Donald X. Clavin Jr. for Hempstead supervisor

Many eyes will be on the Town of Hempstead in the coming year.

As Las Vegas Sands prepares to bid for one of three available downstate gaming licenses for a casino at the Nassau Hub, town leaders must navigate the process and oversee the potential rezoning of the Uniondale property. That requires an experienced, careful hand, a supervisor willing to consider all options while listening, negotiating and approving a plan that takes the needs of the town and region into account.

Hempstead Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. has shown he can do the job.

Clavin, 54, hasn’t always been known as a supporter of development. Initial delays on Baldwin’s downtown revitalization, and the decision to extend a moratorium on development in Inwood and North Lawrence, were setbacks. But the Garden City Republican has had recent successes, including breaking ground on 428 apartments near the West Hempstead train station and newer efforts to jump-start housing and other development in Baldwin, Inwood and elsewhere.

But developing the land around Nassau Coliseum has been Hempstead’s biggest challenge for decades. Clavin isn’t taking a position on the casino itself yet, but says: “Something’s going to be built there.” The town’s zoning work, along with community approvals, will come before the state’s licensing decisions, making Hempstead’s role even more important. Clavin’s plan to assess the casino in the context of the proposed NYU Langone medical center at Nassau Community College makes sense.

Democrat Olena Nicks, a senior financial analyst at NYU Langone, is a resident of Uniondale, president of its library board, and an ex-captain in the fire department. She doesn’t favor a casino, preferring health care uses and housing at the site, and rightly notes the need to address the area’s infrastructure and traffic concerns. Nicks, 31, wants a less partisan town government that’s more open to residents, and says she’d develop a community-by-community housing plan, update the town’s climate action plan, and emphasize the need for improved public transit, especially buses. Nicks is smart, thoughtful and well-versed in the issues. She has a lot to contribute on policy and in politics and the town would benefit from her voice.

Clavin, first elected supervisor in 2019, works well with his colleagues. His attention to and understanding of the nuances of community benefits agreements, infrastructure investments, and key issues like water quality are essential to effectively running the town. In his next term, he should lift the existing development moratoriums, build on recent housing successes and, perhaps most significantly, shepherd any zoning changes at the Hub with the right mix of public input and rigorous review, in a thorough yet expeditious way.

Newsday endorses Clavin.