Meet The Candidates: Lisa Reinhardt For Oyster Bay Town Council

TOWN OF OYSTER BAY, NY — Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. 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.

Lisa Reinhardt is one of six people running for three open seats on the Town of Oyster Bay Council. Reinhardt and two other Democrats are challenging three incumbent Republicans for their seats in an at-large election. There are no districts — each council member represents the entire town.

Reinhardt, 51, is a Hicksville resident, where she is raising her young daughter. She spent more than two decades as an executive assistant, and recently transitioned to being a buyer's assistant in the food industry. She has also been an active member of her daughter's PTA and has served on its board for two years.

Why are you seeking elective office?

I began attending Town meetings in 2017 due to structural issues affecting parking g at the Hicksville parking garage. I kept attending meetings, learning more about doings in the town, and decided that maybe I could help bring transparency and restore some of the faith in our local government that has been lost over the last decade or two of mismanagement.

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

Infrastructure. Our roads haven’t been paved in decades; streets in some areas of our town have been patched in spots so often that our potholes have potholes. How can we welcome visitors and new residents to our town with roads in such poor condition?

We need to publish a road-paving plan (promised in 2018 by our current administration)—let the residents know their street’s rating and a ballpark date of when they can expect to have it paved. That might begin the process of restoring faith in our local elected officials. In order to be able to afford to pave more roads, we can build up some money by keeping raises to a certain percentage range (no double-digit salary increases) and saving that money to add to our road-paving budget.

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

I am not a career politician.

My corporate background has provided me with team-building experience, project leadership skills, and an ability to work with all levels of people in an organization as well as with vendors and clients. I stand ready to listen to our residents and take back our town.

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

The current board does not conduct town business in a transparent manner; there is a pay-to-play culture decades in the making and firmly entrenched. Almost a mailer per week this year shows that this administration is not focused on our environment, and the mailers are election year promo pieces with little to no news value. They are wasting our money and giving very little in the way of tax relief—after walking into an 11.5% tax raise, they have given only .5% back, while at the same time raising fees for certain town services (i.e., commuter parking passes).

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

Small businesses were hit hard by Covid; the town responded on part by assisting with paperwork and state monies; I think we could do more to assist through holding local job fairs, bringing local job hunters together with local businesses, by stepping up our career programs, training for specialized positions.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

The town demographics have changed over the years, but local government has not changed with them; we need a local government with representation for all. We need access to town services for everyone. We need to do more for our environment—ensuring water quality, replanting some of the many trees that have been cut down in the last few years.

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

I was a corporate executive assistant for over 20 years, wearing many different hats. I have led an anniversary book project for a company celebrating its 150th anniversary, working with internal and external teams, vendors and management; I have assisted with trade shows from setup to manning the booths to cleanup. I have managed multiple events per year, both working with a corporate events team and on my own. I believe these activities developed my time and budget management skills and my ability to work with all levels of management, which will be key in the role of Councilperson.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Stand up for what you believe in. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

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

My family has lived in Hicksville for over 100 years. I am raising my daughter here. I know the issues here. I want to make our town a place people want to live. I want to clean it up and keep it viable for current residents and future generations. Help me accomplish this goal by electing me to work for you. Thank you.