Meet Franklin Square Civic Association President Jon Israel

Civic associations play a crucial role in day-to-day life throughout the communities they serve — whether they use their voice to advocate for children in schools or speak up about streets that need stop signs, these organizations aim to preserve and improve the quality of life for their neighbors. 

Jon Israel, president of the Franklin Square Civic Association, is one of many individuals in the Franklin Square community that does their part to better the neighborhood. 

“(Civic associations) connect neighbors with each other, they connect schools with the residents, we connect the residents with the municipalities and the local dignitaries, and we try to be the voice of the people,” he said. “We try to give the residents a voice, in mass, so that we can make things happen and accomplish the things that the residents want in the area and throughout the community.”

Israel has long served on the board of this civic association, but only recently became the president after former president Phil Malloy stepped down because of health reasons. 

Israel has held numerous board positions since 2017. 

He loves the location of Franklin Square, but even more than that he loves his community. 

“It’s a community where people, regardless of their differences, are always there for each other and seem to come out and help each other,” Israel said. “It’s a very family-oriented community, the school district is fantastic, the school administration is fantastic, and the schools are very connected with the community.”

Most of Israel’s day-to-day responsibilities as civic president include responding to community inquiries about local issues, planning meetings and helping the board make decisions as a group. 

Most recently, the civic gave awards to storefronts on Hempstead Turnpike for maintaining their storefronts. Israel hopes to continue this initiative throughout the year to celebrate business owners doing their part to improve quality of life in the town. 

“We’re working on creating more set criteria for that, and we’re looking forward to working with other businesses locally as well to help beautify the community,” Israel said.

Throughout his time on the board, the civic association has been involved with many community initiatives, such as the designation of the Franklin Theatre — an art deco theater — as a historical site in Hempstead town, hanging banners throughout the town for beautification purposes, the annual Hometown Heroes Banner program that celebrates local veterans, first responders and healthcare workers, a yearly community yard sale and much more. 

The civic association also partners with other community organizations in the area to achieve its goals. 

Have a community leader you think the community should get to know? Send Nicole an email at nwagner@liherald.com with a story pitch.