By:Carrie James
In Hempstead:
The Town of Hempstead's big budget surplus is at the heart of Democrat Patricia Maher's campaign against Republican incumbent Gary Hudes for Town Council in the Sixth District.
"The reason I am running is because of a $70-million surplus in the Town of Hempstead," said Maher, a life-long East Meadow resident. "I collected 950 signatures in my petition to run, and I've hit another 400 households. If you want to ask them [voters], their central issue is that they can't afford their taxes."
Maher has plans for the surplus, which she and other Democrats believe might be more than $70 million. First, she would like to see part of it go toward a tax cut. Many residents have said they believe their property-tax bills are simply too high, said Maher.
Hudes, however, said that a town tax break would not be fiscally responsible. The surplus, which he said is closer to $50 million, serves as an emergency fund in case of incidents such as natural disasters.
"The town needs to be prepared for deliberate acts or acts of nature and must have necessary funds to deal with them," said Hudes, who is seeking his second term. "I think it's prudent business practice. Also, I believe the financial institutes think we are doing something right because they have given us the top financial rating for years."
Maher, who said many of her issues came from the voters she visited, said surplus funds should also go to repair local roads.
Many people see improvements to major roads such as Hempstead Turnpike as a good use of funds, Maher said; however, they they want their community roads fixed as well.
"These residents care about what's in their front yards," she said. "They would like to see their community roads resurfaced. Many of them haven't been in 25 years. It's important for them to see the front of their homes look nice."
The Town of Hempstead has spent upward of $20 million in recent years repairing smaller, neighborhood roads, Hudes said. As an example, he cited roadwork near Smith Road in Merrick.
"On a regular basis, when I drive my district, I make recommendations to the engineers on roads that need to be repaired," said Hudes. "I call on a regular basis. I think we've put in $25 million, and another $20 million is planned for road improvements in the town as well."
Both Hudes and Maher said they want to work on traffic safety if elected. Hudes in his current term implemented Project SLOW (Speed Limit Odometer Warning system). The program involves a radar detector that tells motorists how fast they are traveling versus how fast they should be going. As part of it, police follow up with enforcement.
Maher would like to work on increasing road safety with better traffic lights and signage throughout the district.
With other money from the surplus, Maher would like to see town employees, full-time but especially seasonal, move toward a higher wage. Many of the seasonal workers, Maher said, earn a little more than $7 an hour, and people can't live on that.
"In the Town of Hempstead, they don't have a living wage, and I support making one," she said. This, she added, would motivate workers more and help improve town services. Part of Maher's suggestions include making more seasonal workers full-time.
Hudes believes the town handles its staffing appropriately. Many of the parks staff, for example, work seasonally and know they only have jobs temporarily. He also thinks town salaries are more than adequate.
"The suggestion made by my opponent to hire more full-time as opposed to seasonal will cost the town more money not only in terms of salary, but also in benefits," Hudes said. "I'm not interested in jeopardizing a well-crafted budget and financial situation because there may be situations where some employees would like to be put on the town's payroll on a full-time basis. I have to be responsible as a member of the town board to all of the taxpayers of the Town of Hempstead."
Finally, Maher said that, as a Democrat, she wouldn't have to answer to the Republican "machine" when making important decisions.
"I was a part of the Republican Party, and I understand how the machine works and how you have to do what it wants," she said. "As a Democrat, nobody tells me what to do except the voters. We also need a bipartisan board in the Town of Hempstead. The voters want to see that both parties are represented." Board representation is now 5-1, Republican to Democrat.
Hudes cited accomplishments during his first term, including many beautification projects throughout his district and in the Town of Hempstead. If reelected, he would continue these efforts and continually listen to constiuents' concerns, he said.
Maher and Hudes are to debate 7 p.m. at Levittown Public Library, 1 Bluegrass Lane, on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
