By:JAMIE LYNN MITCHELL
For the second year in a row, Jerry Lamonica and Anthony Santino are squaring off for a seat on the Hempstead Town Council.
Jerry Lamonica puts the condition of Oceanside's downtown area at the top of his issue list in his campaign for Hempstead Town Councilman.
The 50-year-old Democrat said the business district looks like a backwater town of the Mississippi with what he termed several building code violations, cracked sidewalks and weeds.
The Town of Hempstead has run our community into the ground, said the Oceanside resident. Looking down Long Beach Road, people can't put their finger on it, but it doesn't look right. I've put my finger on it and it's the signs, weeds and cracked sidewalks. It's really the signs that will keep the community looking uniform and looking neat.
Lamonica claims there are several reasons why he would be the better councilman for the Fourth District, which includes all of Baldwin, Oceanside, Rockville Centre and East Rockaway, and portions of Lynbrook, the Five Towns and Island Park.
Lamonica ran unsuccessfully last year against Republican incumbent Anthony Santino for the office. Lamonica lost by about 2,300 votes, but won in the unincorporated villages.
Where people are unhappy with the services of their government they want a new change, he said.
Lamonica's theme for this year's campaign is, Another Year, Another Snow Job. It refers to January's bad snowstorm where roads did not get plowed as they should have.
It was like no one worked that day, he said. And aren't you tired of getting a snow job from your town councilman?
Lamonica ran unsuccessfully for Sanitation Commissioner in Sanitary District #7 three years ago. He owns and operates Dan Lauren Photography studios in East Rockaway. He is married and the father of two children.
Lamonica is also concerned about Santino's campaign cornerstone, which is the budget surplus. He says officials claim to operate on a $290 million dollar budget with a surplus of $80 or $90 million.
This surplus should be rolled over into next year's taxes as part of the budget, and take 15 or 20 percent and keep it for a rainy day,Lamonica said, noting he thinks the surplus should be put towards a tax cut as well as into services.
Other issues that Lamonica has raised are the lack of parking at the railroad train station in Oceanside and quality of life issues. He is behind facade improvement projects and beautifying the communities. Lamonica said the Town of Hempstead is operating the same way it did almost 50 years ago.
I just wouldn't allow things to happen like [Santino] allows them to happen,Lamonica said. I've talked to people in the community; I've campaigned all summer. I feel very good about my platform and what I have to say.
Santino runs on fiscal strength
For his part, Santino is proud of the town's outstanding fiscal condition and says that's the main issue he's addressing during his campaign.
It's something we're very proud of and work very hard to maintain,he said.
The 40-year-old Republican says that the town's credit rating puts it in the top three percent of towns in the state.
This year will mark the third consecutive year in which there has been no town tax increase.
The town is on solid financial footing, and we are going to use the budget surplus to invest back into the community, to put back into the services,Santino said.
Santino has been a Town Councilman since 1993. Prior to that he was the Deputy Mayor and Trustee in East Rockaway. He has also served as executive assistant to the board of supervisors.
As for accomplishments, Santino points to the just completed street sweep program in Oceanside where trees were planted, new sidewalks, curbs and bricks were put down, and he is looking to expand the program with additional funding.
Of the code violations mentioned by his opponent, Santino said they crack down on code violations and hand out hundreds of summons constantly.
There are always people with code violations, it's not something that is ever going to go away, it's a constant battle,he said.
Of the snow removal problem of last winter Santino said prior to that they had a sterling record of snow removal.
We have one we didn't do a good job on, but the other storms we did a very good job on, he said, pinning the problem on lack of manpower and that the storm fell on a holiday.
Santino is also in favor of facade improvement programs, and currently one is being finished in Baldwin.
I've gotten a lot done in the last year, I've reached out to the people, he said.
Santino holds monthly town meetings that move around the district. The concerns I get from those meetings directly result into action,he said.
Santino is most proud of a program he initiated to bring library services to people who are not served by a local library, as there are pockets in the town where people cannot get library service.
He says he has a proven track record and knows what it takes to get the job done.
I've been there and I know what it takes, he said. I've used the people's money wisely.
