Fare: Ready for the challenge

It’s no secret that Ed Fare has wanted to be the mayor of Valley Stream since his days growing up in the community. In fact, when thinking about his critics who say that all he wants to do is be the mayor, Fare responds, “Don’t you want someone who wants to be the mayor?”

Fare was elected by an overwhelming margin, with three out of every four voters choosing him. His running mates on the United Community Party line, Vincent Grasso and Dermond Thomas, also each garnered at least 70 percent of the vote in the race for trustee.

“The margin of victory means our message got out,” Fare said. “The people heard us and they trust us.”

He will succeed Joanne Antun, a longtime trustee who assumed the mayor’s duties following the death of Ed Cahill in July. Antun did not run for re-election.

The party’s election platform included a freeze on taxes and pledges to revitalize the downtown business district and improve recreational opportunities. Fare said that one of the first items he wants to tackle is the creation of a dog park. A skate park could soon follow, he said, but choosing the right location and working out liability issues would have to come first.

Thomas said that in addition to these plans, the board wants to address quality-of-life issues in the village, such as fixing the roads and the “little things that matter.” He said is he is looking forward to his swearing-in, so “I can get to work.”

Grasso, who has been a trustee for the past 14 months, and Thomas say that board members will get to work immediately on their plans. “I think people will see results probably quicker than they would normally expect to,” Grasso said. “There are solid things we want to get done.”

Revitalizing Rockaway Avenue is a priority, Grasso said, and they want to make it more welcoming for residents. Making the entire village more business-friendly, with changes to the codes and zoning regulations, is also a top priority, Grasso explained.

Fare must make several appointments when he takes office. Most important, he said, will be naming a new village clerk to replace Vinny Ang, who retired in December. Fare said he has been seeking input from the other trustees, even though the appointment is his to make.

This position is crucial, he said, because the village clerk runs the day-to-day operations and is responsible for implementing the board’s policies and decisions. “The clerk is the face of the village,” Fare said. “He or she is actually the boss.”

The clerk must also share the philosophy of the village board, he said, and he would prefer to hire someone who lives in the village or the immediate area so the person would have a vested interest in the job. He hopes to appoint someone to the position at the April 4 reorganization meeting, the same night that he, Grasso and Thomas are sworn in. Fare also plans to announce his deputy mayor that night.

He will also appoint a new Building Department supervisor and engineer. And because Fare will have to give up his trustee seat, he will have to find someone to fill that vacancy until next year’s village election. That decision could come in May, he said.

Fare has been seeking the guidance of Village Justice Bob Bogle, who was also on the United Community slate and re-elected to his seventh term. Bogle said he has advised Fare to find the most talented people to fill the open positions.

The mayor-elect said he plans to give the trustees plenty of responsibilities, and will ask them to lead certain projects. Thomas said he is particularly interested in spearheading recreation-related projects. Grasso will head a committee to work on the flood map issue, to attempt to bring relief to residents who have been hit with four-figure annual insurance premiums.

“Ed Fare has been super in terms of bringing people into the process,” Grasso said. “It sets the tone of cooperation, of consensus. I think people sensed that in the campaign and they wanted it.”

He added that those who voted for the United Community Party candidates weren’t just casting a vote for Fare, Thomas or Grasso, they were investing in the future of Valley Stream. Grasso said that on the campaign trail, many people’s eyes lit up when they heard the party’s plans.

“I’m part of such a great team,” Thomas added. “We’re going to move Valley Stream forward.”

Bogle was the biggest winner of all, with 90 percent of residents who voted choosing him. “It’s a nice vote of confidence,” he said, “even though I was uncontested.”

He has run with many mayoral and trustee candidates during his 24 years in office, and said that each group brings something different to the table. Fare, Thomas and Grasso think outside the box, Bogle explained, and will bring a new approach to problems. “With new energy comes new ideas,” he said.

Bogle said that the slate is a good mix of lifelong Valley Stream residents — himself and Fare — and those newer to the community, like Thomas.

Since election night, Fare said, people have been asking him if he is glad the campaign is over. He doesn’t miss the paperwork, he said, but he does miss visiting the village’s various neighborhoods. “I kind of like walking door to door,” he said. “I like talking to people. I like learning the good and the bad. If I don’t know about a problem, how am I supposed to fix it?”

Next week, he said, he will move into the mayor’s office at Village Hall, then will take the oath of office the following Monday. “April 4 is right around the corner,” he said. “I’m absolutely ready for the challenge.”