Village government in virtual lockstep

If you ask Irene Naudus and Steve D’Esposito, the two incumbent trustees in March 20’s Island Park village elections, they will tell you they’re running in an uncontested election. There are no other names on the ballot.

Laura Hassett, who tried to get on the ballot, could not because of an error she made in the process. She is nonetheless seeking a trustee’s seat, and is asking voters to cast write-in ballots for her.

We’ve interviewed Hassett, we know her work in the community and we believe she would make an able and dedicated board member. Naudus and D’Esposito are to be praised for their service, and D’Esposito, especially, does important work for the village. He has spent more than 25 years on the board and devoted much of that time to building relationships with the Nassau County Police Department and the Island Park Fire Department.

The Herald newspapers report on many uncontested elections in their coverage areas, but we have never encountered unopposed incumbents who declined our invitation to sit for endorsement interviews, as Naudus and D’Esposito have this year. (They also declined to speak to the Island Park Civic Association.) We believe these interviews are a valuable opportunity for candidates, opposed or not, to let our readers know about their accomplishments and their plans for the future. Most candidates enthusiastically welcome the chance to tell our readers their story and accomplishments. We’ll let those readers draw their own conclusions about these incumbents’ lack of interest in doing so.

Whatever the fate of this election and the three admirable candidates who seek your confidence and trust, we think voters and residents should evaluate the efficacy and authenticity of the election process in Island Park. Everyone who sits on the dais at village board meetings was originally appointed to his or her position. None of them took the initiative — like Hassett has — to run for a seat. They were given the job when someone stepped down or died, and have since run for re-election. This has been the way of Island Park politics for years.