The race for mayor of Malverne begins

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After 12 years of service, Malverne Mayor Patti Ann McDonald recently announced that she will not seek a fourth term. Lifelong Malvernite Lori Lang announced her decision to challenge Deputy Mayor Keith Corbett for mayor of Malverne on Jan. 18.

“It was a very difficult decision for me to step down, but 12 years is a long time in any position,” McDonald told the Herald on Monday. “Malverne has been home to me for most of my life, and to give back to this wonderful village that has given so much to me and my family has been a privilege and an honor.”

Lang, 45, who is running with the Hometown Pride Party, runs her own home organization and design business in Malverne. She has also been involved with fundraisers and drives in the community since she was a teenager, when she started out as a member of the youth board at age 14. Lang said she chose to run after residents approached her last year, urging her to make a push for mayor. Lang’s mother, Catherine Hunt, was the first female mayor in the village when she was elected in 1987, and was one of the founders of the Hometown Pride Party.

“With Mayor McDonald stepping down, this is the time to shake stuff up in the village,” Lang said. “I know that times have changed, but there are little tweaks and changes that we can make to try to meet the residents halfway.”

Corbett, 39, who is running with the Independent Party, is an attorney with the firm Harris Beach, in Uniondale. He has lived in the village for nearly a decade, and was sworn in as a village board trustee in 2014. He would go on to become the village’s deputy mayor. During his years on the board, he has worked alongside McDonald in helping to renovate the downtown area and both train stations, and upgrade the infrastructure for drainage, parking, and roads, among other projects.

“The Board of Trustees has been very fortunate to have the leadership of Patti McDonald during her three terms as mayor,” said Corbett in a statement. “Her unique abilities for listening thoughtfully and acting decisively worked to bring people together for the village we all love so dearly.”

Lang said she that the Hometown Pride Party will run on a “choice and a voice,” and she hopes to create more opportunities for residents to speak with the board.

“When I grew up here, there was so much resident involvement,” Lang said. “We want to be a voice for the residents if they feel that they need a change, and we want to be that change. We’re running on fiscal responsibility and transparency.”

McDonald said she felt humbled and honored to serve as the village’s mayor, and that regardless of which party wins the election, younger board members are much needed.

“It’s nice to see that the Hometown Pride Party has resurrected and they want to do this,” McDonald said. “and it’s good that people are interested in what’s going on in the village. You want young people to serve in the village, but I think that we’ve done a good job, and our record speaks for itself.”

The village election will take place on Tuesday, March 19.