Mary Jo Collins is a candidate for Receiver of Taxes for the Town of North Hempstead, running on the Republican and Conservative lines in the Nov. 7 election.

Collins, and her husband Sean, have two sons, Sean Jr. a CPA and manager in the advisory practice at PWC and Matthew, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, currently stationed in Norfolk VA, serving as a Seahawk SH-60 pilot.

She and her husband have resided in Flower Hill since 2012 having moved from Manhasset where they lived since 1995.

Collins is a trustee for the Village of Flower Hill, a role she has held since 2020. She currently serves as an independent trustee for Direxion, a financial services firm known for its leveraged and non-leveraged ETFs and mutual fund offerings.

Collins retired last December from a 40-year career in financial services spent mainly in the fixed-income securities markets.

Her roles in sales, trading, and management give her valuable knowledge of risk management and credit analysis, two skills that will be very useful in the receiver of taxes role. She began her career as a teacher in Princeton, N.J.

Collins holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Douglass College, Rutgers University and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Issues 

The four most important issues I would focus on when elected:

1. Work alongside Supervisor Jen DeSena and the Town Board to help cut taxes.
2. Make paying taxes more convenient and offer more payment options. This would include expanding online options as well as extending payment hours and locations.
3. Present frequent tax-reducing seminars to show taxpayers how to reduce their taxes through exemptions they are entitled to and assessment challenges. These seminars would serve as a guide to help taxpayers navigate the forms and processes necessary to claim exemptions and file a grievance.
4. Improve the receiver of taxes communication to homeowners to help avoid unnecessary late payment penalties.