New trustee in Lawrence; Israel is Woodsburgh mayor

The Village of Lawrence will add a new face to its Board of Trustees as Alex Edelman won election on Tuesday over Unity Party running mate David Seidemann, 567 to 558. Incumbent Trustee Michael Fragin was the top vote-getter in the at-large election with 758 votes. The terms are two years.

It was the first contested election in Lawrence since 2010 and only the second in 10 years. “I think unfortunately though the campaign devolved into a very negative one we kept it positive and a more positive vision of the future prevailed,” Fragin said.

Edelman, a businessman who has lived in Lawrence for the past 10 years, said he has a lot to offer through his experience in the healthcare, transportation and real estate industries. His immediate focus will be to help get streetlights reconnected in the Harborview section and look into flood mitigation measures.

Though he wished Seidemann also won, Edelman is looking forward to being a trustee. “I wish Mr. Fragin lots of luck and I look forward to working together in harmony. There is a lot of work that has to be done in the village,” he said.

Fragin, a political consultant, ran for re-election because, he said, there is still much to get done from updating the village website to spending taxpayer dollars wisely and continuing with cost-effective improvements at the Lawrence Yacht & Country Club.
There were eight write-in votes for Jeffrey Hirth. Hirth originally was going to run with Fragin under the Good Government Party banner, but withdrew his name from the ballot prior to the May 14 deadline for candidate petitions to be submitted.

New mayor in Woodsburgh
For the first time since 1994, the Village of Woodsburgh will have a new mayor as Trustee Lee Israel defeated Deputy Mayor Ed Mukamal 165 to 52 votes.

Israel wants to update the way the village communicates with residents by creating a website and using social media. And, like his opponent, thinks Verizon’s FiOS service should be installed in Woodsburgh to give residents a choice in comparison to Cablevision.