Meet The Candidates: Eve Lupenko Ferrante Runs For GC Council

GLEN COVE, NY — Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. And with voting just around the corner, Patch is reaching out to candidates across Nassau County to find out why they're running for office, and what they hope to achieve for residents.

Twelve candidates are seeking six seats on the Glen Cove City Council — including Dr. Eve Lupenko Ferrante, who is vying for re-election.

Ferrante, a dermatologist with a private practice in Woodbury, has served on the city council since 2020. The 53-year-old Democrat is a board member of the Community Scholarship Fund, Glen Cove C.A.R.E.S., The Glen Cove Arts Council, and the Slayer Players Theatre Company.

As a city council member, Ferrante is also the liaison to both the Beautification Commission and the Chamber of Commerce, where she had been vice president for several years.

You can learn more about Ferrante below, and by clicking here.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to be re-elected to continue my work in the legislative aspects of making beautiful Glen Cove an even more successful and safer City. I want the opportunity to follow through on the 5-year capital improvement plan to make more visible improvements, bring success to our local businesses, further lower our debt service, and strengthen our finances and infrastructure.

By trade, I'm a medical doctor which means that people come to me every day with their concerns, and ask me for help. I'm expected to do this in a compassionate, well-educated, and well-thought-out manner. No drama — just dedication and unwavering ethics. I'll serve the council just as I work as a physician — I'll work to identify and diagnose problems, weigh the risks and benefits, and design a plan to achieve the optimum outcome.

I am driven by being able to be such a positive influence in so many people's lives, and my medical and scientific background puts me in a unique position to promote safety and good environmental practices to so many discussions. I never took a "pause" during the pandemic. I continued to help move this City forward, following through on our administration's promises to improve Glen Cove’s finances, infrastructure, and quality of life.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

One of the most pressing issues facing Glen Cove is how the ferry is going to get up and running, even with the indefinite extension given to Glen Cove regarding the $16 million loaned to the City to build the ferry terminal. COVID set back and, ultimately, canceled our contract with Hornblower who was to run the ferry between Glen Cove and NYC.

At this time we are searching for a new vendor, perhaps even the same one. But, also because of COVID, many NYC businesses don't have as many of their employees come into the metropolitan area anymore, so there is less of a need for ridership at this time with all ferries, trains, and buses.

With time (and I recommend another ridership study/questionnaire) we can try to find out the need. There are no federal or state subsidies, so subsidies would have to be found elsewhere to keep the cost reasonable for riders. I will work to minimize the risk of the ferry cost to taxpayers — and wait for the right time, the right contract, and the right subsidies before making any final decisions.

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

The two critical differences are my devotion to Glen Cove service and business programs over the past 25 years, and the way my medical and scientific background can help in making legislative decisions.

I've been serving Glen Cove for over 25 years. I've continued and expanded my activities while I've been a Councilwoman, and I will continue to serve you in the future. My passion has always been community service, but I've also focused on improving our local businesses.

In addition to what I listed above, I continue to serve on the Boards of the Glen Cove Arts Council, Glen Cove C.A.R.E.S., the Community Scholarship Fund, and the Slayer Players Theatre Group. I founded the Do Good to Feel Good Program, am a member of the North Shore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and was just invited to join the Board of the North Shore Historical Museum.

With the recent pandemic and the unprecedented storms during the past few years, my background in medicine and science put me in a unique position to offer advice and do research into critical legislative actions. We have experts to give advice, but I can help bridge the gap between their documents and the Council's understanding. The pandemic will be discussed below.

The storms, which are unlikely to be "once in a hundred years" anymore, have shown us where there are faults in our infrastructure, and someone with my background can help to develop strategies to mitigate future catastrophic events.

Also, my education can help with plans to continue to keep our water supply safe from contaminants (especially 1,4-Dioxane), plans to clean up brownfields areas and prepare them for smarter development, and minimize safety risks to our residents.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

All things considered, being that this was a novel virus, I respect the decisions that had to be made without any specific precedent. As a physician, we often treat patients based on specific paradigms for conditions that typically respond to certain treatments. But viruses are different. There are no known cures for viruses, and at the way they replicate in cosmopolitan areas like where we live, we are in an especially vulnerable position.

The pandemic certainly tested our local government, businesses, and schools. But I feel that the Glen Cove government did step up. We kept City Hall and its other departments up and running, and did our best to keep its employees and citizens safe. We used the resources we had to make safety and wellness decisions, we were able to get two pop-up vaccination sites for our employees and residents at risk, we made positive changes to the security of City Hall, kept up sanitation despite a decrease in non-quarantined workers — all with the day-to-day changes in state, federal and CDC guidelines. We arranged for open-air dining to keep our restaurants active and made our City Council and pre-Council meetings even MORE open to the public than when they previously were in-house because even more people could access meetings, speak publicly, and ask questions when online.

The pandemic is not over, and I will continue to serve the public both as a councilperson and with my Do Good to Feel Good program however I am needed during this unprecedented time.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Being endorsed by organizations that work to negotiate for better/safer working conditions, honest pay, and education of young adults shows that I look out for our workers. I am honored to be endorsed by the Glen Cove Police Benevolent Association, the Long Island Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO,) and the Laborers' International Union of North America. I am also endorsed by Eleanor's Legacy which shows my dedication to helping women achieve success.

Having been Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and being its current liaison to the City Council, as well as being a member of the North Shore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and a supporter of the Glen Cove BID, show my commitment to improving our local and regional businesses. I hope that all of these show my commitment to your health, safety, and quality of life, to the environment, and to our local businesses.

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

Certainly, the best reactions from residents include variations of "I see things happening in Glen Cove." No longer are we stagnant or moving backward.

We have made advancements with our campaign promises for improving finances, infrastructure, and quality of life. We have a tremendous list of improvements which include a first-time 5-year capital plan, a first-time catastrophic insurance plan, a reduction in the debt service, a truly balanced budget that does not rely on one-shot revenues, a first-time mortgage registry (for zombie houses,) a first-time rental registry (to combat illegal housing), new job positions, new contracts with the PBA and CSEA, creation of a special contingency line in the budget, repairs to several public amenities (Morgan Park lower bathhouse, Pryibil Beach pier, Stanco playground, the golf course), opening of 3 water wells so far, new City vehicles (fire truck, ambulance, police cars, loop bus) downtown LED lighting, a new user-friendly and frequently updated website, new phone system throughout the City, and a new commission that will serve to foster better communication between the police department and our minority community, especially regarding law enforcement, housing, economic wellbeing, racial discrimination, education, and health care.

A few recent awards include the Herald/Richner Premier Business Women of Long Island award for government, Newsday's Top Doctors on Long Island, Castle-Connolly Exceptional Women in Medicine, Anton Women of Distinction, Long Island Press Power Women in Business, and others that show that I am dedicated to being up-to-date in delivering the best service in government, healthcare, and business.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

One of the best pieces of advice from my grandmother was a Greek saying that, in order to get to the city, you have to ask questions/directions. My interpretation of this is that I should always educate myself in order to move forward.

In order to make any decision, you have to research, question, observe, and ask for opinions. After gathering all this data, one can make a better, more well-rounded, insightful decision.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will listen to you, respond to you, and be respectful to you. I choose kindness, but I can also make the tough decisions that will move Glen Cove forward. Between all of my experience in Glen Cove's service organizations and business associations, I have a pulse on what we need to accomplish. You can be confident that your quality of life, environmental and financial interests will always be fought for.

Editor's note: The candidate's responses have been lightly edited for clarity.