The race is on

The Lynbrook New Vision Party has announced its slate of candidates for the March 15 village election.

Mayor Bill Hendrick will seek to keep the seat he was appointed to at the end of 2010, when then-mayor Brian Curran was elected to the State Assembly, moving Hendrick up from deputy mayor. His running mates are Trustees Alan Beach — the current deputy mayor — and Tom Atkinson, who was appointed a trustee last month. The seats of Trustees Mike Hawxhurst and Hilary Becker are up in 2013.

“With his years of experience, we are really fortunate to have Bill Hendrick step up to the plate,” said Becker, the New Vision Party’s executive leader.

“This is a time of sweeping change, and new beginnings,” said Hendrick. “I am honored to have worked with our former mayor, Brian Curran. His record of exemplary service and a united village has made all Lynbrook residents proud. We made certain promises to every family, every taxpayer, every senior citizen and every business when we were first elected four years ago. I am proud to say we have kept our promises.”

As mayor, Hendrick is working on reducing taxes and creating jobs. He wants to continue to work on revitalizing the downtown business area, including Regal Cinemas and the vacant properties under the Long Island Rail Road trestle on Atlantic Avenue that are owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. If elected, he said, he wants to continue to lead the village through what he called “financial tough times.”

Beach is also no stranger to the board, having held his seat for the past four years. He is a founding member of the village’s Excellence in Education Foundation and a founder and former president of the Lynbrook Roller Hockey Club.

“I call him the ‘silent worker’ because he does a lot of things behind the scenes that people don’t see or know about,” Becker said of Beach. “He came in four years ago without a political background, and he has done so much for this village.”

“I am humbled and honored to receive the trust of my fellow board members and the mayor,” Beach said, adding that he wants to work with his party on a number of issues, including reducing expenses and maintaining Lynbrook residents’ high quality of life.