2 Ocean Beach Village trustee seats up for election

Three Ocean Beach Village residents in the Fire Island community are competing for two trustee seats in Friday's election. The mayor and village justice will run unopposed for new terms. 

Incumbent Dawn Hargraves  of the Sunshine Party, an attorney who lives in Ocean Beach and Bayport, is seeking her second term. Hargraves, 57, said her problem-solving skills are needed on the board and she hopes to finish projects she had started, including the local waterfront revitalization program. 

Trustee Brian Powers is not seeking reelection. 

Byron Chenault of the Stay-A-While Party, 41, of Ocean Beach, is seeking his first term. He works as a real estate agent and has worked part-time as a police dispatcher for the village for more than 20 years. As a year-round resident of the village, he said he can better highlight issues related to summer tourism and winter construction. He added that he hopes to increase transparency and communication between the board and residents. 

Marco Arment of the Moving Forward Party, 39, a full-time Ocean Beach resident, is seeking his first term. He works as an app developer and technology podcaster, and manages the sound and streaming for village meetings. He said his work experiences can improve the village’s technology and communication. Arment said he is also committed to addressing quality of life issues and supporting the business community. 

The trustee seats are four-year terms. Trustees will be paid an average of $15,185 annually, according to the village's budget, including a health stipend if they decline village-sponsored health insurance. 

In the mayoral race, Mayor Jim Mallot is running unopposed and didn't respond to a Newsday inquiry about his campaign.

Justice William Wexler of the Justice For All Party, 62, of Islip, who has served since his appointment in 1999, is also running unopposed.

Both the mayoral and justice positions are four-year terms. The mayor will be paid $73,260, and the justice will be paid $7,500, according to the village's budget. 

Voters can cast their ballots at the Ocean Beach Community House from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.