It was an historic day at Hempstead Town Hall on Tuesday as three Democrats, including the board's first African American woman, were inducted onto a board that has not had two-party representation since 1907.

Both Republican and Democrat board members agreed that they needed to work together in order to best serve the interests of the residents in the Town of Hempstead but it was the message of the Democrats who said they wanted to ensure two-party inclusive representation, that was repeated throughout the induction ceremony, which was attended by key Democrats, including Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli, United States Senator Charles Schumer, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, Assemblywoman Earlene Hill-Hooper, Legislators Roger Corbin, Patrick Williams and Jeffrey Tobak.

Dorothy Goosby, N. Scott Banks, and Rita Kestenbaum were elected onto the Town Board among much fanfare, sweeping the three available Town Council positions, and replacing Republicans Robert Barra, Gary Hudes and Linda Reed.

Although Town Supervisor Richard Guardino could not attend the induction because of the death of a close friend, he sent his best wishes to the three new board members and promised to work with them.

Prior to the swearing in the three new board members spoke with Anton Newspapers about their feelings as they enter their new positions, their goals, and the challenges they feel they may face.

N. Scott Banks stated, Úquot;I'm very excited. I think it's going to be a great opportunity for myself and I think I'm going to serve the Town of Hempstead with distinction. It's nice to see that there will be another political party on the other side to raise issues that are important to the people of the Town of Hempstead and hopefully my Republican colleagues will work with us in a bipartisan basis for the good of the people.Úquot; Although he is now more hopeful about the idea of a bipartisan board, Banks noted that they faced some problems soon after the final election results when the Republicans tried to move the Democrats to a different floor of Town Hall and to cut some staffing positions. Úquot;There were some efforts to limit our ability as an effective force. Some of that has been lifted,Úquot; said Banks. He added that he feels that the edict had come not from the supervisor but from Nassau County Republican Chairman Joseph Mondello, who had previously had a stronghold in the Town of Hempstead. Úquot;I thank the supervisor for his leadership in negotiating with us, on a good faith basis and realizing that he made a serious mistake in underestimating what we're about,Úquot; said Banks.

While noting that when he originally accepted the Democratic party's nomination he had told them he was not going to be a Úquot;sacrificial lambÚquot; and planned to run to win, Banks acknowledged that soon after reality set in and he realized that he was running for a position in a town that hadn't had Democratic representation in nearly a century. He also acknowledges that it was the backlash of Republicans revolting because of the county's fiscal problems that contributed to his win. He stated, Úquot;I wish the county finances were more in order and if that meant I would lose then fine, but I think what's important is that Democrats are in the process now and the people have spoken. They don't want one-party rule, they want to have other voices communicating. Republicans don't monopolize ideas, they have good ideas but Democrats have good ideas too. Hopefully we could bring those ideas together for the good of the people.Úquot;

The development of the HUB is an issue that Banks is very concerned with. One of his goals in his tenure as a councilmember is to promote the development of the downtown areas and studying how the HUB would affect the downtowns. As far as bringing businesses into communities, Banks said that he is concerned that often only chambers of commerce are consulted about businesses coming in and there is more of a need for community involvement. He wants to hear from community members about whether a business is appropriate for a particular neighborhood. Úquot;I'm really looking forward to working with the other town board members to promote involvement by community members in seeing what the towns are going to look like in the future.Úquot;

As the only new board member to hold a full-time job, Banks, a partner in a law firm, acknowledged that he may face some time constraints when he takes on the role of councilman but pointed out that Joseph Kearney, who has served on the board for many years is also a partner in a law firm and has been able to maintain that balance. Úquot;I'm fortunate to have an excellent staff person with me who is going to be my right-hand person, who's going to be in Town Hall every day when I can't be there. I will make every meeting,Úquot; said Banks. According to Banks, the role of councilman is a part-time position with full-time hours and he plans to work out a balance with his law practice, the board and his family. He said his law partner is also committed to helping him out and they would consider hiring an additional person in the firm if need be.

