Darcy vs. Sciglibaglio

Two Valley Streamers vie for Hempstead town board

      Depending on whom you talk to, the Hempstead town board race in District 3 pits either a common sense candidate with solid government experience against a typical tax and spend Democrat, or a community-minded, independent spirit against a Republican Party political puppet.
      Residents of District 3 must choose between two Valley Stream candidates to represent them on the board: Democrat Eleanor Sciglibaglio or Republican James Darcy.
      The initial term of the district -- one of six new districts created by a court ruling -- will be for three years. Hempstead board members previously served "at large," representing no specific geographical segment of the town.
      Jim Darcy now represents Valley Stream, Lynbrook, Malverne, East Rockaway, Rockville Centre, and parts of Oceanside and Baldwin as the State Assemblyman for the 21st Assembly District, a position he is giving up to run for the Hempstead board. Republican Robert Barra and Democrat Alan Bergstein are running for that Assembly office.
      Before being elected to the Assembly in 1998, Mr. Darcy served as Valley Stream's mayor for four years.
      Ms. Sciglibaglio has been on the Valley Stream Boards of Education for School District 24 and the High School District for 21 years, a position she will leave, she said, if elected to the council. Ms. Sciglibaglio works at the Nassau County Board of Elections as an associate chief clerk.
      Taxes, services and the town's budget surplus are the major issues in the district, as well as more specific sectional concerns.
      One controversial issue - on which the candidates generally agree - is Atlantic Beach's demand for local zoning authority. Atlantic Beach is the only incorporated village in New York without local zoning control; its zoning decisions are made by the Town of Hempstead. County Executive Thomas Gulotta has vetoed two bills authorizing the localization of zoning control. Ms. Sciglibaglio favors Atlantic Beach in the issue, as does Mr. Darcy.
      "People who live in Levittown shouldn't be making decisions for locals," Ms. Sciglibaglio said. Mr. Darcy said he has "reached out" to the county executive, and expressed his support for Atlantic Beach. "Coming from the Village of Valley Stream," he said, "I understand the need of the people of Atlantic Beach village to want control."
      Some residents of North Woodmere are concerned about an assisted living facility planned for their neighborhood. "I think in a residential area it is very difficult to have something like that," Ms. Sciglibaglio said. "I think I would work with the builder to find something else."
      Mr. Darcy said he takes a "pragmatic approach." He said that the developer's application is an "as of right" plan, so "there's not much the town can do." That being the case, he said, "you have to try to get the developer to try to address the concerns of the residents."
      

Differences

      The two candidates differ markedly over the town's budget surplus. Mr. Darcy would keep the surplus at about 20 percent of the $250 million town budget to satisfy bond-rating agencies, therefore maintaining the highest possible ratings and lowest possible borrowing costs.
      "The town has the best bond rating of any town on Long Island," said Mr. Darcy. "By having that 'rainy day fund,' the rating agencies feel comfortable that the bonds are going to get paid off, and they give the fine bond rating that the town has, saving the tax payers millions of dollars." He said that a $50 million surplus on a $250 million budget is not all that high. "Nine out of the last 10 years the town has held the line on taxes."
      Besides, he said, the town is currently in union contract negotiations and will need some part of the surplus to fund any increases in compensation.
      Ms. Sciglibaglio calls the $50 million surplus "hoarding taxpayer dollars." The town Republicans "took it in in taxes, in not giving services, in downsizing the workforce, and they're saving it. I think they're saving it for maybe when the county lays off some of those ordinance people that aren't covered by the local [unions]. Then they will pick them up. The Republicans want to privatize Social Security; why don't they privatize their has-been politicals?"
      Though Mr. Darcy said there is too much politics at every level of government, he thinks both parties are just as guilty. "I've seen it on the state level, and everything is driven by the majority [in the Democratic-controlled Assembly]. But in Hempstead, he asks, "How do you cut 24 percent of the town workforce and have all of this lavish patronage that [the Democrats] say exists? It doesn't exist. When the Democrats got elected last year on the town board, I note that they all insisted that they get their own staffing, such as their own photographers, and I'd be willing to bet people that were hired by them [were Democrats]."

Infrastructure

      Ms. Sciglibaglio charges that town Republicans have mismanaged town services. Tax dollars were collected for services, and services were not rendered, she said. "The infrastructure is falling apart." She said that she's been told by CSEA workers that the last time they had any new equipment was in 1976. The equipment keeps breaking down, she says the union people have told her, and the town isn't making repairs. Ms. Sciglibaglio said she is a member of CSEA, Local 830.
      "They tout that they have cut 24 percent of the workforce but that doesn't mean that they streamlined it." Ms. Sciglibaglio said.

Cooperation

      Valley Stream's favorite son candidate and favorite daughter candidate agree on the need for town and village cooperation.
      "There's a lot of benefit I think the town can bring to residents without any cost simply by working cooperative agreements between the town and the villages," said Mr. Darcy. He cited the redoing of Hungry Harbor Road as an example of a project that could have benefited a village had the town worked in cooperation with Valley Stream, instead of both working separately.
      Mr. Darcy said he has experience with such cooperative agreements between the town and Valley Stream from his years as mayor.
      Ms. Sciglibaglio agrees in the worth of cooperative agreements, and said she has had ample experience on school boards in entering into cost-saving cooperative agreements.

November 7: decision day

      District 3 includes Valley Stream, Malverne, part of Lynbrook, South Valley Stream, Woodmere, Inwood, Cedarhurst, Lawrence, Woodsburgh, Franklin Square and Atlantic Beach.
      In Democrat Sciglibaglio's view: "I have been on the school board for 21 years. I will represent the interests of the 3rd District. .. I have the courage of my convictions. ... I will be an independent voice on the town board."
      Republican Darcy said his knowledge of the issues and his experience as Valley Stream's mayor and as 21st District Assemblyman qualify him for the job. "I want to bring that experience to the local level and do the very best job I can for the people of the district."