A retired New York City Police Officer, Steve Franzini, is running for the position of trustee of the Village of Mineola under the New Line Party.

Franzini graduated from the New York City Police Academy in 1982. He did his undergraduate studies at C.W. Post University.

Franzini is a former member of the Corpus Christi School Board and has served on various committees at the Corpus Christi School. His other civic activities include being a member of the Knights of Columbus and being active with local sports organizations such as the MAA and PAL.

"One of the main reasons I decided to step up to the plate and run for trustee this year is that I enjoy helping others every chance I get. Over the past 10 years I have had the privilege and honor of volunteering my time helping residents of this village in areas such as school, church and village sports programs, " he said. "Now that I have completed my service with the City of New York, I have the availability to serve all of the residents of Mineola as your trustee if elected."

Franzini said he is a concerned taxpayer who is unhappy with the direction the village is headed. "The band-aid method of balancing our budget and paying our bills must stop now. We have to stop the bleeding. We have a debt of over $32 million, which is three times the amount of tax money the village collects from us annually. That's unacceptable. We have a very large hole to get out of and we cannot allow it to get any deeper."

The number one issue he is concerned with in Mineola is getting out of debt. The second issue he is concerned with is ending the problem of illegal housing.

"Our party stands for financial stability. The first thing that needs to be done is to consolidate our debt of over $32 million, which would cost us approximately $2.5 million a year for 20 years. How do we attempt to accomplish this? We have to roll up our sleeves, tighten our belts, weed out excessive spending and duplication, find ways to generate more revenue for our village, find areas in our budget that can be streamlined without cutting services to find monies to pay our $2.5 million annual bill," he said.

Franzini said he would also work to end illegal housing. "Illegal housing is totally unacceptable," he said.

A program administrator for Eastern Suffolk BOCES, Larry Speciner is running for the position of trustee of the Village of Mineola under the New Line Party.

Speciner has a college degree in economics, an MBA degree in finance with a specialization in money and banking, an advanced diploma in educational leadership and administration and is a certified New York State business administrator. He is a former director in the University Accounting Office of the City of New York and a former deputy treasurer and purchasing agent with the Syosset Central School District.

His civic activities include being a past president/treasurer and lifetime member of the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps. He also participated in the MAA and PAL, is a past vice president and treasurer of the Mineola High School Athletics Booster Club, is a past member of the Mineola PTA, a current member of the Mineola Historical Society and has participated in the Mineola Mustang Run/Walk.

"We are facing tough times at all levels. The job of trustee requires a high level of education, experience and dedication to our community. I believe I have significant accomplishments in all three areas," he said. "I have the experience to back up my education and business credentials. I have 20 years of government finance, government accounting and government management and budgetary skills. Through my 20 years of practical, financial and budgetary experience, I've learned how to maximize revenues and minimize expenditures. As a village trustee, I watch our tax dollars."

Speciner identified the three biggest problems in Mineola to be illegal housing. "I know the village is going after the illegal housing. We need to do more to get the illegal housing out of this village," he said.

Speciner also identifies traffic as a big problem in Mineola. "We need to talk more to the state to see what we can do about that."

He also believes taxes are a big issue. "I would use my financial background to hold the line on taxes as best I can. I don't think anyone can make any promises as to holding taxes or lowering taxes but I can make the promise that I will do the best I can so you get the best value for your dollar," Speciner said.

Speciner hopes to follow in the footsteps of trustee Elizabeth Conlon and continue the Hometown Party tradition.

A vice president at Weico Wire & Cable, Inc., Jim LaMonica is running for the position of trustee of the Village of Mineola under the Mineola First Party.

LaMonica graduated with honors from Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y. and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science with minors in both math and economics.

While attending Hobart, LaMonica was president of the Newman Club for two years and was responsible for writing and balancing the budget, fundraising, petitioning the administration finance committee and acting as a liaison between the Catholic community and the college administration.

LaMonica and his family are parishioners at Corpus Christi Church where they are active participants in many programs.

"I would like to dispel claims by the New Line Party that we are in a debt crisis," he said. "Our debt service is only 16 percent of total budget. We have borrowed within good, healthy guidelines. Now is the time to elect someone who understands how to manage this debt properly. We are not in a hole nor are we faced with a debt crisis. I heard the current board's most recent budget and I must say that I'm deeply disturbed. There are $19 million in notes that have not been converted into bonds under the guise that Mineola is saving money. This is intended to mislead the residents. Rates are so low right now that the mayor has a fiduciary responsibility to lock them in. I've been running a successful company for 10 years. I have the financial knowledge to manage the debt, cut unnecessary expenditures and enhance services. Mineola produces more than enough income to allow us to live in the lifestyle we've become accustomed to."

LaMonica believes the single, biggest problem in Mineola is illegal housing. "People don't pay taxes. They get the services you and I get. The landords get to keep all the money," he said. "I think we should have ridiculous fines. I think we should make it where it's just not profitable for a landlord to have an illegal house."

LaMonica believes another issue facing the village is debt management. "Our debt burden is not overwhelming. We have to keep an eye on it though," he said. "If we manage our debt properly, I think we can keep it under control."

LaMonica also believes in funding the village's recreation programs better. "I think we need to bring the youth involved a little bit more and get better use of the centers we have," he said.

LaMonica said he would also work to restore a more open government.

A retired manager at Verizon Communication, Lou Santosus is running for the position of trustee of the Village of Mineola. Santosus is a lifetime resident of Mineola, having graduated from the Mineola public schools. His other educational endeavors include the College of Aeronautics and New York Institute of Technology, where he earned a degree in mechanical technology.

