Although the Democrats swept three Town of Hempstead Board positions, three Republicans retained their seats as supervisor, receiver of taxes and clerk and were sworn back into those positions this week.

Supervisor Richard Guardino was at the funeral of a longtime friend and was unable to attend the swearing in ceremony held at Town Hall on Jan. 4 but was sworn in privately the night before and had Councilman Anthony Santino, one of the three Republican board members who were not up for re-election this year and will remain on the board, read some remarks on his behalf.

Santino, speaking for the supervisor, spoke about the fiscal soundness of the town, which has the best rating of any town or county on Long Island. He also spoke about the services provided by the town, including the DOOR, occupational resources program and the ANCHOR Program which serves the physically challenged as well as the capital improvement programs within the town.

Not to be forgotten at any point during the induction ceremony, were the historical changes on the town board, which for the first time since 1907 would have a Democrat sitting on it. "The year 2000 marks the first time in nearly a century that the town board includes members who, I assume, did not vote for each other on Election Day. We are a bipartisan board," wrote Guardino. "Since the results of the last election were finalized, I have met with my new colleagues on several occasions. While the specifics of our agendas may not be identical, I believe we share the goal of making Hempstead Town the best place it can possibly be. I for one, welcome my new colleagues." The supervisor also asked that the staff be reminded publicly that they cannot let a split town board be distracted by politics and that they must all work together for the good of the town.

Joe Kearney, the senior councilman on the board, also welcomed the Democrats to the board, noting, "The town board has three worthy councilpeople coming in."

Along with the three Democrats, also inducted at the official swearing in were Town Clerk Daniel Fisher and Receiver of Taxes Angie Cullin.

In an interview prior to the induction, Fisher noted that because he is not a member of the board itself, he would not be directly impacted by the switch on the town board. He stated that he feels very good about his induction, which brings him into his 11th term as town clerk. He said that it is a real pleasure for him to serve in public office, which he has realized more and more over the last 20 years.

Fisher, after reflecting on the honor of being able to serve the town for these years went on to speak about his goals for the future, which include updating the computer systems even further so town documentation and data would be instantaneously available to residents through the Internet; the further preservation and restoration of documents and the computerization of record-keeping; and the continued cross-training of town employees.

Fisher noted that the town has received numerous awards on their preservation of historical documents and records but added that he still sees room for growth in that area. The cross-training, Fisher stated, is important because if town employees are trained in various aspects of the office then when there is a high demand in one area and not so much of a demand in another, then employees who are not as busy can help alleviate the strain on the other area of the office. An example of when this was important, said Fisher, was when the immigration law changed and the number of people seeking marriage certificates tripled. If other members of the town clerk's office did not know how to do the marriage certificates that department of the office would have been overloaded. "But unless you're trained in the computer applications in those areas, all the rules and regulations, you obviously can't do the job properly," said Fisher.

At the induction ceremony Fisher thanked everyone for being there and once again stated what a privilege it is for him to serve the Town of Hempstead and spoke about the fine people who have served on the Town Board including former Senator Al D'Amato, Congressman Peter King who attended the ceremony, and Joe Mondello who he said has been a mentor for him over the last 25 years. Fisher also thanked former Councilmembers Linda Reed and Gary Hudes who attended the ceremony, for their service to the town. He then spoke about what a fine leader Richard Guardino has been for the board and how they have worked together over the last 20 years.

Fisher spoke about the board, the receiver of taxes and the town clerk being a team and welcomed the Democrats to the team. He also congratulated Receiver of Taxes Angie Cullin, and reminded those gathered that although at the ceremony Dorothy Goosby was inducted as the first African American woman on the board, Cullin was the first female board member and is also the first female receiver of taxes that the Town of Hempstead has ever had.

Cullin, who made history on Nov. 3, 1987 when she became the first councilwoman and became receiver of taxes in April 1993, was the next to be inducted. She began her remarks by thanking everyone for attending, and stating, "No one who achieves any station or position in life does so alone. That is especially true of public life. Succeeding in government and politics is never the achievement of one individual. It is the product of every effort of countless men and women who give of their time and energy." Cullin went on to say that she would have never achieved what she has in life without those gathered there for her at the induction.

Cullin said that she especially wanted to thank Joe Mondello because, "without Joe Mondello's support Angie Cullin would never have had the opportunity to serve the people of this great town." She also noted that under the leadership of Richard Guardino, "The future of our town is bright. With Richard Guardino at the helm of this administration there is nothing that we cannot achieve if we are working together as a team."

At several points throughout the induction ceremony, the town board was referred to as a family and both Republicans and Democrats vowed to work together.