Garden City Park Water and Fire District Commissioner Peter Chimenti is running for re-election against challenger Joe Wendling.

Chimenti, of Herricks, has served the district since 2014. The district elects one commissioner every year to serve three-year terms. The other two commissioners on the board are Alan Cooper and Robert Mirabile. 

This year’s district election will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 12. 

The district covers parts of Garden City Park, Manhasset Hills, parts of New Hyde Park, parts of Mineola, parts of North Hills, parts of Roslyn, parts of Williston Park, parts of Albertson and parts of Garden City. The fire district’s budget for 2024 is $3,760,000 and the water district’s budget is $7,305,360.

Chimenti has been a member of the Garden City Park Fire Department for over 40 years, being elected chief twice, and retired from the NYPD as a sergeant in 2006. Professionally, Chimenti works for New York City Transit as a special inspector in the security department. 

Wendling, of New Hyde Park, is a private investigator for the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park School District, the same role he had in the Herricks School District over a decade ago. Wendling is also a former NYPD detective, a position he retired from in 1987 after over 18 years on the police force after having enlisted in the Marines in 1966. On top of his police service, Wendling was previously the director of operations of Mount St. Michael’s Academy in the Bronx.

The challenger ran for the vacant seat last year against Mirabile after then-incumbent Kenneth Borchers did not run for re-election, losing by one vote. 

Earlier this year, the district voted against bonding $5.9M to renovate the Garden City Park Fire Station No. 2 on Denton Avenue in Garden City Park. If the vote passed, it would have rebuilt the firehouse that was first built in 1970 to fit today’s regulations and provide additional space for the first responders, among other things.

The water district was founded in 1922 and serves approximately 6,500 residential and 650 commercial customers, according to its website. The district pumps an average of 1 billion gallons of water a year to its customers and has six wells, two water storage towers, four underground storage tanks and six treatment plants.

Voting will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at 333 Marcus Ave., Garden City Park between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.