It looks like Westbury’s mayor and trustees are here to stay. None of the three incumbents up for election face challengers in the village’s upcoming March 18 election.
Mayor Peter I. Cavallaro and Trustees Vincent Abbatiello and Pedro A. Quintanilla, all members of the village’s nonpartisan Action Party, said they were focused on improving the village’s infrastructure and parks, encouraging downtown housing and business development, and supporting the diverse community.
Cavallaro has served as the village’s mayor since 2009. Prior to that, he was a trustee on the village’s board for 10 years and the village’s planning board for 12.
Abbatiello, who Cavallaro appointed in 2018, and Quintanilla, who Cavallaro appointed in November, have both served the community in elected and volunteer positions prior to joining the board. Their appointments occurred due to the unexpected vacancies on the board during previous members’ terms.
Voters can cast their ballots on Election Day between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the village’s community center, Village Hall, or recreation center, based on whether they live in the village’s First, Second, or Third Election District, respectively. Voters can check their election district on the state’s Board of Election website.
“It’s sort of in my blood,” Cavallaro, 63, said of Westbury’s local politics, which he’s been a part of since his mid-20s. He said he was running for a fifth term because he felt a sense of responsibility to serve the village where he grew up.
Outside of politics, he’s trained as a lawyer, which he said has provided him with a deep knowledge of law creation and enforcement, helping him serve well as the village’s mayor.
During his time as mayor, Cavallaro said he has worked to renovate the village’s infrastructure by repaving all of the village’s roads, implementing traffic calming initiatives, upgrading the village’s parks and facilities, revitalizing the village’s downtown, opening the Westbury Arts Council, supporting the addition of a third track to run through the village’s LIRR station and earning the village the designation of a pro-housing community, which has opened the door for millions of dollars in state grants.
Westbury’s downtown revitalization initiative, which was completed in 2023 and funded entirely by a $10 million state grant, included seven major projects.
One of the most notable, Cavallaro said, was the rezoning of 54 acres around the train station for multi-family residential development so the village could engage in transit-oriented development to attract new people, businesses, and consumers to the village’s downtown.
The mayor said this move increases the village’s tax base and sustainability. Since the rezoning, over 200 housing units have been built in the village’s downtown across two multi-family projects.
Other projects included renovating the village’s community center campus, revamping Post Avenue’s streetscape by repaving sidewalks and adding planters, a joint project with the village’s business improvement district to fund storefront improvements, traffic calming, and pedestrian plaza creation.
The creation of the village’s Art Council fell under the downtown revitalization project as well, which the mayor said has become a significant community organization. The council offers gallery space and diverse programming, ranging from youth events, poetry readings, plays, and events for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and more.
Vincent Abbatiello, who is in his seventh year on the board, said he works closely with the village’s business improvement district. He also serves as Commissioner of Claims, regularly auditing and approving the village’s payment of bills and claims.
Prior to his role on the board, Abbatiello served as an elected fire and water commissioner for Hicksville. Currently, he is the treasurer for Hicksville’s Water District. He has also served as a volunteer firefighter for Westbury’s Fire Department for over 25 years and continues to do so.
“I want to make sure my kids have what I had: a nice place to live where everybody works together,” Abbatiello said, explaining why he was motivated to run for another term.
Pedro A. Quintanilla, who’s entering his fifth month on the board, said one of his main goals during his first full term is to increase government engagement in the village’s Hispanic community, particularly the immigrant community, to ensure their voice is heard.
Quintanilla has been a trustee on Westbury’s School District’s board since 2016. He has also worked in financial services and real estate.
During the next term, the mayor said he hopes to add chargers for electric vehicles to municipal lots, increase accessibility to the village’s parks, modernize infrastructure, support Westbury’s diverse community, and continue to generally upgrade the village.
“I want to have Westbury be one of the premier places for people to want to live or recreate or dine,” Cavallaro said. His goal is for the village to continue becoming more attractive to all people, whether they’re looking to start a family or retire.
Despite the fact the election is uncontested, Cavallaro said he still wants people to come out and vote. I urge people to read the information we put out because they’re entitled to know what we’re doing with their money, and they’re entitled to know what our priorities are,” he added. “They’re entitled to then express to us if they want us to do something different.”
He added, “I want people to vote to evidence support for the things that we’ve articulated. I don’t want to just get along by apathy, that we win because people don’t vote because they’re not interested. It’s important to ask people to vote for you and not take it for granted.”
