Nicholas Episcopia The 10-Member Garden City East Nominating Committee has selected Nicholas Episcopia as the candidate for election to the position of Village Trustee. In making their announcement, the Committee stated that they paid particular attention to his views on St. Paul’s, taxes, controlled development both to the east of the Village and within its borders, as well as budgets. It was the sense of the Committee that he represented the views of the majority of the residents of the East with greater clarity than other candidates interviewed.

Nick Episcopia is the immediate Past President of the Eastern Property Owners’ Association (EPOA), and currently a Director. The Nominating Committee believes that his long service to the Village and to the people of the East, including his numerous committee assignments and advocacy positions on past issues and those currently under review, will serve him well in the position of Village Trustee.

As EPOA President, Vice President and Director, he has consistently demonstrated a pro-active stance and responsiveness to the problems and concerns of the residents of the East and the Village as a whole.

After extensive EPOA Board study and discussion on St. Paul’s, as President, he obtained their informed consensus on the future of the building, appointed a special committee to prepare the Board’s position paper, and presented the paper to the Village Board of Trustees. Along with several EPOA Directors, he worked in conjunction with Directors of the other three POAs to develop the recent St. Paul’s Survey to determine the wishes of all Garden City residents regarding the future use of the building.

While serving as Chairman of the EPOA Committee to Monitor Development Outside of the Village, Nick worked with other EPOA members to convince the Town of Hempstead Board of Zoning Appeals to reject the Simon Properties’ application to build another 100,000 sq. ft. department store in Roosevelt Field; and attended hearings on the Nassau County Master Plan and proposed light rail system.

As EPOA President, in response to residents’ immediate concerns, he arranged meetings between representatives of the Police Department, EPOA Board and representatives from various neighborhoods to resolve speeding and traffic problems on certain residential streets; convinced the Village Board of Trustees and LIPA officials to restore plantings removed by LIPA from property bordering the LIRR extension along St. James Street; successfully pressed the Board of Trustees to urge the County to place a traffic light at Franklin Avenue & Fourth Street; and worked with Trustee Peter Bee, then Commissioner of Public Works, along with Village staff to resolve residents’ problems with mandatory sidewalk and driveway apron repairs.

As EPOA President, he worked with the Joint Conference Committee of the four POAs to organize residents to vote against the BOCES’ countywide referendum to purchase 71 Clinton Road. Although BOCES prevailed and the property was ultimately removed from the Village tax rolls, the effort generated over 3,100 opposition votes from Garden City residents. He also convinced the Board of Trustees to grant veterans’ tax exemptions for co-operative apartment owners, putting them on equal footing with single-family and condominium home owners.

Nick Episcopia has been active in many community organizations dating back to 1973. He is a past Director and current member of the Men’s Association of Garden City High School; a member of the St. Joseph’s In-Home Pre-Cana Committee; Director of the L.I. Fordham Club; a past President of the Garden City Jaycees; and served as Treasurer of St. Joseph’s Men’s Guild.

He holds a BA from Fordham University and an MBA in Finance from Long Island University. He is currently Director of Acquisitions and Dispositions, WRA Properties, Inc.; a member of the NY Mortgage Bankers Association; and has been a guest speaker at the New York Bar Association Conference on Cooperatives and Condominiums. He served in the US Army as Captain and Executive Officer of the Military Intelligence Company, 82nd Airborne Division.

Members of the elected 10-Member Nominating Committee are Dennis Donnelly, (Chairman), Maureen Clancy, John Pittoni, Harrison Oellrich, Roger Eltringham, Sue Davis, Gerhardt Muller, Jim Brady, Robert Stark Jr., and Karl Schmidt.

Mr. Episcopia’s name will be placed in nomination by the Chairman of the Nominating Committee at the Meeting of the Resident Electors of the East to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18th, in the Stewart School Auditorium. A resident elector of the East is any resident who lives in the Eastern Section of the Village, east of the center of Franklin Avenue, and who is eligible to register to vote in any applicable school or village election.

Any resident elector of the East who wishes to place in nomination any other candidate or candidates must present a petition bearing the proposed candidate’s name and address, and signed by no less than 15 resident electors of the East, and which includes their names and addresses. The deadline for presentation of such a petition is the January 18th Resident Electors’ meeting. Should that happen, a run-off election would be held two weeks later, and the winner of that election would become the Community Agreement’s candidate in the Village General Election, to be held in March. If no additional nominations by petition are received, nominations will be closed and the secretary of the EPOA shall cast one vote on behalf of the resident electors of the East, designating Nicholas Episcopia as the candidate of the Community Agreement Party.