Four residents are seeking election to two open trustee positions on the Farmingdale Village Board. The trustee term is four years. Current Trustee Joseph F. Rachiele is seeking re-election along with Ralph Ekstrand. Both are running on the Farmingdale Family Party line. Green Leaf Party members William A. Barrett and Cheryl L. Parisi are also vying for the two open trustee positions.

All registered voters of the Village of Farmingdale are eligible to vote. To register, visit Village Hall between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and pick up a registration form. The village will also be hosting a registration day on Saturday, March 8 from noon to 5 p.m. at Village Hall. For more information call 249-0093.

Candidates appear below in alphabetical order.

A lifelong Daler and married father of two, Bill Barrett is a licensed CPA at Rynkar, Vail & Barrett, LLP. Back in December, mayoral candidate George "Butch" Starkie knocked on Barrett's door inquiring if he would consider running for village trustee. Barrett said Starkie told him that someone with his "background and experience would be helpful to our village."

"I have been the partner on audit engagements such as villages, school districts, water districts, sanitary districts and libraries for over 20 years," Barrett added. "I am experienced in advising commercial and governmental boards and am well versed in the modified accrual basis that governments use for their fund financial statements and the full accrual basis used in the government-wide financial statements."

Barrett said he reviewed the village's past three years of audited financial statements and decided that he could help.

"The village has many developers looking to incorporate their projects permanently into our village while we have a building moratorium," he added. "These new developments have an unknown impact on our water needs, parking, school district and redevelopment of our Main Street. I believe that we cannot let developers put their projects into the village without an update of our Master Plan. It is imperative that this future development be properly planned instead of approving these various new developments around Main Street."

Barrett said he is also concerned with increase Water Fund expenditures.

"Why have expenditures exceeded revenues by more than $450,000 for the two-year period ending May 31, 2007," he said. "As of May 31, 2007, the water fund balance is only $70,000. The water fund has needs, especially with the potential additional demands placed on it by the planned development the current administration is planning. Water fund expenditures cannot continue to exceed its revenues at the present pace."

If elected, Barrett said, "I want to help properly plan the future of our beautiful Village and, if elected, work with Butch Starkie, Pat Christiansen, Cheryl Parisi and our residents to properly move Farmingdale ahead in this century."

A Farmingdale resident for over 27 years, Ralph Ekstrand recently moved back into the village. Father of three children, Ralph, Jr. Lynn and Karl, Ekstrand is the supervising pharmacist and principal of Moby Drugs in Farmingdale.

Ekstrand describes himself as an active member of the Village of Farmingdale and the surrounding communities. For 10 years he served as assistant cub master and cub master of St. Kilian's Women's Guild-sponsored Cub Pack 57. As an Eagle Scout, he currently sits on the Eagle Scout Review Board for the Rough Rider District. Ekstrand is also a past president and current board member of the Farmingdale Breakfast Rotary Club and the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce, past chairman of the board and current chairman of the finance committee of the Farmingdale United Methodist Church, has served as a member of the Farmingdale Business District Improvement Committee and a member of the committee for the USGA/Chamber of Commerce for the U.S. Open 2002 at Bethpage State Park as well as a member of the Winning Beyond Winning Golf and Dinner Committees.

Ekstrand has also received several awards including the Farmingdale Businessman of the Year Award in 1998, the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award in 2002, the Corporate Leadership Award by the Epilepsy Foundation of Long Island in 2006 and the Farmingdale Republican Club Man of the Year award in 2007.

Attending village meetings since last October, Ekstrand said he is running to "ensure the revitalization of downtown Farmingdale, fill the empty stores, work with Mayor Graf and the visioning plan to bring next generation housing and mixed-use dwelling into the downtown area and redevelop the train station area to attract the commuters into the village."

Ekstrand said his qualifications include, "honesty, integrity and a protestant work ethic," as well as "years of experience serving on boards of community and business organizations."

