Six villages on the Great Neck peninsula hold elections next week Wednesday, March 18: Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock and Thomaston. Only the Village of Great Neck Plaza will see a contested election, as three trustee candidates are running for two trustee positions. As with all village elections, immediately following the last date to file a petition to run for office, the Great Neck Record contacts each village’s clerk/treasurer, asking for the names of the candidates. The Record also asks the village contact each candidate, asking for a head shot, and a short 300-word statement including biography, experience and why the candidate is running for office.
The villages of Great Neck, Kings Point and Lake Success all hold elections in June each year.
Great Neck Estates
In the Village of Great Neck Estates, there are no contested elections. Incumbent Mayor David is running for another two-year term. Incumbent trustees William Warner and Sidney Krugman are each running for another two-year term. Incumbent Village Justice Harry Burstein is also running for another term, for four years. Great Neck Estates elections are Wednesday, March 18, noon to 9 p.m., Great Neck Estates Village Hall, 4 Atwater Plaza.
Great Neck Plaza
Great Neck Plaza elections see three candidates running for two, two-year trustee positions: incumbent Gerald Schneiderman, incumbent Lawrence Katz and new candidate Jonathan Stein are all running. Village Justice Neil Finkston is running for another four-year term. Great Neck Plaza elections are Wednesday, March 18, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Plaza Village Hall,
Kensington
Kensington will see two incumbent trustees running, unopposed, for re-election. Trustees Alina Hendler and Darren Kaplan are each running for another two-year term. Kensington elections are on Wednesday, March 18, noon to9 p.m., at Kensington Village Hall, 2 Nassau Dr.
Russell Gardens
In Russell Gardens, the mayor and two trustees are running for re-election. Incumbent Mayor Steven Kirschner and incumbent trustees Martin Adickman and Jane Krakauer are all seeking another two-year term. Russell Gardens elections are Wednesday, March 18, noon to 9 p.m., at Russell Gardens Village Hall, 6 Tain Dr.
Saddle Rock
The Village of Saddle Rock will see uncontested elections. Incumbent Mayor Dan Levy and incumbent trustees David Schwartz and Mark Collins are each seeking another two-year term. Saddle Rock elections are Wednesday, March 18, noon to 9 p.m., Saddle Rock Village Hall, 18 Masefield Way.
Thomaston
Village of Thomaston elections will see the incumbent mayor and two incumbent trustees running, unopposed, for re-election. During this past year, Mayor Steven Weinberg took over for retiring former mayor, Robert Stern. Weinberg is now seeking election to his first full two-year term. Incumbent trustees Gary Noren and Jill Monoson are also seeking two-year terms. Thomaston elections are Wednesday, March 18, noon to 9 p.m., Thomaston Village Hall, 100 East Shore Rd.
Additional Candidate Statements
Village of Great Neck Plaza Village Justice Neil Finkston
“As a lifelong resident of Great Neck, I am proud to have served as Great Neck Plaza village justice since April 2010. I was raised and grew up in this community and now, years later, I maintain my law office in Great Neck Plaza.
As I stand for re-election, I am confident in my qualifications and about the way in which I have served on the bench. Following my graduation from Washington University School of Law, my legal practice has been almost exclusively in the field of litigation. I am a former partner at a prominent Manhattan firm and, in 2012, I founded my own law office, where I concentrate in appellate litigation. I am a member of the New York State Bar Association, Nassau County Bar Association and New York State Magistrates Association.
During my tenure as village justice, I have presided over arraignments, plea dispositions and trials, and I have authored numerous decisions on a range of legal issues. However, in addition to those judicial responsibilities, I am equally proud of the fact that those with business before the court know that I am carefully and respectfully listening to them and giving thoughtful consideration to every case. I can appreciate that not everyone will be pleased with
my decisions and rulings, but everyone will have an opportunity to be heard and will be treated impartially and fairly.
I ask my neighbors to vote for me on March 18. I look forward to continuing my service to my hometown.”
Village of Great Neck Plaza Trustee Candidate
Jonathan Stein
“I’m running for trustee of Great Neck Plaza because I love living and working here. I believe I have ideas that can make Great Neck Plaza a better place for all its residents. I also have the background to follow through.
I grew up on Long Island and attended Wheatley High School, but there was always something special about
Great Neck. It’s where you went; it was a destination.
I attended Brown University, where I earned a BA in business economics and a BA in Political Science. I also completed a summer session at Harvard, studying Organic Chemistry.
I lived in Manhattan before obtaining my law degree, cum laude, from Hofstra University and returning to Long Island. I am licensed in New York State, before the Federal Eastern and Southern Districts of New York and before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
I have had my own private
practice in Great Neck Plaza for over five years where, in addition to commercial litigation, I have worked as counsel for various commercial developers, helping them acquire real estate and build neighborhoods in the city and in other locations across the country. In doing this, I have learned the difference between business development, in the micro-economic scheme of things, and economic development, and I believe Great Neck Plaza will benefit from my experience. I know how to develop communities.
I have lived in the Plaza, as
well, since 2013, with my wife Mollie (married almost 12 years). Our
oldest daughter, Kylie, is a kindergarten student at Parkville School. Our newest additions, twin babies Rachel and Noah, are almost 10 months old.
My first order of business as trustee would be to interview and hire an economic development consultant to develop a master plan for reinvigorating the Plaza.”
