Lawmaker Seeks To Become 1st African American No. Hempstead Clerk

NORTH HEMPSTEAD, NY — North Hempstead Town Councilwoman Viviana Russell (D-New Cassel) announced on Tuesday that she will run for the town clerk post this fall, and if elected, she would be the first African American to represent the town as a whole, officials said.

Russell was recently tapped for the post by both the North Hempstead Democratic Party and the Nassau County Democratic Committee, and she has the endorsement of incumbent Town Clerk Wayne Wink, who is running for the seat Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth is vacating at the end of her term, according to a news release.

The post would not be the only first for Russell. In 2009, she became the first African American woman elected to a town office in North Hempstead, after succeeding Robert Troiano, who was the first African American elected official in the town’s history.

Russell, who represents the 1st Town District, including the communities of Westbury, New Cassel, Carle Place, and Old Westbury, said she is proud to be the Democratic designee and believes her “record of service, advocacy, and experience in elected office” has prepared her to “serve effectively in this new role” representing “all the communities and residents of North Hempstead.”

“It has been a true honor representing the people of TD1 the past 12 years, and I look forward to continuing our work together in this new role,” she said.

Russell said that over the past 12 years in office she has become familiar with the inner-workings of the town clerk’s office, which manages all town records such as vital statistics, issues permits, processes license applications, and coordinates requests for documents under the state’s Freedom of Information Law.

If elected, Russell, a resident of New Cassel for 22 years, said she will focus on outreach to ensure “positive interactions” between the town clerk’s office and the public, technology innovations, and “developing additional online training resources, tutorials, and enhanced technological tools.” She also plans to maintain openness and transparency, and pledged to ensure quick and efficient response times for FOIL requests.

Russell’s father emigrated from Cuba to the U.S. in the 1950s and married her South Carolina-born mother. She was raised in East Elmhurst, Queens and received a Bachelor of Arts in social science from The College of New Rochelle. She has been married for 27 years to Gary Russell Sr. with whom she has three children, Gary Jr., Imani, and Malachi, as well as two grandchildren, Amirah and Josiah.

Russell serves as a trustee on the State University of New York Old Westbury Foundation, and she sits on the Project Independence Advisory Council and Westbury Industry Advisory Committee. She is also involved with the Espoir Youth Program, Unity Circle Million Women Movement, Westbury Community-wide Partnership, the First Baptist Cathedral of Westbury, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Wink said he was proud to endorse Russell, who he described as an “exceptionally able and effective colleague” that he knows will be “a great town clerk.”

“As the leader of this year’s North Hempstead Democratic team, I look forward to running with her,” he said.

Bosworth said Russell has demonstrated her strong commitment to her constituents and to the entire town. “She will be an outstanding Town Clerk in whom the people of our community can place their confidence and trust,” she said.

Troiano called Russell an “authentic leader.”

“She leads by quiet example, strength of character, work ethic, and personal integrity,” he said. “Her humility, intelligence, and unyielding commitment to serving the residents of the town will serve her well in this new challenge. Her transition to a town-wide position of leadership stands as an important message that our elected representatives at all levels of government should and must reflect the diversity of our communities.”