Praised, Hempstead town board member retires

Hempstead Town Councilman Gary Hudes attended his final town board meeting Tuesday before he retires in June.

Hudes, 61, of Levittown, will represent the 6th District through June 5. He was appointed to the town board in July 1999, lost his seat in an election later that year, and regained it the following year.

Hudes owns a jewelry store in Bellmore and wants to have the summer off as he sells his home and moves out of the district.

Supervisor Anthony Santino honored Hudes and his service before the town board meeting on Tuesday. The town board presented him with an engraved plate.

“He always worked to make our town a nicer and better place for people to live,” Santino said.

Other members of the town board have sought Hudes’ input on beautification projects and he often requested that busineses landscape their property.

“They have been softened, they have been made to look more beautiful because of Gary,” Councilman Bruce Blakeman said of the town’s commercial sectors.

Hudes said he brought his knowledge of “customer service” to the town board and is looking forward to retirement.

“This job as town councilman has been the opportunity of a lifetime and I have loved every minute of it,” Hudes said.

The town board is expected to appoint Nassau County Legis. Dennis Dunne at its next meeting in June. Dunne is running for the seat in the election on the Republican ticket, with incumbent Councilman Anthony D’Esposito, for the 4th District, and Alfred Cittadino, for the 1st District.

Democratic candidate Sue Moller will run against Dunne in November.