BY RACHEL DOBKIN
Village of Mineola Board of Trustees member Dennis Walsh has decided to throw his hat into the ring and run for the Town of North Hempstead’s Third District since Councilman Angelo Ferrara has decided to step down this year after serving his third term. The Third District within the Town of North Hempstead encompasses Garden City Park, Mineola, Williston Park, Garden City, and parts of New Hyde Park.
Walsh is a retired New York City Police Officer who grew up in Williston Park. He graduated from Mineola High School and has lived in Mineola for 38 years. When he is not working, he is with his wife, Barbara, and his son Neil. Walsh has been on the village’s board of trustees since April 2013 and is now looking for something new. Besides his responsibilities in office, Walsh is also a member of the Irish American Society, Portuguese Heritage Society and an usher at Corpus Christi Church.
According to Walsh, he has decided to run for the Third District to bring the accomplishments that the board has made in Mineola to the Town of North Hempstead.
“We delivered a zero percent tax increase from 2016-18 and never pierced the New York State tax cap,” Walsh said.
If elected, Walsh said he will fight to freeze salaries for elected officials and commissioners over the next four years. He will also maintain a two-party system for transparency and oversite that will produce checks and balances, fiscal control and control of runaway government in terms of size, cost and regulations.
With his background in the police force, Walsh finds importance in public safety issues and the support of the county police. He would also like to control the debt services in the Town of North Hempstead, instead of sweeping it under the rug since Mineola has a good rating on the Moody’s credit rating scale. Walsh is hoping to bring down the town’s debt by enacting a pay-as-you-go instead of a tax and spend policy. He would also like to protect and increase all senior programs in the Town of North Hempstead.
Walsh is currently endorsed by Mayor Scott Strauss, Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar, Nassau County Majority Leader Richard Nicolello, and Nassau County Clerk Maureen O’Connell. If Walsh is elected, Strauss will appoint a temporary trustee until the next election in March of 2022. Walsh, who is on the Republican ticket, is running against Democratic candidate Christine Pusateri, who is a speech pathologist.
The Town of North Hempstead’s Third District election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
—Rachel Dobkin is a contributing writer for Anton Media Group
