Phil Guarnieri is Citizens Party candidate for Floral Park mayor. A resident for more than 40 years and current deputy mayor, he is hoping to succeed Mayor Ann Corbett, who is not seeking re-election. A member of the board since 1995, Guarnieri has since won four successive trusteeships and has served as deputy mayor since being appointed in 2001.

During his tenure, Guarnieri has served many capacities, including commissioner of public works, building, fire and library. He also served as chairman of the Zoning and Re-Codification Committee and liaison to the Architectural Site Plan Review Board, Resident Committee and Citizens with Disabilities Committee. Prior to joining the board, he served on the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Guarnieri led the effort to rewrite Floral Park's zoning code and eliminate above ground tiered parking garages. He is also connected to the construction of Floral Park's Recreation/Pool Building, the purchase of the former Masonic Temple and its conversion into Centennial Hall, the development and beautification of Centennial Gardens and the Woodbine Court parking lot reconstruction.

Fighting the addition of a third Long Island Rail Road track from Bellerose to Hicksville is a top priority for Guarnieri, who chairs a multi-community alliance working against the MTA's proposal because of the havoc it would create for some homes and businesses.

Guarnieri calls himself a fiscal conservative, following the example of recent administrations in the Town of Hempstead, where he also has a long history. He prides himself on running Floral Park like a business. Guarnieri's town experience spans more than two decades. A former deputy receiver of taxes, he learned lessons in cash management and investing. As first deputy town clerk, he developed expertise in record-keeping and how state law relates to local governments. "In many ways my long experience in different levels of government makes me uniquely qualified to be mayor. I have established close relationships with many of our public officials on local, county and state levels. That can only help," he said.

He is concerned about local security, especially in the wake of September 11, 2001 and in light of Floral Park's proximity to New York City. He played a role in establishing the village's emergency management task force, which is working to assure that emergency situations are responded to promptly, efficiently and professionally.

Guarnieri has served three terms as president of the local Republican Club and currently chairs the Floral Park Republican Committee. In that role, he serves as a member of the Nassau Republican Executive Committee. He also served two terms as chairman of the Citizens Party and two terms at the helm of the South Side Civic Association. He is a member of the local Knights of Columbus and attends church at St. Hedwig's.

Born in Brooklyn, he moved to Floral Park as a youngster and graduated from John Lewis Childs School and Floral Park Memorial High School before attending St. John's University, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history. He now resides on Laurel Street with his wife, Sonia.

Henry (Hank) Brodersen is Unity Party candidate for Floral Park mayor. Born in Germany in 1940, he came to the United States in 1954 and attended John Lewis Childs School to learn English. He then went to Sewanhaka High School for the next year and a half and later graduated Bayside High School in 1958, where he was captain of the soccer team for two years.

After high school, Brodersen joined the United States Army and became a paratrooper. He spent a total of nine years in the military, stationed at Fort Campbell, KY (where he attended parachute and Recondo Survival School), Fort Bragg, N.C. (Non-commissioned Officers Academy), Fort Stewart, GA. He also served the country in Korea as well as in Vietnam. He was awarded seven military awards during his tenure in the Army.

Upon returning from Vietnam in July of 1967, Brodersen bought the Floral Station Deli on Tulip Avenue. He served two terms as president of the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce and in 1992 was named Floral Park Businessperson of the Year.

In the mid-1990s, as chamber president, he was instrumental in keeping a Stop & Shop complex off Carnation Avenue. He sold his business in November 2003. Since his retirement, Brodersen keeps active at Adelphi University as a volunteer business counselor for SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives, Counselors to America's Small Businesses). He also lectures at Adelphi seminars on writing business plans.

Brodersen is fluent in German and the Frisian language. He currently lives on Rose Avenue and is married to Catherine (Joinnides), a registered nurse. Together, they have two children. Their son, Michael, is park director for Rye Playland. Michael is married to Tricia (McGloin); they have two children, Sean and Cassidy, who attend Our Lady of Victory School. Brodersen's daughter, Lisa, is a law student.

Brodersen is a founder of the Unity Party. As a former businessperson in the heart of the village for 36 years, he has had many discussions with residents. A common theme of those discussions has been the need for a second party in the village. The Unity Party nominated Brodersen as its mayoral candidate because of his business background and his planning and organizational know-how.

If elected, he said he promises to stop the scripted, closed-door, backroom politics and decision-making. He intends to post village board and other committee minutes on the local TV channel, Village Bulletin Board and the village website, www.fpvillage.org. Brodersen's vision entails making the village board and village employees more responsive and helpful to the residents' concerns and needs. Brodersen believes communication is the key to a better relationship between the community and the village.