The New Line Party held a meeting on Friday, Jan. 14 during which the party nominated candidates for the March election. As expected, the party nominated Mayor Jack M. Martins and Deputy Mayor Larry Werther to run for re-election. However, in what may be considered a big surprise, the party nominated lifelong resident, former village trustee and former Town of North Hempstead Clerk John DaVanzo to run for trustee.

In March, there will be the mayor's seat and two trustees' seats open. Mayor Martins and Deputy Mayor Werther will be running for their seats. The other seat is currently occupied by Lou Santosus.

However, Santosus confirmed that he would not seek re-election to the board of trustees, thus ending almost 17 years of service to the Village of Mineola board of trustees.

Santosus has a lot to be proud of in his service to the village. A former Mineola Fire Chief, Santosus was appointed to the position of village trustee in 1994 after having served previously as village trustee from 1983 to 1989. He was elected as village trustee in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003.

In his years as village trustee, Santosus worked hard in just about all aspects of the village. He also remained an active member of the Mineola Volunteer Fire Department.

Having served as deputy mayor from 2000 to 2003, one of his most notable accomplishments was having overseen the renovation of the Mineola Memorial Library, which saw a rejuvenation a few years ago.

Perhaps one of Santosus' greatest feats was gaining the respect of Mineola's residents, who elected him numerous times to the position.

Although the relationship between Santosus and Mayor Jack M. Martins got off to a rocky start when Martins was elected mayor in 2003, by now, Martins views Santosus as an asset to the board.

Mayor Martins confirmed that if Santosus decided to run, the New Line Party would not have put up a candidate to run against him. However, Santosus felt that after 17 years of service, it was time to give someone else a chance.

The New Line Party then turned to a well-known and familiar face in the village when it nominated DaVanzo, known as "Mr. Mineola."

It was Monday, Jan. 10 when DaVanzo had returned home from volunteering at St. Francis Hospital. He received a call from Mayor Martins. The two met for a cup of coffee at the Jericho Diner. It was then that Mayor Martins asked DaVanzo to be his and Werther's running mate. DaVanzo said he would consider it. On Friday, he went to the New Line Party's meeting and accepted the nomination amid cheers.

"I like Jack. I like what he's doing. If I can help him, I'll help him," he said.

At the New Line Party meeting, a discussion of possible candidates soon erupted into applause when DaVanzo's name was mentioned.

DaVanzo served as village trustee from 1955 to 1965, having served as deputy mayor for five of those years. A graduate of Mineola High School, he joined the Mineola Fire Department in 1947, achieved the rank of captain in 1953 and has been a member every since. He served as a councilman for the Town of North Hempstead from 1965 to 1974 and then became town clerk from 1974 to 1994. In addition, DaVanzo served on the Mineola Library Board for 17 years.

Last year, DaVanzo was the recipient of the Firemen's Association of the State of New York Fire Service Achievement Award for the Year 2004. He then received the National Volunteer Firefighter of the Year Award in October, 2004.

Mayor Martins and Deputy Mayor Werther are delighted to have DaVanzo as their running mate. "If you look at the energy and dedication this man puts into the projects he is doing in the village today he was a natural choice. I only hope he slows down a bit so Larry and I can keep up with him," Mayor Martins quipped.

In the upcoming election, the New Line Party will tout the accomplishments of Martins and Werther as well as the qualifications of DaVanzo. A press release by the party stated that "during the almost two years Martins and Werther have been in office, they have brought open and honest government to the village, saved Mineola from bankruptcy and returned the village to fiscal health, championed the village causes on a state, county and town level and brought streamlined communication so every resident knows what's going on in Mineola."

"When Jack and I first ran, we did it on a platform of honesty, integrity and accountability. We delivered in spades," Werther said.