Second Town Council District
Posted
Ambrosino challenged by Scott Banks
By Brian Zanzonico
The race for the Town of Hempstead's 2nd Councilmatic District pits a challenger who says he has unfinished business on the board against an incumbent who feels his work has just begun.
Democratic challenger Scott Banks, who is looking to unseat Republican Ed Ambrosino, served for a year on the town board, elected in 1999, one of several Democrats who broke a decades-long string of Republican rule in the town. That year, in what turned out to be the town's last at-large election, Democrats picked up three seats to the Republicans' three, giving Democrats a solid foothold on the council. Republicans maintained control of the board only because then Town Supervisor Richard Guardino, a Republican from Point Lookout, had a tie-breaking vote.
A subsequent judge's ruling divided the town into six districts, and mandated separate election in each district. The 2nd District includes Elmont, a section of Franklin Square, North Valley Stream, South Floral Park, Floral Park, Bellerose, Stewart Manor, Garden City, New Hyde Park, Garden City South and West Hempstead.
Ambrosino, appointed to a one-year term on the town board in March 2003 after Joseph Kearney stepped down, was elected to a four-year term that November.
Both candidates suggest that the impact they have had on the town board qualify them for a four-year seat. Banks, an attorney who has lived in West Hempstead since 1983, said that although his time as a councilman was short -- he lost his seat to Kearney in the 2000 election -- the initiatives he introduced are still around today. He drafted legislation that called for town board meetings to be held at night. "I would look around the room," Banks said of previous meetings, which were held during the day, "and most of the people there worked for the town."
He recalled that the Republican majority did not warm to the idea of having every meeting at night, but agreed to do so once a month. That is how meetings are scheduled to this day. Banks said that if he is elected, he would propose that the board hold one or two meetings a year in each councilmatic district. "That way, residents of each district don't just see their representatives, but the entire town board in action," he said.
Banks also wrote the town's original nuisance law, which was aimed at closing the crime-ridden Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead. It was scaled back drastically after the town attorney reviewed it for constitutionality and economic impact, he said. In the summer of 2000, his proposal appeared on the agenda, though it had major changes.
"The version that appeared on the agenda had no teeth," said Banks, who is in favor of the plan proposed by Trammell Crow Residential, which has been in contract to purchase the Courtesy Hotel property since March of 2006, and has filed an application to have the property zoned so it can build 220 apartments.
If he is elected, Banks said, he would propose unifying the town and county's building departments to eliminate duplication of services, such as clearing snow during storms. He also said the town should be given the power to oversee special districts, such as Sanitary District No. 6. "The town should have the oversight to audit districts on an annual basis to check traveling expenses, salaries and overtime," he said. "Special districts would not be autonomous."
Citing illegal housing as a major problem, Banks said that homeowners with apartments that are currently illegal should be given an opportunity to make them legal (excluding basement apartments, which pose a fire hazard). He said he would work with fire inspectors to help map out a plan.
"Illegal apartments create congestion and a drag on services such as garbage pickup," Banks said. "And schools, of course, are obligated by law to educate children whether they're living in the district legally or illegally. If a family is renting, we're paying for their services and education, and there is no compensation for that. If they become legal, the homeowner would be responsible. The idea is to make it legal and safe."
Banks is also in favor of a hotel on the Belmont Park grounds, but is skeptical of video lottery terminals because of the traffic they may create. "I'd have to look at Yonkers [Raceway], because I want to see how it works in that community," he said of the upstate racetrack, which already has video gaming. "You also have to ask if it's worth it. Would we see revenue from it earmarked for Elmont?"
Banks said he wants one more chance to prove he can be an effective councilman. "When I came into this race, people asked me why I'm doing this," he said. "The Democrats didn't say to me to go back in and see if I can make a difference. For me, it's not about politics. I respect Ed Ambrosino. I think Ed is a good guy. [But] he's not effective as I was. In fact, I'm not sure what Ed has done to draft legislation."
