Longtime Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman Lee Seeman said she will remain involved in helping revitalize the Great Neck business district now that her tenure in office has come to an end.

Seeman, in a phone interview with Blank Slate Media, said it has been an honor to serve as a town councilwoman representing the 5th District over the past 16 years. Interacting with business owners, she said, was one of the most fulfilling aspects of serving the town and is something she plans on doing as a Great Neck Plaza resident.

“I will try to continue doing helpful things in the community, walking around and talking to people,” said Seeman, a Democrat who did not run for re-election in November.  “I like to speak with business owners to see how things could be improved.”

The coronavirus pandemic, she said, brought some hardship to existing businesses  throughout the town and made it difficult for new ones to come and fill vacant storefronts. Despite the negative impact the pandemic had on the town’s retail economy, Seeman lauded the work that town officials did to combat the spread of the virus and promote ways to get residents tested and vaccinated.

“The town has been doing a wonderful job to battle what has been going on here in terms of the pandemic,” Seeman said. “The town and even the county did the best that they could to try and stop the pandemic.”

Seeman, who has been an active member of the Great Neck Chamber of Commerce for more than 30 years, touted the work of Plaza Mayor Ted Rosen in trying to recruit new businesses to come to the village and occupy retail space on Middle Neck Road. 

“Ted Rosen is a wonderful mayor here and I am very proud to work with him,” she said.

Last month the Village of Great Neck Plaza designated a portion of Bond Street to be named “Lee Seeman Way” in honor of the longtime councilwoman. Rosen also declared Dec. 19 “Lee Seeman Day” in the Village of Great Neck Plaza.

Along with serving as a councilwoman since 2005, Seeman has worked with the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi’s review board for students applying to federal service academies and the W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in Jerusalem.

Seeman is also a member of various community groups, including the League of Women Voters, the World Jewish Congress, Hadassah, a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Sierra Club and Temple Beth El of Great Neck.

Seeman said she will greatly miss everyone in the town she has worked with but hopes to continue seeing them during her walks around town.  She also asked every North Hempstead resident to take time and appreciate being in “such a wonderful town like North Hempstead.”

Helping the town vote to not opt in to state legislation that would permit retail sales of cannabis in the town, she said, was something she was proud to be a part of before her retirement. With Republican David Adhami taking over Seeman’s role, she said she hopes that the town will continue to serve its residents well and make sure every problem brought to the board is addressed.