Candidate Profile: Ralph Ekstrand For Farmingdale Village Mayor

FARMINGDALE, NY — Voters in Farmingdale Village will head to the polls March 18 to cast their ballots for the mayoral position. The election is scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. at Village Hall, at 361 Main St., Farmingdale.

Mayor Ralph Ekstrand is seeking a third four-year term in his position. George "Butch" Starkie, who served as Village Mayor from 2008-12 before stepping down for more family time and to focus on his business, is challenging Ekstrand for his old position.

Villagers will also vote on two trustee seats, though Deputy Mayor William Barnett and trustee Walter Priestley, who are up for reelection, are running unopposed, the Farmingdale Observer reported.

Patch reached out to both Ekstrand and Starkie to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community. Below are Ekstrand's full responses. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Ralph Ekstrand

Age (as of March 18, 2020): 64
Town of Residence: Village of Farmingdale
Party Affiliation: Farmingdale Village Party and Republican
Education: BS in Pharmacy – St John’s University
Occupation: Pharmacist: Moby Drugs in Farmingdale
Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: Mayor of Farmingdale Village
Campaign website: https://www.farmingdalevillageparty.com/

The single most pressing issue facing Farmingdale is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

"There are a number of ongoing issues that face the Village including the following:

• Rebuilding our infrastructure (roads and drainage) in the residential neighborhoods and parking lots, sidewalks and roads in commercial areas.
• Continued economic development to attract businesses other than bars and restaurants in the commercial district.
• Ongoing discussions and monitoring of our water system by engaging and working with consulting engineering professionals at the highest level.
• Working to satisfy the settlement of a federal lawsuit to make our 'best efforts' to have constructed 54 units of workforce housing by private developers (currently, we have partially satisfied this requirement with seven units).
• Keeping taxes down and improving the quality of life is always in the forefront of my mind as well.

All of the above are done with complete transparency, following all laws and regulations with Board of Trustees approval."

What are the critical differences between you and other candidates seeking this post?

"I get things DONE, and don’t just talk about them. Look at Farmingdale Village NOW and eight years ago, and I think the difference is clear.

• When I became Mayor in 2012 my first job was to repair relations with other governmental bodies and developers where my opponent had done damage. I mended fences with the Office of the County Executive and the County Legislature, the Town of Oyster Bay and our State representatives.
• I also advocated for final approval by the Board of Trustees of the two Transit Oriented Development projects adjacent to the Farmingdale Train Station. Those projects, under his time in office, were continuously delayed by my opponent for what appeared to be personal reasons as they didn’t support him for mayor in the 2008 election.

• Under his tenure as mayor, he approved a Hookah Bar and a Tattoo Parlor on Main Street – that’s it as far as any redevelopment is concerned. I also spoke to other developers to encourage investment in the Village so that we could turn the Village’s Main Street, which was plagued by empty stores, into the vibrant downtown that it has become. The connection between the approval of the new buildings and the renaissance of the Village had begun.
• I know there has been mention of decisions "I made"; however I’d like to point out that ALL decisions; and all this has been accomplished with complete Board of Trustees approval.
• Please visit our website at Farmingdalevillageparty.com to see our accomplishments during the last eight years that I have been mayor.
• Additionally, my opponent advocated for the refurbishment of two capital Department of Public Works (DPW) trucks that were over 25 years old and cost Village taxpayers over $50,000. What I learned after I became mayor was that both of those trucks were well beyond their expected useful life, and that one of the vehicle's exhaust systems was no longer manufactured, and that he insisted that the vehicle without an exhaust system be used by our DPW. Since then, I requested a complete review of all capital and other DPW vehicles, and we have replaced all of the trucks and other vehicles completely and re-outfitted the DPW to do the work safely, efficiently and cost effectively in the Village.
• AND Real Estate Values are up and our tax increases averaged just over 1 percent per year.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

• "Parking in the downtown business district is a concern as we grow. I have called for and the Board has agreed to consider reserving a portion of each municipal parking lot with senior citizen parking. We will hold a public information session to get all parties' input into this idea. We have already expanded Village-owned parking by purchasing a parcel on North Main Street across from the 7-Eleven for parking, adding over 40 spaces. We also paved and fenced a portion of Jackson Avenue adding an additional 40 parking spaces.
• We also entered into an Inter-municipal Agreement with the Farmingdale School District that provides for 80 additional parking spaces at Howitt Middle School for $1.00/Year.
• We will begin complete reconstruction of parking lot 4 (the lot behind Village Hall) in April; as well as completely replacing an outdated fueling station behind the Farmingdale Fire Department.
• As part of that reconstruction, we are increasing the capacity of diesel fuel to 2,500 gallons from the current 500. This increase will provide for a safety factor in availability of fuel during emergencies as our Fire Engines and DPW Trucks predominantly use diesel. Gasoline capacity will remain at 2,500 gallons."

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

"My leadership style is one of being a consensus builder. All of the major development projects, all of the new DPW and Fire Department and code vehicles and water department improvements have been unanimously approved by the Board.

• I am the immediate past president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association. This organization is made up of all of the 64 Villages in Nassau County. I am pleased to say that I have their endorsement for re-election in this election.
• While Mayor; I have helped us receive $5 million in grants for the Village.
• I also want to point out that under my administration, we settled a federal housing lawsuit saving village taxpayers potentially millions in penalties.
• I also believe that the Village has never looked better, and our reputation as a village of regional significance has been established in the last eight years. I make this statement as we have been selected by the Regional Planning Council to have a complete economic study done about our renaissance.
• Nowadays we also have many events; which everyone seems to love, and of course we were voted LI’s Best Downtown 5 out of the last 6 years!

And there’s more too, so again; I ask you to visit our website at the Farmingdalevillageparty.com

Why should you be re-elected on March 18?

• "I ask for your vote, along with my colleagues, Walter Preistley and Bill Barrett, based on our collective accomplishments over the last eight years. We keep taxes down, and our fiscal health, as measured by Standard and Poors, has enabled us to receive two upgrades to AA. This improvement is a clear indication of our fiscal health and allows us to borrow at the lowest rates available in the Bond Market.
• Every project that has come before the Board of Trustees follows all legal processes and is completely legal and transparent.
• The Plague of Empty Store Fronts is behind us, and the economic vibrancy of our Village results in new businesses wanting to be here. So as vacancies occur, as they sometimes do, new investors like Whiskey Down Diner are coming to Farmingdale to make it, as I like to call it, "Farmingdale, The Place to Be!"
• And to continue our Revitalization and Renaissance, which has filled our Village with DALER Pride!"