Veronica Lurvey, cofounder and copresident of North Shore Action, was selected to fill the Town of North Hempstead Fourth District Council seat, which became vacant when Anna Kaplan, who was first elected councilwoman in November 2011, became a state senator at the start of this year.
The grassroots community advocate from Great Neck was unanimously approved to become the most recent member of the town council at the Tuesday, Jan. 29, board meeting.
Lurvey will fill the seat that represents the villages of Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, North Hills, Great Neck, Great Neck Gardens, Kensington, Kings Point, Thomaston and the unincorporated areas of Manhasset and Great Neck, including Great Neck Gardens and Allenwood, until the end of the year. She will then be required to run for the four-year position in the November 2019 general election.
People of all backgrounds interested in filling the seat were urged to come forward and express their aspirations to John Ryan, chairman of the North Hempstead Democratic Committee. Approximately 10 to 12 people were interviewed by the Executive Committee.
“The consensus and recommendation was Veronica, and it was up to Supervisor Bosworth and the board to decide,” explained Steven Markowitz, president of Great Neck Democratic Club. “In a short time, she has emerged as a force and a community leader, and I think she will be a tremendous asset to the board,” continued Markowitz, who worked with Lurvey for many years when she served as an officer for Temple Israel and as cofounder of North Shore Action.
“I have been so impressed with Veronica throughout the selection process, and I find her to be a person of integrity, intelligence and enthusiasm,” said Supervisor Judi Bosworth. “I know that she will be a great colleague in government and that she will embrace our spirit of collaboration, consensus building and bipartisanship.”
North Shore Action’s tagline is “Together for equality, diversity, justice.” Since its cofounding by Lurvey in Spring 2017, the group has worked to help the community through a variety of proactive bipartisan events.
“We are excited to have Veronica join the Town of North Hempstead as councilwoman, said North Shore Action cofounder Beth Friedmann. “She will be a great asset to the community. Her leadership, relationship building and integrity have been instrumental in building North Shore Action. I’m honored to have partnered with her and the Steering Committee on the work we have done and will continue to do.”
Jacqueline Harounian, a North Shore Action volunteer, couldn’t agree more.
“The Town of North Hempstead is truly lucky to have such a dedicated and hard-working community leader as part of its team,” said Harounian. “I have worked alongside Veronica for the past two years. She is someone who has a proven track record for bringing people together, advancing issues that are important to a cross-section of individuals, all with tremendous warmth and integrity.”
Lurvey has a background serving the community and as an attorney with more than 17 years’ experience. She was vice president of Temple Israel of Great Neck and a member of the Village of Kensington Zoning Board of Appeals.
Following her undergraduate study at the University of Chicago, she earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and, most recently, served as counsel at Skadden, Arps, Meagher, Flom, LLP.
“It is an honor to be appointed to represent the people of the town’s Fourth District Council,” said Lurvey. “I look forward to advocating for the needs of every resident and support efforts to take care of our community now and for future generations.”
The North Shore native is a daughter of immigrants, who resides in Great Neck with her husband, Jonathan, and their two teenage sons.
“To have been considered for this position was a privilege. To have been elected unanimously was a true honor,” said Lurvey. “I am looking forward to working with my fellow council members, Supervisor Bosworth and their respective staffs and, most importantly, to representing the residents of the district.”