Banks was thrilled to be inducted by Judge Abbey Boklan, who he worked for as a law secretary from 1987-89.

Dorothy Goosby was sworn in by Assemblywoman Earlene Hill-Hooper, who said that this induction was even more emotional for her than her own induction because of the historic significance of Goosby being the first African American woman to be elected to the board. She said that years from now, children on Long Island who take a government course will be asked who the first black woman on the Town of Hempstead Board was and they will answer, Úquot;Dorothy Goosby.Úquot; It is because of this historic significance that Hill-Hooper has taken it upon herself to collect everything that has been written about Goosby's election to be preserved.

Goosby described her election as Úquot;awesomeÚquot; and said she was looking forward to it. Úquot;I just want to make sure that I do the very best job I can in order to represent the people who have so much faith in me because it's important because I ran as an inclusion candidate and a neighbor.Úquot;

Despite the odds against a Democrat winning a seat on the Town of Hempstead board and her own lawsuit against the town which claims that the at-large voting system is discriminatory, Goosby said that she was not surprised by her election. Úquot;I just knew that this is what the Lord had intended for me to do because we needed a change and we're going into a new century, a jubilee year and we needed to go in as a wholesome, united group in order to be able to prosper and continue the type of life we all want to have.Úquot;

One of Goosby's goals as a councilmember is to make sure that young people can afford to live in the town and are able to stay here. She also wants to be the Úquot;voice of the peopleÚquot; and make sure that each community in the town has its fair share. She also wants to make sure that residents know where their tax dollars are going.

The biggest challenge facing her, according to Goosby, is making sure she does what's right and takes the time to study and elicit advice and gather information. She would like to get chambers of commerce, civic groups, religious groups and other community organizations to work together so that everyone can participate in government equally.

When asked how she feels about being inducted onto the town board that she is currently suing, Goosby responded, Úquot;That doesn't enter into it.Úquot; She stated that if she is called upon to make a decision as a board member regarding the lawsuit she would seek legal counsel. Goosby feels that the awareness that was raised because of her lawsuit is what made it possible for her to be elected to the board despite the at-large voting system.

Goosby feels that right now the Democrats on the board are in an adjustment period with the rest of the town officials and they are getting to know each other. Úquot;We are now at the point where we are shaking hands and realizing how important it is that we work together. They have pledged to work with us and we have pledged to do the same thing as long as what we are doing is in the best interests of our constituents,Úquot; said Goosby.

Rita Kestenbaum, who was sworn in at the induction by Assemblyman DiNapoli, Senator Schumer and Congresswoman McCarthy, stated prior to the induction, Úquot;It's very exciting to know that I'll be sworn in as a councilwoman in front of my family who have come in from out of town for this event, in front of my friends, in front of the citizens of the Town of Hempstead and to assume the position. I'm looking forward to doing that and making history as a Democrat coming into town hall.Úquot;

Kestenbaum stated that her overall goal is to improve the quality of life in the town for the people of the town and declared that she would be voting for anything to that end. She would also like to see some night meetings so people who work during the day might be able to address the board.

Úquot;I think just doing the job itself could be looked at as a challenge, listening to the issues and investigating them and coming out with the right outcome, Úquot; noted Kestenbaum regarding the challenges of being a councilmember. Since her election she has been attending civic meetings, zoning board meetings and town board meetings in an effort to prepare herself for this role. Úquot;This is going to be hands-on training for me,Úquot; added Kestenbaum.

Úquot;I look forward to serving the people of the town,Úquot; concluded Kestenbaum. Úquot;I plan on doing it full-time and the office is always open to a phone call or just come on in. That's what we want to do - we want to be able to serve the public, represent them properly with fiscal responsibility and in a bipartisan fashion. Let's leave Democrat and Republican out of it, they're issues for the people of the town.Úquot;