Four candidates are running uncontested for four trustee positions on the North Shore Board of Education in an upcoming election on May 20.
Newcomer Brian Hanley is running to fill a vacant seat once held by former Trustee Richard Galati, who resigned in November 2024. Meanwhile, incumbent trustees James Svendsen, Lisa Cashman and Jessica Dillon are vying to keep their seats on the school board.
Three of the four open trustee seats are for three-year terms, while the candidate who receives the fewest votes will serve a one-year term to replace Galati.
Since 2021, Hanley has served on North Shore’s Legislative Action Committee, where he said he advocates for the district with state and local lawmakers to get more funding. Hanley is also a financial regulatory attorney and said he’d bring his background in legal training and working with government agencies to the school board if elected.
Hanley also said his greatest strength is his willingness and enthusiasm to “deep-dive” into the details of whatever task comes his way, whether it’s his legal or legislative work or the financial hurdles the district has faced since the 2022 LIPA settlement.
North Shore Superintendent Christopher Zublionis said at previous Board of Education meetings that the district may face financial hurdles in around two years due to tax changes resulting from the 2022 settlement between the county and LIPA Glenwood Landing.
Along with his legal and legislative work inside and outside the district, Hanley said he supports the “North Shore Journey,” the district’s student and staff development roadmap. He would address technology issues as his top curriculum priority, with classroom use of artificial intelligence and the impact of technology and social media on students among his top concerns.
“Although the election is uncontested, I don’t take your vote for granted,” Hanley said. “Vote for me knowing that I’m committed to the North Shore Journey as we tackle the challenges ahead.”
First elected to the school board a year ago, Svendsen said his 37-year education career, including 15 years as principal of Garden City Park School, has helped him as a trustee.
Svendsen said he has worked extensively on school budgets and has sought state and federal grants throughout his career. Svendsen also said he is “deeply familiar with the challenges districts face,” including the fallout from the 2022 LIPA settlement.
“We seem to have a two-year reprieve from the LIPA situation,” Svendsen said. “And we’re hoping that we can continue to lobby and work with the government to avoid that last cliff that could be devastating for the budget.”
Svendsen has called North Shore home for nine years, with twins attending North Shore High School and another child who graduated.
Like Hanley, Svendsen has served on North Shore’s Legislative Action Committee for three years and has also worked in other volunteer roles throughout the district, including the Teaching and Learning Committee, Homework Policy Task Force, Middle School Principal Search Committee and treasurer of the Middle School Parent Teacher Organization.
“As our district continues to navigate fiscal challenges, I am committed to balancing the needs and voices of our community while ensuring our schools not only remain sustainable but thrive,” Svendsen said.
In addition to his background in education and work on North Shore committees, Svendsen has an extensive youth soccer career. He has coached and played for over 50 years and served as treasurer of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, where he is also a hall of fame member.
Since joining the North Shore Board of Education three years ago, Cashman said she has worked with her fellow board members and district administrators to cut over $5 million from school budgets due to losses following the 2022 LIPA settlement, which put a higher tax burden on residents.
“In my role as a trustee, I’ve worked to ensure decisions are made with transparency and care, always keeping the long-term needs of our district in mind,” Cashman said.
Outside the North Shore school board, Cashman works professionally in multimedia marketing, building campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and healthcare and environmental advocacy campaigns.
Along with her marketing career, Cahsman said her work as associate director of the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor has helped her ability to fund-raise and represent the voices of the groups she represents.
Cashman also said she recognizes the individual impacts of her decisions and ensures that every voice is heard, especially on heated topics like a proposed battery energy storage site in Glenwood Landing.
“The health of our local economy really depends on us making sound decisions,” Cashman said. “And that is something that I’m here to apply my talents to.”
In January, Dillon became the newest North Shore Board of Education trustee after being appointed to fill Galati’s vacant seat.
Dillon said her 17-year career in higher education and two-year work on North Shore’s Legislative Action Committee have helped her understand how the school board operates and recognize district needs in her short time as trustee.
While working on the Legislative Action Committee, Dillon said she advocated for the district’s needs, including funding issues from the LIPA settlement, to local elected officials.
Dillon is also an administrator at Suffolk County Community College, having previously served as an administrator at Nassau County Community College. Through these experiences, Dillon said she’s learned the ins and outs of school budgeting and working with the state for funding.
“The most important thing is to make sure that the board continues the legacy of the North Shore School District of providing a high-quality education for its students, while also balancing the fiscal pressures that are being put on us,” Dillon said.
Voting for the North Shore Board of Education Trustee election will occur on Tuesday, May 20, at the North Shore High School gym from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. A vote on the district’s $125 million budget, which seeks to raise the local tax levy by around 3%, will also occur that day.
