Meet The Candidates: Roni-Sue Jenkins Runs For Glen Cove 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.

Republican Roni-Sue Jenkins, 52, is vying for a seat on Glen Cove's City Council. With a background in Marketing and Finance, Jenkins has spent 25 years working as a senior-level executive for the world's largest ad agencies and has managed advertising campaigns for companies such as Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, and Pfizer, according to her profile on the Glen Cove Republican Party's website.

The longtime Glen Cove resident is also a co-founder of the women's lifestyle website "The Three Tomatoes."

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

Why are you seeking elective office?

The city is in financial distress and has been mismanaged under the current administration. Major tax increases, Moody's credit rating decreases, job elimination, missed anticipated revenue, and a deficit of Four Million dollars that the taxpayers are paying for.

I'll bring my 25 years of business experience and fiscal management of multi-million dollar budgets to fix the mismanaged city budget.

I believe that Glen Cove requires leadership that makes our residents a priority and it is time for new voices in city hall. I have a proven track record of making things happen. In my role as a Glen Cove City Councilwoman, I aspire to live up to this notion by creating new revenue streams, managing our growing population and diversity, and showcasing our beautiful city and exploring untapped potential. We need affordable housing for families, amenities for our youth and to put a pause on the overdevelopment.

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

The single most pressing issue facing Glen Cove is the mismanaged city budget. Revenue projections are off over 30% across multiple areas within our city government. Code enforcement revenue is down year-over-year since Mayor Tenke took office.

I promise to make sure we have realistic expectations for revenue and expenditures when elected to the Glen Cove City Council and to enforce our code on the books. I will review these budgets as I have for 25 years managing advertising budgets for my Fortune 500 financial and pharmaceutical clients (two of the most highly regulated industries in advertising) whose 100-million-dollar plus budgets I managed down to the last penny. Our taxpayers deserve more, and I hope to bring this experience to City Hall.

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

I have over 25 years of experience managing budgets of major Fortune 500 clients in the pharmaceutical and financial industries — two of the most highly regulated industries in advertising. My clients' spending was more than $100 million (larger than the city's budget), and I was responsible for keeping accurate accounts of all our spending down to the penny.

I led a team of 20 people under my leadership and have experience in financial projections, processes, RFPs, contract negotiations, and organizational skills.

I am also a Mom of three kids in our schools and very involved in our school system and youth sports. I am uniquely qualified from both a business perspective and community outreach who can manage both a budget more significant than the current proposed budget and know what we need to make a better place for our young families to live.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)?

People cannot afford to live here anymore. It's that simple. There is little affordable housing, the city has a deficit of over four million dollars, our infrastructure was crumbling and several things- the fishing pier, golf range, and Stanco Playground all required significant repairs, if not replacement This all costs money and should not have band-aid repairs that break year after year like the golf range.

My parents are seniors living here on a fixed income. They cannot afford an almost 8% tax increase. Young families cannot afford an almost 8% tax increase. No one can afford an 8% tax increase.

Communication is lacking and inconsistent. We shouldn't have to hear from anyone in the community that they called city hall 4, 5, 6, or more times and never got a call back — myself included.

We need more transparency and better communication and I will bring my marketing and social media expertise to help with the improvements.

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

The current administration kept city hall closed for way too long. Seniors should not have had t stand outside in the cold to pay their tax bills. There should have been designated "senior hours" just like they did at supermarkets to allow those to come to city hall and pay their bills. Additionally, better and more communication. Zoom meetings were laden with technical issues, messages did not get out to the public in a timely manner and they did not attempt to use all channels to help keep the residents updated.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I am a doer. I roll up my sleeves. In addition to my advertising career, I co-founded a women's lifestyle website and advocate for women and girls issues. I am a member of UN Women and run events for women that always have a charitable component. I am a top fundraiser for the National MS Society, having raised thousands of dollars to help find a cure. I formed and organized a car parade group during the pandemic that uplifted our community bringing joy to birthdays, anniversaries, hospital workers, and a WWII Veteran. I ran the car parade for the Glen Cove High School 2020 Senior class that missed out on so much. I also organized a car parade for the graduating class of 2021 despite not having a child in that grade.

Knowledge and passion are the keys to success: I know and love our city. I know and care about our children. I know and believe in our community and appreciate our restaurants and small businesses. But most of all, I am passionate about making Glen Cove an even better place to live and thrive in for all of us. I promise to live up to this as your City Council member.

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

I am an award-winning advertising executive. I won a Silver award for "Best Advertising Campaign of the Year" and was on the team that won "Best Overall Advertising Campaign of the Year."

For my car parade volunteer work I was named a Hometown Hero by News 12, The Long Island Herald, featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, and was given a certificate of recognition by Senator Gaughran.

I co-authored two books on "Midlife musings" and was on the Amazon best-seller list.

I have friends of all walks of life and am open to a willingness to listen to other points of view with an open mind.

And my kids say I'm a pretty good cook. I can handle the job.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"When all else fails, a good plate of pasta cures all," and "There's no such thing as the perfect Mom." ~ My Mom, my hero and mentor.

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

As I have done in my career, fiscal responsibility and innovation will be key to ensuring continued success and a prosperous future for our city.

I am a three-generation Glen Cove school's family. I am actively involved in the Glen Cove school system having served as past PTA President, PTA Treasurer, and a current member of the school district Site Committee and PTA Member. I advocated to replace the playground and led the fundraising efforts for a new playground at Gribbin school years ago. I wrote the winning essay in a national essay contest that resulted in winning several computers for the Gribbin school. I have coached numerous local youth sports teams including cheer, soccer, basketball, and softball. I graduated from SUNY Old Westbury with a B.S degree in Finance.

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