Ambrosino, who was born in Elmont and lives in North Valley Stream, is a former Sanitary District No. 6 commissioner and a former attorney for the county Legislature. Since defeating Democrat George Bassias by 4,500 votes in 2003, Ambrosino has focused on quality-of-life issues facing his district, and has championed beautification projects in areas like the Dutch Broadway section of Elmont. He drafted the town's "Nail and Mail" legislation in 2005, which allows building departments to more easily serve summonses to landlords of suspected illegal apartments.
Under the law, after three unsuccessful attempts to personally serve a summons to the owner, building inspectors may post it on the door of an allegedly illegal dwelling and send a duplicate summons via certified mail. The fines for owning illegal housing now range from $500 to $1,500 for a first offense to as much as $10,000 for a third offense. Under the town's old system, the maximum fines were $500 for a first offense and $1,500 for a third offense. In addition to the fine increases, the town added more building department personnel, established night shifts, and now sends undercover building department workers to open houses to check for illegal apartments.
Ambrosino supports the town's and county's joint economic revitalization of Elmont, advocating the remodeling of existing buildings along Hempstead Turnpike. A public hearing regarding a blight study of the old Argo theater on Hempstead Turnpike and Elmont Road is scheduled for Nov. 13, and Ambrosino said he will work to make one of the community's biggest hopes for the revitalization plan a reality at the Argo: a supermarket. Whole Foods, Key Food and King Kullen are among the grocery giants who have shown an interest in coming to Elmont, he said.
Regarding Belmont Park's future, Ambrosino said the New York Racing Association, which operates the track, needs to add concerts and other forms of entertainment to make it a true tourist destination. He also supports the construction of a hotel, but is reserving judgment on video gaming until it is studied more thoroughly. Ambrosino also said that if video gaming comes to Belmont, it is only right that the surrounding communities benefit.
"There should be revenue sharing among Elmont, Floral Park, South Floral Park, Bellerose and Bellerose Terrace, with the funds going into an escrow account to help maintain businesses," he said.
Like Banks, Ambrosino supports consolidating town and county services. "We have to get rid of the way it is now, where a county truck lifts its plow and backs up when it reaches town jurisdiction during a storm.," he said. "It's absurd."
Comments about this story? FSeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.
By Brian Zanzonico
The race for the Town of Hempstead's 2nd Councilmatic District pits a challenger who says he has unfinished business on the board against an incumbent who feels his work has just begun.
Democratic challenger Scott Banks, who is looking to unseat Republican Ed Ambrosino, served for a year on the town board, elected in 1999, one of several Democrats who broke a decades-long string of Republican rule in the town. That year, in what turned out to be the town's last at-large election, Democrats picked up three seats to the Republicans' three, giving Democrats a solid foothold on the council. Republicans maintained control of the board only because then Town Supervisor Richard Guardino, a Republican from Point Lookout, had a tie-breaking vote.
A subsequent judge's ruling divided the town into six districts, and mandated separate election in each district. The 2nd District includes Elmont, a section of Franklin Square, North Valley Stream, South Floral Park, Floral Park, Bellerose, Stewart Manor, Garden City, New Hyde Park, Garden City South and West Hempstead.
Ambrosino, appointed to a one-year term on the town board in March 2003 after Joseph Kearney stepped down, was elected to a four-year term that November.
Both candidates suggest that the impact they have had on the town board qualify them for a four-year seat. Banks, an attorney who has lived in West Hempstead since 1983, said that although his time as a councilman was short -- he lost his seat to Kearney in the 2000 election -- the initiatives he introduced are still around today. He drafted legislation that called for town board meetings to be held at night. "I would look around the room," Banks said of previous meetings, which were held during the day, "and most of the people there worked for the town."
He recalled that the Republican majority did not warm to the idea of having every meeting at night, but agreed to do so once a month. That is how meetings are scheduled to this day. Banks said that if he is elected, he would propose that the board hold one or two meetings a year in each councilmatic district. "That way, residents of each district don't just see their representatives, but the entire town board in action," he said.
Banks also wrote the town's original nuisance law, which was aimed at closing the crime-ridden Courtesy Hotel in West Hempstead. It was scaled back drastically after the town attorney reviewed it for constitutionality and economic impact, he said. In the summer of 2000, his proposal appeared on the agenda, though it had major changes.
