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Mostly Cloudy Local officials feel ‘electricity’ at the RNC
A handful of Valley Stream officials were among the thousands of attendees at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland this week. They reported an environment unlike anything they had ever been part of.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said John DeGrace, president of the Valley Stream Republican Club and a former village mayor. “It’s amazing … It’s an experience that I probably won’t see again in my lifetime.”
DeGrace, his wife, Barbara, and Village Trustee John Tufarelli were at the four-day event, along with Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino and Councilman Anthony D’Esposito. Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Legislator Howard Kopel were also there.
Tufarelli said he was glad to represent Valley Stream at a convention where people had come from all over the country. He described the first night’s speakers as “amazing,” and was confident in the Republican choice for president. “I feel real good about Donald Trump as the candidate,” Tufarelli said. “We need a business personality like his to stimulate the economy … I think people will follow suit with his method if he gets in there.”
Tufarelli added that he admired Trump for standing by his convictions. Tufarelli was at the 2012 Republican convention in Tampa, and said that the environment this time was noticeably different. “There’s an electricity in the air,” he said. “Very positive.”
Barbara DeGrace, who oversees media relations and various projects for the village board, said that the local and county officials enjoyed the event. She said it was nice to be with people from different parts of the country and to hear their perspectives. One theme that she appreciated from the first night’s speakers, she said, was “a lot of empathy for veterans’ issues.”
As the Herald went to press, the group had only experienced the convention’s first night, which included speeches by Melania Trump, who Tufarelli said presented herself well, former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell and Patricia Smith, whose son Sean was killed in the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani also addressed the crowd.
“They were powerful, moving speakers,” John DeGrace said.
Security was a focal point for them, and it was on display around the event. Law enforcement personnel from different agencies and states were on hand to provide security. “I have never seen so many police officers in my life,” DeGrace said.
For him, the experience was proof that a movement is sweeping the Republican Party and beyond. “Many people who aren’t part of the Republican apparatus are here,” DeGrace said. “They just wanted to be here.”
