Ex-Mineola mayor runs for Nicolello’s seat

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21,000 registered Democrats compared to 10,000 registered Republicans, according to the data. Republican legislative incumbents include Howard Kopel, John Giuffre, Michael Giangregorio, Thomas McKevitt, William Gaylor, John Fer- retti and Rose Marie Walker. Nicolello, in a March statement, said being a legislator has been “a long commitment and it takes its toll on a family.” The long-serving legislator lauded the Nassau GOP for having a “a lot of talent” as it looks for someone to succeed him.

After serving in Nassau County for nearly three decades, Nicolello has spent the previous six years as the Republican leader. Abrahams last month said he was grateful all of the debates between him and Nicolello did not “undermine” their friendship and wished him well.

The Landmark on Main building was constructed in the early 1900s as a school, and it operated as such for about 80 years, until 1985 when the district thought they no longer needed it.

“They were talking about turning it into a parking lot or condos or all sorts of things,” Mayer said. “A bunch of different community groups got together and said, ‘This building is important to us, and we could use more space for a whole bunch of reasons.’”

Now the building is a historic landmark and holds 59 fixed-income senior apartments, along with three other nonprofit organizations aside from the theater.

“The building’s super unique,” Mayer said. “In fact, we’re the only building in New York State zoned the way we are because our zoning was created for this building. There’s literally nothing else like us.”

The Jeanne Rimsky Theater presents mostly music events but will host other performing arts as well.

“It’s a really well-made space, so it’s got really beautiful acoustics and for being a pretty reasonable size, 425 seats, it’s very intimate – all the seats are very close to the artists,” Mayer said. This means that a show that “really focuses on artists that have their instruments and are just really fantastic – like the best in the world with their instruments – that’s what the space is best for.”

The seats in the front of the theater were recently updated so they could be removed, allowing for shows that have a dance component, such as a Grateful Dead cover band or a jazz show.

“That series is doing really well that’s our best-selling series,” Mayer said. “People really want that component, not only to enjoy the music, but to get up to socialize and to enjoy that sense of community that we lost over COVID.”

Mayer made sure to thank Holly Byrne with the business improvement district, Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte, and New York state Representative Gina Sillitti for letters of support.

“They’re very active and very supportive of landmark,” he said.

More information about Landmark on Main Street Inc. and the Jeanne Rimsky Theater can be found online.

The NYSCA grant will help the theater expand its programming to include movies and multimedia shows. (Photo by Steven Sandick)