Contested mayoral race in Atlantic Beach

In the only contested race among the villages this year, longtime incumbent Village of Atlantic Beach Mayor Stephen Mahler is being challenged by George Pappas, a nearly 14-year resident.
Mahler, who has been in office since 1996, is running for his 10th two-year term. For Pappas, this is his first time running for public office.
Both candidates would like to improve the village’s relationship with the 4th Precinct and see increased police patrols to reduce speeding through Atlantic Beach.
The sitting mayor believes he has had great success leading Atlantic Beach. “I think I have done an excellent job,” he said, pointing to the village receiving a high AA+ bond rating from Standard & Poors. “The village is in great financial shape, it was put back almost immediately after Sandy, we had a great beach season [afterwards] and it is one of the best run small villages on Long Island.
Pappas thinks that the roads have been neglected and the tennis center, damaged by Hurricane Sandy, should have been repaired and renovated already. “We have heard a lot of words but not seen the results,” he said.

Repairing the village’s roads and renovating the tennis center to create a heated year-round facility that could be use by all village resident would be Mahler’s two major priorities should he be re-elected. “Because of the money, for small villages roadwork is the most expensive thing to,” he said. “We do it in priority order basing it on engineering reports. Doing the worst first.”
Sandy reimbursement money is expected to total about $1 million, Mahler said and from that pool of funds the roads and other needed repairs will be made.
In office for nearly 18 years, Mahler touts his experience running the village and his position on the executive board of the Nassau County Villages Association. “I run my village very successfully,” Mahler said. “Our tax increases are minimal, have great services are run very well, we do the roads we are supposed to do every year, we are eliminating flooding (after rainstorms) with drainage devices that dissipate and grate out the water.”
Pappas points to his municipal management skills overseeing S.D. 1. Since 2012, he has been the superintendent after being promoted from acting superintendent in 2011 after serving four years as the assistant superintendent starting in 2007. He was the office manager from 2004-07 and a foreman from 2002-04 after working on the trucks for a decade beginning in 1992. “As sanitary district superintendent, I put residents first, I have made Sanitary District 1 accessible to everyone,” said Pappas, who pointed to a turn around with Hewlett Harbor. The village was going to get rid of us, but we changed that. My record speaks for itself.”
Voting on June 17 is from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Village Hall at 65 The Plaza in Atlantic Beach.