New Hyde Park’s village leadership seems set for another term as none of the incumbents face a challenger in the upcoming March 18 election for mayor, trustee and village justice.
Mayor Christopher Devane, Deputy Mayor Madhvi Nijjar, and Village Justice Timothy F.X. Jones of the village’s Unity Party, who are running unopposed for re-election, said they were excited to continue the new party’s work on construction projects and community engagement they started this past term.
The three incumbents all assumed their seats in 2021 and are finishing their first four-year terms, although Devane had served as the village justice since 2003.
Edward Quinlan, a member of the village’s zoning board and a former president and trustee on Garden City Park’s school board, is also running unopposed under the Unity Party banner for an open seat on the Board of Trustees. Arthur Savarese, that seat’s current holder, is stepping down at the end of this term.
Residents can cast their ballots at village hall from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 18.
As village elections are non-partisan, all candidates are running under the Unity Party, which the group formed when running in the 2020 election.
“The Unity Party is, as reflected in the composition of our party, about bringing the community together and celebrating everybody. Although we come from different backgrounds, we have so much more in common than we do apart,” said Devane, who formed the party with Nijjar, the first woman of color ever elected to the village board, when they ran in 2021. All current board members are in the Unity Party.
Since 2021, the mayor and his board have made a concerted effort to increase village pride, community events, and cultural celebrations, Devane said. His administration has started almost a dozen new community events, including Lunar New Year, St. Patrick’s Day, and Diwali celebrations. Devane has also worked to organize food pantry and animal shelter fund-raisers and supply drives.
“Kids were leaving our village to go and have fun elsewhere,” Devane said. And, more than that, he added that younger generations don’t see themselves remaining in the village once they’re adults, something he wanted to change.
“We wanted to give our children, our future generations, opportunities to have events in town so we can come together as a community, not pass each other by on Jericho Turnpike, and be proud of what our facilities look like, have a safe, clean environment, and really take some pride in the village.”
In line with those efforts, Devane’s administration has spearheaded major construction projects, which the mayor said they were looking forward to seeing to completion during their second term. The projects include major renovations to village hall and the Public Works Department, significant upgrades to Memorial Park, and the creation of a new park on South 12th Street and new community center next to village hall.
The mayor’s work on Memorial Park included a new front entrance, a dog park, a playground, a turf field, workout stations, bathrooms, bocce ball courts, fencing, lighting, and more.
Upgrades to village hall and Memorial Park are all nearly complete, Devane said. He said the Public Works Department renovations and the new park on South 12th Street are projected to be complete this summer and the community center is projected to be completed next summer.
Devane described the village’s old community center, which was torn down, as disgusting and embarrassing. His administration’s motivation for building a new one was to provide a meeting place for neighbors and village celebrations, space for community programming, like flu shots, CPR classes, and fund-raisers, and a welcoming, safe space for kids to hang out.
Nijjar said one of her major goals as deputy mayor for the next four years is to bring youth programming and daily senior programming to the new community center once it’s finished.
She is focused on finishing the work she started during her first term and looks forward to seeing all of the construction projects to completion.
The board’s other two trustees, Rainer Burger and Eve Sheikh, are not up for election until 2027.
Even though the election is uncontested, Nijjar said it is still important for residents to vote. “The election reminds the community that we promised to do this together,” Nijjar said. “It’s important to come out and say ‘my voice matters.’”
Neighboring Floral Park will also have an uncontested election on March 18, where the village’s Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald and Trustees Frank Chiara and Lynn Pombonyo are up for re-election.
