Election 2015

Re-elect Fare, Grasso, Thomas and Bogle in Valley Stream

Posted

Several issues have been raised in the past weeks’ campaign for mayor, two trustee seats and village justice. On each of these issues, Mayor Ed Fare, Trustees Vincent Grasso and Dermond Thomas and Village Justice Robert Bogle deserve re-election.

Development and the condition of the village’s 90 miles of roads have topped residents’ list of major issues this election cycle. Valley Stream has changed and is still changing, like communities across Long Island, and local governments need to find ways to adapt to those changes and avoid stagnation. Fare’s administration has taken an active role in defining smart development that will provide the village a viable future, approving projects that put multi-unit apartment buildings in commercial areas near public transportation.

Some worry that the buildings will change the suburban landscape and the soul of the community, but that landscape is changing anyway, and the current and proposed projects demonstrate a conscious effort to guide that evolution. Valley Stream needs high-density housing as an option for the kind of renters that are essential to a thriving community — young people, workers and emergency personnel, and seniors who are downsizing.

The village’s roads need work, but that work costs money, and Fare, Grasso and Thomas have worked to ensure that it gets done steadily, in a way that won’t overburden taxpayers.

There have been other solid accomplishments. Solar panels were installed on the roof of the John Smith Bandshell at the Village Green last summer, and will offset the energy costs of Village Hall. Moving the courthouse to Rockaway Avenue to stimulate foot traffic for the businesses there — and to convert the present courtroom into a theater — is a great idea. The administration has kept Valley Stream in solid financial standing, and the United Community Party seems to live up to its name by taking a unified approach to these issues, without the partisan vitriol and stubbornness that paralyzes larger governing bodies.

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