By John C. O'Connell
Town of Hempstead residents in three of the six new council districts, including the fourth district which encompasses all of East Rockaway and Lynbrook, will see more than they might expect of their newly elected representatives after November, thanks to a lottery drawing held last week to determine the initial length of the councilmatic terms.
As a result of the court-ordered drawing at the Nassau County Board of Elections in Mineola on Wednesday, August 23rd, candidates elected to fill council seats in Districts One, Four, and Six will serve initially for only one year, meaning they will need to begin campaigning for reelection almost immediately. The lottery drawing also determined that the initial terms of representatives in Districts Two, Three, and Five will be for three years. After the initial terms of one and three years, all council members will run for four year terms.
"It's fine with me," said Anthony Santino, currently an at-large Town Councilman running in District Four, one of the one-year initial terms. "I love the process of elections, and I love meeting people; I see it as a way to keep getting closer to the community. I see it as an opportunity to continue doing what I've been doing, getting close to the people I serve."
Town council members have served town-wide before U.S. District Court Judge John Gleeson ruled in a suit filed by Hempstead resident Dorothy Goosby and others, claiming that the at-large system unfairly discriminated against minorities, effectively denying them fair representation. Judge Gleeson agreed, and his order has resulted in six discrete geographic districts, each to have its own council member.
The Town charter calls for staggered terms in odd years, so the judge also ordered that the initial terms be decided by lot, three for three years and three for one year, after which the terms would revert to four years for all. The staggered four year terms will then have half the council seats up for election every two years. Elections will be held for Districts One, Four, and Six in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, etc., and in Districts Two, Three, and Five in 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011, etc.
Running against Republican Anthony Santino in the fourth district will be Democrat Jerry Lamonica. District Four includes all or parts of Hewlett, Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, most of Lynbrook, East Rockaway, Rockville Centre, Oceanside, Island Park, Baldwin, Baldwin Harbor, South Hempstead and Barnum Island.
District Three's Republican candidate James Darcy is currently a New York State Assemblyman and will be running against school board trustee Democrat Eleanor Sciglibaglio. District Three includes all or parts of Valley Stream, Malverne, Lynbrook, South Valley Stream, Woodmere, Inwood, Cedarhurst, Woodsburgh, Lawrence and Atlantic Beach.
Mr. Darcy told the Herald that he's "pleased with the three year term our district drew. Campaigning obviously takes time and resources that could better be spent serving the district's needs."
"I'm pleased with drawing a three year term," said Eleanor Sciglibaglio, Democrat candidate for District Three. "Campaigning is very grueling, and I'm sorry for those who got the one year initial term because really they have to begin all over again right away!"
