On a brisk, clear Friday morning, North Hempstead town supervisor-elect Jon Kaiman bounded into the Great Neck Record office. His energy and enthusiasm just filled the room, as he spoke eagerly about taking office on Jan. 1. Initial plans are being formulated and Mr. Kaiman is starting to put together his team.

Come the new year and the new Kaiman administration, Jon Kaiman expects to move quickly to accomplish two immediate goals --- to bring all parts of town government together and to find a way to honor outgoing Supervisor May Newburger. Mr. Kaiman plans to reach out to all components in the Town of North Hempstead government, as he begins to share his "vision" and "help all town officials and employees discern their own visions" for the town. "I want to see where the town is going ... develop a vision, a tangible vision, a shared vision," he told the Record.

In addition to meeting with members of his own staff, the new town supervisor is anxious to meet with residents and local officials already in office from all over the town. Mr. Kaiman plans to spend a few months "getting a sense of where all the component parts of our various communities are at and where people feel we should be going."

Jon Kaiman is quick to point out that he doesn't "pretend to have all the answers" and that he clearly recognizes the fact that "a lot of people have ideas worth hearing."

And, also as soon as he takes office he will spend some time "trying to figure out a way to honor May Newburger, an extraordinary public figure." Supervisor Newburger has been a mentor to Mr. Kaiman, "in many ways," and he feels that it is most important to determine a way to "recognize her contribution ... not just as town supervisor for 12 years, but also her years in the assembly and her years as a community activist." Jon Kaiman is committed to finding a "tangible and meaningful" way to honor the outgoing supervisor.

Initial, more long-term priorities for the Kaiman administration include working to launch a "311 operation" in partners with Nassau County. The 311, county-wide, non-emergency telephone number would provide a response to all residents' non-emergency calls --- concerns or questions, to report a pothole or code complaint, to ask for directions to park or for hours of operation. The idea is for residents to be able to dial one number, 311, and then have their calls routed to the proper agency (village, town, county, etc.) and allow for an immediate response. In addition, Mr. Kaiman said that the town would also follow up on calls, even ones that are not directed at the town.

Along these lines, Mr. Kaiman stressed the need for "inter-municipal cooperation," to reach out to municipalities to see if they will work with the town. Such inter-municipal cooperation already exists in Baltimore and that city's mayor is coming to North Hempstead in February "to share his insights."

Mr. Kaiman is also quite aware that, in order for the town to move forward with long-term planning and community-based planning, it will be vital to involve the entire community. Not only town and local officials, but residents, too, will be provided with information that will help them understand planning for North Hempstead's future. Published information will give background material so that residents will come to public meetings with an understanding and an enhanced ability to follow presentations offered by experts in a wide variety of fields (planning, transportation, lighting, landscaping, water, architects, etc.).

Data will be provided at town meetings, through town mailings, and through the use of newspapers and local cable television stations.

Mr. Kaiman also noted that while some projects might well be town projects, some will also be more locally based --- such as possibly providing town participation in enabling Great Neck to develop Great Neck Road and East Shore Road, "gateways" to the peninsula.

Yes, there is much to be done, much hard work, and Jon Kaiman is looking forward to all of it. But when asked what he most looks forward to as town supervisor, he said "sharing the town treasures with the entire town." Mr. Kaiman pointed out that "people don't realize all we have to offer ... an indoor pool just minutes away ... extraordinary beaches in Port Washington and Manorhaven, with concerts, picnics, and maybe fireworks again) ... golf and miniature golf ... soccer fields ... a Botanic garden in Albertson (Clark Gardens) ... so much." During the campaign he really saw what the town has to offer and he is going to "make every effort" to ensure that all residents are made aware of all the town has to offer.

Having worked in politics, and in town government, in the past, Mr. Kaiman now looks forward to "coming out on my own ... an exciting, refreshing new era" where he hopes to be able to "take it to another level." With "new technology out there" and new models used by other communities, he hopes to "build on the success of others and use the newer approaches to government and community that are out there." He is anxious to get going, to "see what others have done" and he is ready to "put in talented, loyal, aggressive people to help make it a reality."

A major problem in properly staffing, however, is the stark fact that the town just can't pay people enough to have them be able to live in North Hempstead, "so they need independent sources of income or they have to live elsewhere." Anxious not to lose all this talent, Mr. Kaiman says that they "need creative ways to get people to work with us ... we must think outside the box."

One way to bring in outside sources is to possibly bring in professionals who might be willing to help the town promote itself to a greater degree, agencies such as Great Neck's Zimmerman-Edelson marketing P.R. firm. "We want to see if they will be interested in playing a part," Mr. Kaiman said.

Jon Kaiman is now working to put together his own team in North Hempstead. His hope is that early in 2004 he will "come up with a structure that is consistent with my style and my visions of how we need to go forward in town government." He considers himself "fortunate to be taking over a town where the financial situation is on solid footing." Even though the town still has some debt issues (created over decades regarding the Morewood property), Mr. Kaiman has plans in place and feels that the town is "on the right track." His focus will be "not only to continue prudent fiscal management, but to be able to focus on community services and constituent services, and to be able to work with other municipal entities in regard to planning, environmental remediation and other quality of life concerns."

With a "great campaign" behind him, he looks forward to the future. Mr. Kaiman is proud that he won the election by about 7000 votes (approximately 60 percent. He is especially proud that in his hometown, Great Neck, he won 5567 to 998. "It was an extraordinary feeling to have such a strong show of support ... we worked really hard and I ran on May Newburger's legacy."

As the interview wound down, late morning turned into early afternoon, and the sunny day began to turn into the Blizzard of 2003. Jon Kaiman still had a full day ahead of him, not to mention a jam-packed future, but neither the rapidly developing storm nor the awesome responsibilities he faces could cloud his day. Still smiling, still full of energy and optimism, he bounded out of the office, heading toward Jan. 1, 2004.