The uncontested village elections went off without a hitch last Wednesday, March 18, as trustees Steve Corte and Beaumont Jefferson, along with Village Justice Thomas Liotti, were all sworn in for another term.
Almost 300 village residents voted; and Corte garnered 279 votes, Jefferson had 283, and Liotti won with 219.
“I’m happy that both trustees Corte and Jefferson, as well as Judge Liotti, will be continuing to serve our village,” said village mayor Peter Cavallaro. “Each has a great dedication to the village and the residents. Even though the election was not contested, it is important that residents affirm the things that we are doing to make Westbury better every day.”
This will be Corte’s third term as trustee. First elected village trustee in 2007, Corte has served as both a member and chairman of the planning board. During his tenure on the planning board, he chaired the committee which provided for the establishment of the Village Master Plan. He has served as the Village Assessor since 2000 and oversaw the successful village-wide Revaluation Program, which resulted in a fairer and more accurate village tax assessment roll and significant tax relief for village residents. Corte has served as Nassau County’s deputy assessor since 2011.
“I was very happy to run uncontested,” Corte said. “It makes us feel good that people have a level of confidence in our abilities.”
As he looks to his next term, he is hoping to help the village develop even more.
“The development of the village has been good and we expect more,” Corte said. “As people look at the village and see things are going well, they want to be part of it. Redevelopment is essential to that.”
Jefferson has served on the board since 2009, when he was first appointed to fill a vacancy. As trustee, Jefferson serves as commissioner of claims and audit and commissioner of personnel. Jefferson also serves as the treasurer for Nassau County. He has a 25 year background and previous work history in the financial services industry. He is a member of the Nassau County Deferred Compensation Board and a member of the New York State Government Financial Officers Association.
Looking to his second term, Jefferson said he will be focusing on code enforcement, infrastructure improvements and continuing the downtown revitalization.
“While we do all these things we want to continue to have the village financially sound,” Jefferson said. “My focus is to continue doing what we’re doing and keep our eyes on anything that may develop and be proactive on any issues that may come up.”
He said the election was a good indication that residents trust the board.
“I think it’s a real plus we were able to run unopposed and people still gave us their vote of confidence. I think we have the village going in the right direction and have proven we run the village well,” Jefferson said.
This is Liotti’s seventh term as village justice.
“I always get excited about these things and I’m very honored to be the village justice,” Liotti said. “I take my job very seriously and try to fulfill my oath in every way possible and keep the residential integrity of the community.”
Over his next term, he’s hoping to make the court more accessible and well-known.
“I think we’ve created a model court and I’m looking forward to making our court more visible as a model court,” Liotti said. “I want to try and popularize that and let other courts know more about what we’ve done in Westbury in terms of making the court more consumer friendly.”
