by Leslie Gonzalez
Two longtime members of the community, John A. Russo and William J. Voelker, have been nominated by Malverne's Taxpayers Party to run for two trustee seats on the village board. The election is set for Tuesday, March 20.
"The Taxpayers Party is very pleased to offer to the voters these two outstanding candidates," said Janice Vetrano, Taxpayers Party president. "Both men, through their community participation over the years, have helped make Malverne the wonderful village that it is."
Malverne Mayor Anthony Panzarella appointed Russo as trustee in April 1999 to fill the vacancy Panzarella left when elected mayor. Russo lost that trustee seat last year to Patricia Ann McDonald, an Independent Party candidate, in a state-mandated election.
Russo served as village police commissioner and as a member of the Malverne Traffic Commission from April 1999 to March 2000. As member of the traffic commission, he chaired the Village-Merchants Joint Committee on Park and Downtown Revitalization that worked to reduce many of the parking problems in the business district.
"Russo is a strong candidate with good business sense," said Vetrano. "We had enough faith in him for renomination."
Russo says he supports the Taxpayers Party goal to keep local services such as the village police and the public works departments under village control.
"Our concern is for the residents. We can never control these things if they're on a district level. We want to keep it here," said Russo.
He has owned a successful business in Malverne for over 20 years, through which, naturally as a business owner, he has strived to cut expenses without cutting services. Russo says he will bring those methods to the job of running the village government.
"A government should be run like a business," said Russo. "Our customer clientele are our residents. As taxpayers, they should be happy with services provided, at the lowest possible cost."
In addition to his service on the village board, Russo has been involved in numerous community organizations, including the Malverne Civic Association, the Historical and Preservation Society, the Malverne Little League, the Malverne Merchants and Professional Association, the Cub Scouts and the Italic Society.
William Voelker currently serves as chairman of the Malverne Board of Zoning Appeals, a position he has held for many years. He is also an active member of the Community Presbyterian Church of Malverne, where he serves as chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, and is a longtime member and officer of Malverne American Legion Post 44.
"Voelker is a good businessman and a retired lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserve," said Vetrano. "These qualities make him a strong individual who will add a lot to the village."
Voelker is a retired executive with the Brooklyn Union Gas Company, where he most recently served as director of corporate policies. In the 1980's, he served on the Carey Commission, chaired by former New York State Governor Hugh Carey. Through its study on housing preservation and development, the committee came up with recommendations that helped save New York City over $33 million.
Voelker's military career earned him a host of awards, including two U.S. Army commendation medals, the U.S. Army Achievement Medal and Meritorious Service Medal. He also serves on the Republican Committee and is a founding member of the Malverne Girls' Softball League. Voelker could not be reached for comment.
Both Russo and Voelker pledged to work with Mayor Panzarella and the rest of the board to help provide quality services for the people of Malverne at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers.
"They are great candidates," said Vetrano. "I know they will actively participate."
Vetrano responded to last week's allegations by former Taxpayers Party members Joseph Hennessy and Don Paone, who recently left to form the new Village Party. They had said they left the party because they were excluded from such party decisions as nominating candidates.
"How can he (Paone) say that?" said Vetrano. "He was our officer and secretary, who cast votes at every election."
Vetrano said that Hennessy had excluded himself from participation since the mayoral race two years ago. She explained that when the party's executive officers had discussed Hennessy or Anthony Panzarella as a possible candidate, Hennessy declined to run.
"After that, it was apparent that Paone had lost interest, and he did not work on the campaign," she said. Vetrano said that neither Hennessy nor Paone had announced that they were leaving of the Taxpayers Party.
