The June 16 election in the Village of Manorhaven is still undecided because the vote was too close to call. Initially, the final result was set to be decided on Wednesday, June 17 by New York Supreme Court Justice Roy S. Mahon. However, two of the candidates, James Avena and Lucretia Steele, filed requests for recounts on June 17, and so recounts are to be scheduled by the Nassau County Board of Elections.
The initial results of the election were as follows. Current village trustee Rita Di Lucia was re-elected with 438 votes. James Avena received 415 votes, Lucretia Steele received 412 votes and John Popeleski received 411 votes. Three residents voted by paper ballots as they were registered but their names did not appear in the voting book. Those three ballots, along with two absentee ballots, are currently in dispute.
Lucretia Steele, Manorhaven’s current Deputy Mayor, has been on the Board since 2012, and Rita Di Lucia, also a current Trustee, has served since 2007. Steele and Di Lucia represent the Manorhaven Revival Party, which currently has three members on the Board of Trustees. Jim Avena was appointed trustee in 2012, and then ran for trustee in 2012 and 2013, and for mayor in 2014. His previous bids for village office were unsuccessful. John Popeleski ran for trustee unsuccessfully in 2014; this was his second bid for village office. Avena and Popeleski represent the Manorhaven Residents Party, which currently has two members on the Board.
The election was held at the Village Hall on June 16 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Although the village has a population of approximately 6,000, approximately 800 to 1200 residents typically vote in the annual village election, said Leslie Gross, Village Clerk-Treasurer. This year, according to figures provided by Gross, 854 residents voted.
This year’s election was hard fought, with signs appearing on Shore Road and mailings sent to village residents. The Manorhaven Residents Party candidates filed a Campaign Financial Disclosure Report on May 20 stating that they received a $3000 itemized contribution from Jim Avena, and had total campaign expenditures for the election of $2200. On May 15, the Manorhaven Revival Party candidates filed a Candidate Claim of Exemption form from filing the Campaign Financial Disclosure Report. The party claimed an exemption from filing the Campaign Financial Disclosure Report because its campaign expenditures were under $1000. The filing, signed by Lucretia Steele, stated that “the receipts or expenditures of the candidate. . . will not exceed $1000 in the aggregate for the campaign.” According to Gross, the parties’ filings were received by the village but were not audited or otherwise “fact checked.” Both parties’ filings were reviewed by the Port Washington News.
Manorhaven’s Mayor, Giovanna Guinta, who was first elected in 2012, is currently serving her second two year term.
