By Cindy J. Roth
Guardino's resignation, which will take place at the Tuesday, Jan. 28 Town Board meeting, comes as a shock to many. Guardino, who is in the middle of his third two-year term, has high approval ratings, having won the 2001 election with 58 percent of the vote.
Under state law, vacancies in elective offices are filled by a majority vote of the Town Board. A voting date to appoint a new supervisor has not been scheduled, and as of press time, there were no hints as to who might succeed Guardino.
In a news conference at Hofstra on Monday, Guardino said he had always hoped to be involved with education and found the creation of the Center for Suburban Studies a unique opportunity too rare to give up.
"I'm excited to be joining Hofstra University, and I believe the Scott Skodnek Business Development Center will continue to be pivotal in assisting the business community and public agencies in our region to succeed," said Guardino. "Combining the most respected members of academia and our business community and governmental agencies, Hofstra's Business Development Center is poised to address a host of complex issues, which confront a broad spectrum of business and governmental entities."
The Suburban Studies Center's agenda is not finalized, but university President Stuart Rabinowitz said the center will serve as a national think tank on suburban issues. Topics the center will examine include homeland security in local communities, preservation of open space, affordable housing, energy policy, smart growth and downtown revitalization. Rabinowitz said Guardino is the perfect fit for the position, having faced many of these suburban issues as town supervisor.
"Rich Guardino has served most successfully as chief executive officer of the nation's largest town," said Rabinowitz. "He has shown remarkable leadership, financial management and fiscal skills. His unique knowledge and experience in suburban issues will enable Executive Dean Guardino to establish an interdisciplinary program to study issues facing suburban areas throughout the United States."
Guardino expressed mixed feelings about leaving the town and thanked the many people he had the opportunity to work with since his start at town hall as a councilman in 1981. Of all his work, Guardino said he is proudest of his strict financial management of the town, which led to two successive bond rating increases and budget surpluses at a time when many local governments were struggling to pay their bills. The supervisor will also be remembered for many town infrastructure improvements and his role as a key player in the conversion of a former town landfill in Merrick to a nature preserve.
With an overwhelmingly Republican Town Board -- Democrats are outnumbered five to one -- it is almost certain that a Republican supervisor will be appointed. The new appointee will stand for election in November. Town staff and board members were tight-lipped about any potential candidates, but Councilman Gary Hudes (R-Levittown) said the board would definitely look for someone to continue Guardino's approach to management.
"It's an important position in the town, like a CEO," said Hudes. "In his tenure, [Guardino] very much ran things in a business manner. The town has done very well, and we need someone to continue the trend."
