In the race for the Town of Hempstead Council's 5th District seat, the Herald endorses Robert Young, a Democrat from Merrick. Young faces seven-year incumbent Angie Cullin, a Republican from Freeport.
Young, a volunteer environmental and community activist, moved to Merrick 18 years ago. In 2000 and 2001, Young, a pharmaceutical sales manager, helped Merrick and Freeport residents organize to "clean up or close down" the Village of Freeport's diesel Power Plant No. 2. Ultimately, the campaign to shut down the outmoded, environmentally destructive plant succeeded, with Freeport opening a new, environmentally friendly, natural gas-fired power plant.
Young then looked for other opportunities to help his community. A short time later, as he was driving near the Meadowbrook Parkway with one of his children, he pulled over, walked through a patch of woods and discovered a virtual wasteland, with mounds of garbage strewn about the forest. Since then, Young has led a grass-roots effort that has resulted in the removal of tons of garbage from the woodlands, and he is working closely with Nassau County legislators David Denenberg and Norma Gonsalves to establish a wildlife preserve there.
The Herald has worked closely with Young on both the Freeport Power Plant No. 2 and Meadowbrook Parkway woodlands projects.
Now Young wants to clean up the Town of Hempstead by serving as an internal watchdog for its many departments, especially the Building Department. In February, the town received a terrible blow to its credibility when it was revealed that the department's commissioner at the time, John Loeffel of Levittown, had remodeled his home without required permits. To top it all off, he had an illegal apartment at his home. When Loeffel's actions were exposed in local newspapers, town officials said they were unaware of them.
Young believes the town's elected leaders have blind faith in department heads and their employees, which, at times, leads to corruption. He plans to ferret out trouble before scandals hit the papers. We believe he's up to the job.
Cullin has served the town admirably as a councilwoman and clerk for two decades. In interviews with the Herald, however, she offered no new ideas, nor did she give us the sense that she would act as a government watchdog. She freely admitted that she had known nothing of the Building Department scandal before it appeared in the papers.
We think the town needs a fresh perspective and viable two-party government. Bob Young would be a step in the right direction.
