By MIKE CAPUTO
Felder easily won an uncontested election on June 17, replacing Dr. Jack Levenbrown, who is retiring from the village board when his term expires next month. The highly anticipated decision is Felder's selection of a new trustee to fill the seat he vacated to run for mayor.
According to people familiar with the village board, a deal to appoint village resident Michael Fragin to fill Felder's seat may have already been made to avoid a contested mayoral race.
During a phone interview with the Herald last Friday, the mayor-elect denied that any such deal has been made. "I have been talking to a lot of people, and there are no deals," Felder said.
Although he would not reveal the names of potential candidates for his trustee seat, Felder did not deny that Fragin was on his list. "I am not mentioning any names, because all it does is create even more speculation, and we don't want that," he said. "It is hard enough to make a decision based on some of the standards [for selecting a candidate]. The public will know soon enough."
Felder said he hopes to announce his decision within a few weeks, but he did not guarantee an appointment before the July 10 village board meeting at which he will be sworn in. "There are several people I have been giving thoughts about," he said. "It's not only a people question, it's the question of who can do the most, in my opinion, for the citizens of Lawrence - who I perceive can do the most. That is the direction I am thinking in, and I haven't made an absolute decision."
Fragin considered - and inquired about - running for mayor, but did not file as an official candidate, nor did he orchestrate a write-in campaign. In a separate phone interview, Fragin, 34, said he is open to the possibility of being appointed a trustee. "It is certainly something I would give a lot of consideration to," said Fragin, an ex-staffer for former Gov. George Pataki and a trustee of the Long Island Power Authority.
Fragin emphasized that the decision is up to Felder, and suggested that a deal would not secure a seat on the board. "It is getting a little bit ahead of things and I'm not too happy with the suggestion that there was something going on," Fragin said.
In addition to his political resume, Fragin regularly attends and participates in village meetings and functions, and is said to maintain a friendly relationship with the trustees.
Felder emphasized that the appointee would serve only one year, the remainder of his vacated term. To retain the seat for another two-year term, the appointee must run in the next village elections in June 2009.
In the election on June 15, Trustees Edward Klar and Martin Oliner were re-elected, along with Village Justice Donald Buchalter - all in uncontested races.
Felder, a Lawrence resident for more than 35 years and a trustee for 10 years, expressed his desire to tackle issues that directly affect residents. "What I would like to do is see to it that quality-of-life issues are addressed, and addressed on a timely basis to the citizens of Lawrence," he said.
After selecting a new trustee, the mayor-elect faces another crucial issue: the Peninsula Public Library's proposal to build a new facility on village-owned land in the Long Island Rail Road station parking lot, adjacent to Zion Park. The village board has yet to decide on whether it will sell land to the library. Library board officials continue to seek answers to questions raised by village trustees, including when the library will do its own appraisal of the coveted village-owned land.
"The board has to come to a conclusion on whether it wants to sell the property, period," Felder said. "It is one of the few properties in the Village of Lawrence of which we have control, and there are various opinions about that."
Felder said he supports the library's plan to move, but he added that it depends on more than just the village and library boards. "It is the residents of Lawrence who ultimately have to inform us on how they feel about this project," he said.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@ liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