"I bring 28 years of village business experience to the board. Living and working on Main Street, I feel the pulse of downtown Farmingdale," he added.

Cheryl Parisi is a fourth-generation Daler who has lived in Farmingdale almost her entire life. A married mother of two and grandmother of two, Parisi has owned a graphic arts business for over 25 years. Involved in several local organizations, Parisi serves as a member of the Village Beautification Committee, Women's Club of Farmingdale and the Farmingdale Bethpage Historical Society. She said she has also regularly attended village board meetings for the past three years, as well as work sessions for the past two.

Parisi said one of the reasons she is running for trustee is because the "restoration of the village is an empirical part of my heritage."

"Our village is moving in a compromising direction that only benefits the contractor awaiting a pass through the building moratorium," she added. "We need to be cautious. Comprehensive studies have been proposed that would enable residents to get a fair impact assessment to make an educated decision. I would develop a search committee of dedicated residents to visit surrounding communities that face the same challenges that Farmingdale is facing. These communities are alive and well. The Downtown Revitalization Committee has stated that they will visit Patchogue, Bay Shore and Babylon. These are places that Vision Long Island speaks about and are much larger than Farmingdale. We must review that relationship and develop our own ideas and opinions."

Other concerns Parisi voices about the village include "several pending contractor proposals waiting to get a pass through the building moratorium."

"Concerned citizens of the village have requested an impact study to determine the effect future developments will have on our South Front Street and Main Street," she added. "Our water infrastructure, traffic, parking and schools will all bare the weight upon approval. As a village trustee, I will listen and respect what our residents have to say. Our fire department has always been an essential aspect of the village community, I will continue to respect and honor their contributions."

Some changes Parisi said she would like see made in the village are "work sessions moved from the back room."

"Involvement and participation of more residents in decision-making that affects their lives," she added. "People need to know that they can and will be heard. Village Board meetings usually have 15-20 people. Most groups only care when there is a proposal that would affect them. I believe that I can produce a newsletter that keeps all residents informed before they have heard that the mayor has made a decision or approved a proposal that will directly affect their lives and their property."

Parisi said her qualifications for village trustee include being a "concerned resident with substantial experience in communications."

"Owning and operating a graphic arts business has given me a well-versed knowledge of all the variables in producing an informative newsletter," she added. "As a life long resident, it is important that a voice represent our village community. Attending village board meetings has revealed the limited input that a resident possesses. I am empowered. I am inspired. I am driven. I am a resident."

A 12-year Farmingdale Village resident, Joseph Rachiele, became deputy mayor/village trustee in 2004.

A married father of three, Rachiele is a safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration at Republic Airport.

As a Farmingdale resident, Rachiele said he has established a record of strong civic and community involvement. He was a Cub Scout leader and executive committee member for Cub Scout Pack 601 in Farmingdale, a baseball coach for both PAL and Farmingdale Baseball, including serving on the executive committee of Farmingdale Baseball. Past President of Farmingdale Breakfast Rotary and Paul Harris Award recipient, Rachiele is also the past acting director of the Nassau County SPCA. Appointed to the Farmingdale Village Planning Board in 2001, Rachiele also became a member of the Farmingdale Village Smart Growth Committee, which is committed to defining the future development of the village. He was on the subcommittee addressing transportation.

A regular attendee at village meetings for several years, Rachiele, the deputy mayor, said he is running for re-election for several reasons.

"We brought about great change in revitalizing our community, improved the quality of life by cracking down on illegal apartments, reduced the congregation of day-laborers by targeting contractors who stopped illegally to pick up workers," he said. "I worked with developers to bring responsible development to the village. I would like to follow the path we have been taken and see the progress continue."

Rachiele added, "The past is a reflection of what we are about, family values, taking back our streets. The crackdown on illegal housing has lessened the enrollment in Northside School by over 37 students, gang graffiti and stabbings are now nonexistent. The great domino affect of enforcing current laws leads to better quality of life and home values."