Better Babylon Party volunteers and candidates gather for their caucus and petition-dirve kickoff earlier this month, nominating incumbent Trustees Alice Vanderveldt and Kevin Muldowney and Village Justice John T. Rafter. Incumbent Trustees Alice Vanderveldt and Kevin Muldowney will be seeking re-election to another four-year term on the Babylon Village Board under the Better Babylon Party banner. The two trustees, together with Village Justice John T. Rafter, received the party's nod at a petition drive kick-off earlier this month.

"We have a lot of people and a lot of clubs and organizations in Babylon that do good work but what it comes down to is giving back to the community," said Roger Carpenter, addressing the 100-plus volunteers who gathered at Village Hall. "And over the years the Better Babylon Party has been the glue and the fabric that has held things together. These candidates have consistently demonstrated hard work and commitment and they deserve to be re-elected."

Both candidates thanked their supporters and asked that they continue to work hard for the party and for Babylon, particularly this year as both trustees face opposition from a third candidate, Darrell Conway of the Village Unity Party.

Mayor Ralph Scordino, a member of the Better Babylon Party, reminded supporters that 20 years ago in the same room former Mayor, the late Don Conroy, started the party. "As a result of the hard work of many people in this room we have made tremendous improvements and while things did not change overnight, we have a Village we can all be proud of."

The party had held majority of control in the Village since that time, Scordino and others pointed to the accomplishments over the past two decades, which include repairing and maintaining 40 miles of roadway, a Village pool and golf course. The Village offers summer youth programs and Newsday recently named Babylon Village as having one of the best downtowns on Long Island.

"We have security cameras at the Village dock and a storm management program that has become a model in Suffolk County," said Scordino. Using a sports analogy, he gave the volunteers a motivation speech saying they were "in another game and had to work hard to win."

"We cannot do it without your support," said Muldowney, to which Vandervelt added that she will continue to work for the best interests of the taxpayers.

Muldowney is a 36-year resident of the Village and is completing his fifth, four-year term as Trustee. He is a graduate of New York Institute of Technology and has a bachelor's degree in business administration. As a trustee over the past 20 years, he has chaired the Docks Committee, responsible for renting and maintaining the Village's 442 boat berths and oversees the operation of the E. Donald Conroy Golf Course. He has also served as past president of the Babylon Booster Club and is chairman of the Wall of Fame Committee. He is a member of the Babylon Beautification Society, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and American Legion Post #94.

Vanderveldt is a lifelong resident of the Village and a graduate of Babylon High School. She has a master's degree from Dowling College and has been on the board for 12 years. She is chairwoman of the Village Parks and Grounds Department, which is responsible for the care and upkeep of the greenhouse, Southards Pond, Argyle Park and eight Village playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts. She also manages the outdoor summer concerts and the summer recreation program, which serves 500 Village youngsters. She is a member of the Babylon Village Women's Club, Babylon Booster Club, Babylon Beautification Society and Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition.