By Dana Williams
Candidates running for mayor, judge and trustee presented their views on why voters should choose them when they head to the polls on March 20. The election event at village hall began as a live broadcast on Cablevision¹s MalverneTV 18 but after technical difficulties, village officials decided to tape the event for airing at a later date.
Malverne Civic Association President Richard Sheehan was the moderator of the forum, which included a new feature of mayoral candidates answering questions previously submitted by residents.
The incumbent mayor, Anthony Panzarella, and his opponent, Patricia Ann Norris-McDonald, stepped up to the podiums first to speak about how they would best serve as mayor of the village.
Panzarella¹s opening statement began with a summary of his background and why his accomplishments have helped him fulfill his job of mayor these past eight years. By working in the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly, Panzarella argued that his work experience has helped him to continue to visit Albany to get grants from the government for the financial needs of the village.
³For every grant dollar that I bring back here, that is one dollar less that the people of Malverne have to pay in taxes,² he said, adding that he was able to get state and county funds for the beautification of the village¹s downtown business district.
McDonald also contended in her opening statement that she will continue her strong working relationship with government officials such as New York State Senator Dean Skelos and Assemblyman Bob Barra to bring grants into the community.
³Under my leadership, their generosity towards this village will continue for you the residents,² McDonald said, after she discussed issues facing residents like the sale of Grossmann¹s Farm and the possibility of communication providers like Verizon coming into Malverne. The four-term trustee also pointed out that she wants the Malverne she grew up in to be the same Malverne that the next generation grows up in.
The question and answer period of the forum included a couple of heated disagreements between the two mayoral candidates.
Panzarella, who represents the Taxpayers Party, said that his ability to get grants is the key characteristic that differentiates him from McDonald. He used the grants that he was able to get for the Malverne Little League as an example. McDonald, who represents the Independent Party, used her option to rebut to say that she can work just as hard as Panzarella to get grants for the village by working with the legislators in Albany. As a trustee, she added that keeping village merchants involved with community events like the Breakfast with Santa is one of the characteristics that makes her stand out from Panzarella.
There was also a debate about who was responsible for improving Malverne¹s bond rating. McDonald claimed that after the board took over the budget, the bond rating went up but Panzarella argued that the bond rating went up after he implemented fiscal management measures to improve the rating.
The biggest disagreement of the evening was over the history of Malverne politics. Panzarella said that the village was divided before he was sworn into office. ³If you remember what this village was like when I first became mayor,² Panzarella explained. ³It was divided, there was animosity running wild from one end of the village to the other, trustees were cursing at each other,² he said, adding that he tried ³to heal² the village when he was elected into office.
McDonald said she took exception to Panzarella¹s characterization because officials like her father, the late Deputy Mayor John F. Norris, worked on the board with the other officials to maintain a successful leadership for Malverne residents.
In showing the similarities and differences between the candidates, the forum¹s goal was to help voters make an informed decision at next week¹s election. The closing statements of both candidates reiterated the reasons why voters should elect them. Both candidates stepped down from the podium shortly after, shook hands and wished each other good luck on March 20.
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