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Candidates discuss the issues
1st Councilmatic District
The race for the Town of Hempstead’s 1st Councilmatic District pits Democratic incumbent Dorothy Goosby, who has held the seat since 1999, against Republican Tracy Worthy, a Hempstead community activist who is making her first bid for elective office.
The two candidates are vying to represent a district that encompasses Lakeview, portions of West Hempstead and Baldwin, and all of Roosevelt and Uniondale, among other areas.
This will be Goosby’s third bid for a four-year term. She is also running on the Independence and Working Families party lines, and has lived in the Village of Hempstead for more than 40 years.
Goosby said she is seeking re-election because she wants to continue to improve the district’s infrastructure. During her current term she helped advance and complete many projects in the district, such as refurbishments of town parks, including work on the basketball courts and playgrounds and aesthetic enhancements at Harold Walker Memorial Park in Lakeview and Coes Neck Park in Baldwin.
The proposed Lighthouse project is one of Goosby’s major concerns regarding the future of Long Island. She said she wants to make sure residents can live and work at the development, and that local fire and sanitation departments are fully equipped to provide services to the site.
Worthy, 47, said she is running for the seat because it is time for a change in leadership. A lifelong Village of Hempstead resident, she has been active in the village for more than 20 years. She currently serves on the Hempstead Police Activity League’s executive board and is one of its coaches. She is also running on the Conservative Party line.
Worthy, an eighth-grade special education teacher at Hempstead Middle School, contends that there are many issues in the district that deserve more attention on the town level. As a councilwoman, she said, she would work to improve the district’s schools, which are often criticized for underachieving. She said more money needs to be spent on enhancing safety in the schools so students can focus on getting an education.
