The uninitiated might shrug and ask, what's the big deal? Bring up sanitation issues with people in Baldwin or just think back to last year's controversial race, and you'll no longer have to ask.
A (very) brief crash course on Sanitary District No. 2:
Under the jurisdiction of the Town of Hempstead, the district services the sanitation needs of Baldwin, South Hempstead and Roosevelt.
There are five commissioners for the district, who are paid $7500 a year and responsible for an over $7.5 million budget and the district's nearly 100 employees. Currently, the commissioners are Chairman Jerry Brown of Baldwin, Dennis Meekins of Baldwin, LeRoy Roberts of Baldwin, Tom Forte of South Hempstead and Ron Gilchrist of Roosevelt.
This election, Forte's seat (for a five-year term) and Gilchrist's seat (for a two-year term) are up for grabs. Both incumbents are running.
The race is open to any qualified voter from the three towns. In order to run, candidates must pick up at petition at the district office at 2080 Grand Ave., and return the petition with 25 signatures by Monday, July 15.
Because the field is open until July 15, the district cannot release the names of those who have already declared their candidacy. In next week's issue, the Herald will profile the candidates who have declared as we know them. If you are running or planning to run for sanitation commissioner and you have not been contacted by the Herald, please call Jonann Brady at 516-569-4000 ext. 202. We want to be as fair as possible in covering all candidates.
The Baldwin Community Association (BCA) will also host an open forum for the candidates to talk about their positions on Wednesday, July, 17 at the Coral House on Milburn Avenue between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Each candidate will have an opportunity to make a brief opening and closing statement and to answer questions posed by the audience through the moderator. This is not a debate format, so there will be no cross-talk among the candidates, according to the BCA. Regardless, we anticipate the forum to be lively, to say the least, as well as informative. We encourage the public to attend in order to make an informed decision when they cast their votes.
Last, but certainly not least, the election itself will be held on Thursday, July 25 between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. at three locations:
Sanitary District No. 2 Office; 2080 Grand Ave., Baldwin;
Centennial Avenue School, Centennial Avenue, Roosevelt;
May Street Firehouse, May Street between Webber Avenue and Long Beach Road, South Hempstead.
Look for our coverage of the candidates next week and look for a lively debate sure to follow in our Letters to Editor section. We look forward to your feedback.