Santosus, who held management positions in engineering, plant staff and human resources, was appointed to the position of village trustee in 1994 after having served from 1983 to 1989. He was elected village trustee in 1995, 1997, and 1999 and was appointed deputy mayor in 2000.

The most prominent of his civic activities is being a former chief of the Mineola Fire Department, where he still serves as an active member. Santosus has also served as the past president of the Mineola High School Athletics Booster Club and was active in the PAL and MAA in addition to being a member of the PTA and Mineola Music Parents Association. He also helped create the Mineola Junior Fire Department, which was formed as Explorer Post 160 of the Boy Scouts of America.

"I believe that when you enter the voting booth on March 18, you should consider for village trustee that person who has demonstrated ESP. I don't mean that person should have extrasensory perception, but I do mean that person should be someone who has demonstrated experience, service and performance. I believe I have demonstrated the experience working with three different mayors and 10 different members of the board. I have been in the majority and I have certainly been in the minority. In addition, the experience has been demonstrated by being the liaison to every village department and just about every major project in the last nine years. When you talk about service, I have given 40 years as a firefighter in the village and have held every office in the department including chief. When we look at performance, all you have to do is look around you. I was the liaison for the renovation of the village hall, the firehouse, the pool and the library. The reason why Mineola is such a safe and desirable village to live in is the direct result of these projects."

Santosus said he would work on keeping taxes as low as possible without cutting services. Santosus would also like to continue the fight against illegal housing, an issue, he said, the village is fighting tooth and nail. Santosus said he wants to see the library continue to improve since it is something near and dear to his heart since he was the liaison during its renovation.

A first vice president with a major Wall Street firm, Larry Werther is running for the position of trustee of the Village of Mineola. For the last 12 years, Werther has specialized in fixed income securities (bonds) and has worked with municipal debt. During his career, Werther has gained experience in finance, management, budgeting and human resources.

His education includes high school graduation from Archbishop Molloy High School and Queens College, where he earned a degree in political science with a minor in economics.

His civic duties include serving as Cubmaster for Mineola Pack 246 and Troop Committee for Boy Scout Troop 45. He is a Merit Badge counselor for the Boy Scouts. Werther is also a volunteer photographer for the Corpus Christi Church and worked as a former coach with the MAA.

"For the first time in six years, you have the opportunity to change how your village operates. The New Line Party has a message of hope for Mineola and a plan for our future. The residents I'm happy to say are listening to us," he said. "We are being crushed by a bad economy and we don't need to crush our village residents with taxes. We only voted for two projects totaling only $7 million (the pool and library). The other $27 million went to items that we as a village had no say in. They've lost the patch to fiscal soundness and we together as a village will find it again. You have my word that we will never ask the building inspector to look the other way no matter whose friend or whose mother has an illegal apartment. Rest assured, we will keep in place all people who run this village on a day-to-day basis. Their experience is what's important. What we will hold them to is a standard that will end runaway spending," he said.

Werther said he would work toward getting a handle on the village debt and making sure the village gets all of the revenues it is entitled to. "We do have a problem debt. We have to make sure Mineola gets every penny that's due us," he said. "Right now, the court system is due $2.4 million. Out of that $2.4 million, over $1.6 million is untouchable because the administration has let it go beyond the statute of limitations without ever going to judgment on it."

He also said he would work to go after illegal housing. "We're going to make sure we bang them for every buck. We're going to let every person who has an illegal apartment know it in no uncertain terms."

Werther also said he would work on the village's infrastructure by making sure the roads are taken care of, replacing some lead pipes and taking care of some of the wells that are in bad need of repair.

A registered nurse at Winthrop-University Hospital, Dorothy Rudolph is running for the position of trustee in the Village of Mineola. Rudolph received her AS from St. John's University and her BSN from Molloy College. In addition to her employment in the critical care areas at Winthrop, Rudolph has also worked as a substitute nurse in the Mineola School system. Prior to that position, she was employed by the Catholic Medical Center Home Health Care Agency in Queens.

Her community involvement includes volunteering her services to administer the village sponsored senior flu shot program and participating in the "Three Day Breast Cancer Walk."

Rudolph also coordinated the Marcellus Road block party, which is entering its fifth year, and block sale, has been recording secretary for the MAA, has served on the Corpus Christi School Board as well being active in many of the Corpus Christi School functions.

"My husband and I moved to Mineola 10 years ago. We have seen quite a few changes, some good, some bad. We are currently at a crossroads. I'm excited about this election since it is certainly about the future, not my future, but our village's future. The current administration has done a good job, but has been unwilling to open up government to the residents it is suppose to govern. The Mineola First ticket will restore the open government that Mineola deserves. We will improve our village services by streamlining government and cutting wasteful spending. We will build a village web site that will post the minutes of village board meetings, village codes and the calendar of events. These are not easily accessible to residents at present. We will stop the Nassau County-style budget games of the current administration and the one-time revenue shots such as selling village property to pay the electric bills. Historically low interest rates will lead us to refinance some of our village debt. Our opponents are trying to scare the residents into thinking the debt was wasted money. We voted in favor of the two referendums for the pool and the library. We agreed as a community to raise our taxes and our debt so that we could have better services that the surrounding communities, which I believe we do. Our property values have increased dramatically as compared to the surrounding communities. If suggesting that building these improvements was mismanagement, I would have to disagree," she said.

Rudolph also said it is of utmost importance that the village works to eradicate unsafe and multiple dwellings in Mineola for good. Rudolph said she would work to keep spending to a minimum while not cutting services. She is also in favor of holding more open forums to involve residents.