by Cris Italia
Though he lost to Richard Guardino in the town supervisor race in 2000, Gorman was able to garner 45 percent of the vote against the strong incumbent.
Gorman believes that with town demographics slowly shifting to the Democrats, his bid to unseat Bonilla as clerk will be successful, despite current Republican party dominance.
"I think people are tired of the ongoing campaign of musical chairs in the Town of Hempstead," Gorman charged. "They resign and appoint someone who will be running that same year for those positions. This way they can take advantage of mailings and have the advantage of an incumbent."
Bonilla says he is just focused on the job at hand and wants to continue running the town clerk's office as smoothly as his predecessors have. "I haven't changed anything," he said of Murray's former office. "The only thing I'm doing is building on what she had here and enhancing it."
Responding to Gorman's comments, Bonilla said, "My opponent is entitled to his opinion. What the [town] did with me is not wrong, but either way, after Nov. 4 that point will be moot."
"I'm an activist that is not afraid to take as stand as town clerk," Gorman said. "This should be a position where you can do something and have input."
Bonilla describes himself as a people person, a quality that he says is much needed for his position. "I'm not a typical politician," Bonilla said. "As an experienced attorney, my job is to serve people, and I do it well."
Bonilla had never held public office before his current eight-month stint. Upon his appointment, he became the first Hispanic to hold a town office. The first-generation Puerto Rican-American believes the Hispanic community is more in line with the values of the Republican party. "[When I was] growing up, my parents were Democrats, but as I grew older I realized the Republican party shared a lot of views with the Hispanic community," Bonilla said. After a move to Seaford from Queens, he got involved with the Seaford Republican club, and eventually his work led to his appointment as town clerk.
"I'm proud to be part of such a great package," Bonilla said of his running mates, Murray and Don Clavin. "I am honored to be a part of this."
In his brief tenure as clerk, Bonilla says he has continued what Kate Murray started, and if re-elected he intends to make the restrictions on passports more stringent and will continue building relationships with the people in the Town of Hempstead.
With the odds against him, Gorman still believes he can run an effective campaign. "It's always difficult defeating someone with name recognition," the Democratic challenger said. "Obviously I'm upset with business as usual at the Town of Hempstead. Bonilla is a nice person, but getting someone in there that is not part of the system would be a change. With the current leadership, nothing will change."
Gorman points to several problems with town government that some residents are not aware of. In the past two years the town has raised taxes in unincorporated villages by 15 percent. He also feels that the town spends too much money in mailings each year, and Gorman says he would be able to "point out ways of corruption." And, he says, during this year's redistricting of council districts, the clerk's office failed to post documents and details in a timely fashion. "Even the budget numbers weren't released on time," he said.
"I want to send a message," Gorman pledged. "Basically the Town of Hempstead needs to be shaken up. So far the town has been a stagnant bureaucracy. I want to change that."
Gorman brings a business background to the table. He is the executive director of labor and facilities for OTB. A resident of Wantagh, Gorman also has 20 years of experience in the banking industry. "My financial experience will enable me to keep an eye on the town's finances," he said. Once in office he intends to be more accessible to residents by keeping weekend hours and bringing the office up to date with the latest technology.
