Levittown resident Gary Hudes kicked off his campaign for the first councilmanic election in the Town of Hempstead recently at the Imperial Manor. He will be running against Democratic candidate Viki DeJong.

Hudes, who will be running for the sixth councilmanic ward, which encompasses Levittown, East Meadow and Salisbury, was introduced by Town of Hempstead Supervisor Richard Guardino. The supervisor noted that part of the reason why the town is in such a good financial position this year with over a $50 million budget surplus, is because of the work that Hudes did last year when he was a councilman. He also commented that Hudes has remained so proactive in solving residents' concerns and coming up with ideas for the town in the last several months that it has almost been difficult for him to remember that Hudes is no longer a councilman.

Hudes thanked all his guests, including his wife and children and his father who were present, for their support and described his job as councilman as, "the best job I ever had." He said that he really enjoyed always having the ability to help people and to answer any questions they might have. He also vowed to win back that job come November.