"The version that appeared on the agenda had no teeth," said Banks, who is in favor of the plan proposed by Trammell Crow Residential, which has been in contract to purchase the Courtesy Hotel property since March of 2006, and has filed an application to have the property zoned so it can build 220 apartments.
If he is elected, Banks said, he would propose unifying the town and county's building departments to eliminate duplication of services, such as clearing snow during storms. He also said the town should be given the power to oversee special districts, such as Sanitary District No. 6. "The town should have the oversight to audit districts on an annual basis to check traveling expenses, salaries and overtime," he said. "Special districts would not be autonomous."
Citing illegal housing as a major problem, Banks said that homeowners with apartments that are currently illegal should be given an opportunity to make them legal (excluding basement apartments, which pose a fire hazard). He said he would work with fire inspectors to help map out a plan.
"Illegal apartments create congestion and a drag on services such as garbage pickup," Banks said. "And schools, of course, are obligated by law to educate children whether they're living in the district legally or illegally. If a family is renting, we're paying for their services and education, and there is no compensation for that. If they become legal, the homeowner would be responsible. The idea is to make it legal and safe."
Banks is also in favor of a hotel on the Belmont Park grounds, but is skeptical of video lottery terminals because of the traffic they may create. "I'd have to look at Yonkers [Raceway], because I want to see how it works in that community," he said of the upstate racetrack, which already has video gaming. "You also have to ask if it's worth it. Would we see revenue from it earmarked for Elmont?"
Banks said he wants one more chance to prove he can be an effective councilman. "When I came into this race, people asked me why I'm doing this," he said. "The Democrats didn't say to me to go back in and see if I can make a difference. For me, it's not about politics. I respect Ed Ambrosino. I think Ed is a good guy. [But] he's not effective as I was. In fact, I'm not sure what Ed has done to draft legislation."
Ambrosino, who was born in Elmont and lives in North Valley Stream, is a former Sanitary District No. 6 commissioner and a former attorney for the county Legislature. Since defeating Democrat George Bassias by 4,500 votes in 2003, Ambrosino has focused on quality-of-life issues facing his district, and has championed beautification projects in areas like the Dutch Broadway section of Elmont. He drafted the town's "Nail and Mail" legislation in 2005, which allows building departments to more easily serve summonses to landlords of suspected illegal apartments.
Under the law, after three unsuccessful attempts to personally serve a summons to the owner, building inspectors may post it on the door of an allegedly illegal dwelling and send a duplicate summons via certified mail. The fines for owning illegal housing now range from $500 to $1,500 for a first offense to as much as $10,000 for a third offense. Under the town's old system, the maximum fines were $500 for a first offense and $1,500 for a third offense. In addition to the fine increases, the town added more building department personnel, established night shifts, and now sends undercover building department workers to open houses to check for illegal apartments.
Ambrosino supports the town's and county's joint economic revitalization of Elmont, advocating the remodeling of existing buildings along Hempstead Turnpike. A public hearing regarding a blight study of the old Argo theater on Hempstead Turnpike and Elmont Road is scheduled for Nov. 13, and Ambrosino said he will work to make one of the community's biggest hopes for the revitalization plan a reality at the Argo: a supermarket. Whole Foods, Key Food and King Kullen are among the grocery giants who have shown an interest in coming to Elmont, he said.
Regarding Belmont Park's future, Ambrosino said the New York Racing Association, which operates the track, needs to add concerts and other forms of entertainment to make it a true tourist destination. He also supports the construction of a hotel, but is reserving judgment on video gaming until it is studied more thoroughly. Ambrosino also said that if video gaming comes to Belmont, it is only right that the surrounding communities benefit.
"There should be revenue sharing among Elmont, Floral Park, South Floral Park, Bellerose and Bellerose Terrace, with the funds going into an escrow account to help maintain businesses," he said.
Like Banks, Ambrosino supports consolidating town and county services. "We have to get rid of the way it is now, where a county truck lifts its plow and backs up when it reaches town jurisdiction during a storm.," he said. "It's absurd."
Comments about this story? FSeditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.
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