The general village election in Floral Park will be held Tuesday, March 19. The polls will open at noon and close at 9 p.m. at the following voting locations:

1st District - John Lewis Childs School, 10 Elizabeth Street

2nd District - John Lewis Childs School, 10 Elizabeth Street

3rd District - John Lewis Childs School, 10 Elizabeth Street

4th District - Firehouse, Atlantic Avenue

5th District - Astoria Federal Savings & Loan, 99 Covert Avenue

6th District - Firehouse, Holland Avenue

7th District - Parochial School, Bellmore Street

8th District - Floral Park Memorial School, 210 Locust Street

9th District - John Lewis Childs School, 10 Elizabeth Street

10th District - Fire House, Holland Avenue

11th District - Floral Park Memorial High School, 210 Locust Street

12th District - Astoria Federal Savings & Loan, 99 Covert Avenue

The following are brief biographies of this year's uncontested candidates for village trustee, Tom Tweedy and Phil Guarnieri.

Thomas J. Tweedy is running for the office of village trustee. He is one of the candidates on the Citizens Party slate for election on March 19. Tweedy is a familiar face to many in the village, a lifelong resident and a 21-year homeowner in the Westend. He and his wife MaryAnn have two children, Michael, a senior at Archbishop Molloy High School and Caity, a freshman at The Mary Louis Academy.

Tweedy graduated from Our Lady of Victory School in 1970, Xavier High School in 1974 and Boston College in 1978. Today, he is a principal in Edwin S. Tweedy, Inc., a design/construction management firm. He takes special pride in rebuilding and restoring the treasures in and about New York City, including church buildings and landmark structures. Tweedy maintains certifications in Site Safety and OSHA Requirements.

His community activities include being 20-year member of the Westend Civic Association, serving nine years as a board member and officer and finally as its president in 1992-93. For eight years, he managed Little League teams, tournament teams and summer baseball teams. He served on the Floral Park Indians Athletic Club's board of directors and for four years as secretary and two years as vice president. Tweedy is also a 10-year member of IABBO, the international association that certifies basketball referees. In that capacity, he has donated his services to the Our Lady of Victory tournaments and Floral Park Memorial boys varsity basketball and the Floral Park Indians.

Tweedy is also a former member of the Floral Park Recreation Committee and the Architectural Review Committee. He has also been a member of the Citizens Party executive board. He served as captain of the 13th District, vice chairman for the Westend and party chairman for two terms.

Tweedy's service to others includes a three-year term as president of the PTSA of the Lexington School for the Deaf in Jackson Heights. He, in conjunction with representatives of the other 4,201 state-subsidized schools for the deaf, blind and physically challenged, spearheaded a campaign to maintain state funding for those schools. Funding, which was to be unilaterally ended by then Gov. Mario Cuomo. But a successful letter campaign and huge rallies in Albany and Manhattan changed the sentiment of the members of the Assembly and the Senate, resulting in continued funding for the 4,201 schools.

Mayor Ann Corbett said, "Tom's ability to identify issues, assess options and work with the board and deliver makes him an excellent choice to continue as trustee. His lifelong association with the Village of Floral Park, his many interests and diverse experience, has made Tom a welcome addition and valuable asset to the village board."

For Tweedy, this past year as trustee has been a busy and rewarding one. In May, Mayor Corbett appointed him fire commissioner. Tweedy said he is, "proud" to be associated with the Fire Department. "The professionalism and dedication of these tireless men and women is something that we all can point to with pride," he said.

He also serves as liaison to the Floral Park Library and has found his time working with the library board of trustees very constructive. "The most pleasant surprise has been the ability and generosity of the people who serve the village as volunteers, whether it is as a firefighter, rescue personnel, police auxiliary or a member of one of the many committees so vital to the smooth operations of village life," Tweedy said.

He believes working with Mayor Corbett and the board has been a wonderful experience. He has enjoyed meeting with and working for all the residents of Floral Park. "The challenges we face today offer us opportunities for tomorrow," he said. He wishes to join residents in shaping the tomorrow for Floral Park. "Floral Park is a great place to live because of its residents and their ability to work together," he added.

Citizens Party candidate Phil Guarnieri is seeking re-election to a two-year term as trustee in the Floral Park village election March 19. Mayor Steve Corbett appointed Phil trustee in April of 1995.

He told The Dispatch that he is looking forward to meeting the challenges ahead. "Floral Park is a very special place to live and our village board is committed to promoting policies that will enrich the quality of life for all our residents. This is our first priority. Our village board is committed to maintaining the natural landscape of our village, encouraging wholesome recreational activities and maintaining a reasonable tax base without sacrificing the existing high quality of village services," he said.

Guarnieri served three terms as president of the local Republican Club and is currently the Republican executive leader of Floral Park-Bellerose. Serving three terms as a member of the Recreation Committee, Guarnieri is also a proud member of the Knights of Columbus. He also served two terms as chairman of the Citizens Party, two terms as president of the Southside Civic Association and as a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals.

He says that being involved in his community was both an informative and enriching personal experience. "One of the great strengths of Floral Park lies in the depth and quality of its volunteer efforts and the extraordinary talents that are made available to the community on a daily basis," he said. "Our village truly resonates with a spirit of cooperative enterprise."

In addition to his service to the Village of Floral Park, Guarnieri has had a long and distinguished career in government. Having been an executive assistant to the Town Board of Hempstead, he is widely experienced in matters pertaining to zoning, internal affairs and community and public management. Working under four supervisors in the nation's largest township, Guarnieri is well versed in the background information necessary to the enactment of local laws and ordinances, and has consulted with numerous civic, business and community leaders on a wide variety of legislative matters. He presently serves as deputy town clerk for the Town of Hempstead.

His governmental experience is one of the reasons Mayor Ann Corbett chose him as chairman of the Planning and Recodification Committee, the most important village committee in the last 40 years. As he noted, "The pattern of land utilization and our zoning code embody the deepest values about community life and answers the most fundamental questions about who we are and how we want to live."

In addition to promoting the architectural character and appearance of commercial buildings and residential dwellings, Guarnieri pointed out that the village board is also actively engaged in creating an environment of economic stability and viability for the entire village.

"We want our business community to be strong and flourishing. We are seeking to accomplish this by energetically and imaginatively pursuing policies that will ensure that there is an adequate supply of parking for shoppers, merchants and other visitors via our merchant permit parking program. A program we are seeking to expand by encouraging continued improvement in the utilization of metered parking spaces and ensuring convenient and safe traffic flow on village streets with a special emphasis on our downtown commercial areas," he said.

He explained that his primary objective is to hold the line on taxes, assuring that the incidence of taxation will be supportive of community ideals and not "over-burden residents or suffocate the creative and entrepreneurial energies of our village."

Born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Guarnieri moved to Floral Park as a child. He graduated from St. John's University, where he received his BA and MA degrees in history. He and his wife, Sonia, are "proud and happy homeowners" in the village.

-Compiled by Carisa Keane