any way possible to bring services to them. Long Island Rail Road commuters, for example, are usually working while Town Hall is open. Bonilla and his staff visit local train stations as early as 6 a.m. to help commuters renew their parking permits.
Turman said he hopes his qualifications and experience make him a good candidate for town clerk. If elected, he said, he will do an honest and ethical job, and keep the public informed about the services he has to offer.
Bonilla said he will continue to find ways to make his office's services more accessible to residents. "I'm hoping that the people will continue to give me trust," he said.
