Sean Michael McCarthy for North Hempstead Town supervisor

North Hempstead has been home to a contentious political climate in recent years — one in which town board meetings are combative and politics seeps into everything, right down to debates over which roads should be paved.

What the town's residents need is calm, steady leadership, someone who can bridge partisan gaps and address critical issues, from public safety to park and infrastructure upgrades — even whether a cat shelter is needed.

This election, they have a welcome new option: Democrat Sean Michael McCarthy, a Port Washington police commissioner who spent 33 years with the Nassau County Police Department, is challenging incumbent Jennifer S. DeSena.

DeSena, completing her fifth year in office, is a registered Democrat who runs on the Republican line and caucuses with Republicans. She emphasizes her continued efforts to maintain a tax freeze and defends her use of reserve funds to balance the budget.

DeSena, however, has answered the same questions about town issues with the same unfulfilled promises. That's most obvious when it comes to North Hempstead's Bar Beach. DeSena says she's seeking funding and making plans for long-overdue park improvements, again falling back on the lack of Republican control of the town board in her first two years in office. That's a tired refrain.

DeSena, 57, of Manhasset, has dealt poorly with difficult issues, such as the proposed New Hyde Park mosque expansion, which ultimately cost the town $900,000 in settlement and legal fees.

When asked about often-cantankerous board meetings, DeSena told the editorial board she allows 30 minutes of public comment, but complained that residents arrive with a "script" veering into political territory. Regarding the revitalization of the Port Washington waterfront, DeSena said one lengthy official town meeting, combined with more informal private sessions with civic associations, was sufficient. Clearly, the community's concerns have not been assuaged.

McCarthy, 64, brings to the table a very different mindset, along with deep knowledge of town issues and the promise of clear, capable leadership. Before his election to the civilian board that manages the local force, the Port Washington resident was a Nassau police precinct commander in Manhasset rising to the rank of chief of support services, where he played a critical administrative and leadership role. He said he would be a "consensus builder" and bring decorum and respect back to town meetings.

McCarthy said he would have held public listening sessions to inform and engage residents on the Port Washington waterfront project earlier. And he expresses valid concerns about the town's use of rainy day funds to balance the budget, rather than growing the economic base in part by attracting new businesses to empty storefronts. McCarthy supports new housing "at all price points" and wants to further improve the building department and communication efforts, including always having calls to the town's 311 system answered by a human. As for the cat shelter, he proposes a study to determine its feasibility.

McCarthy's candidacy comes at a fraught time for North Hempstead. Many residents are deeply concerned about rising antisemitism and other religious and ethnic discrimination. McCarthy's public safety background and his clear-eyed ability to meet the moment with outreach and action to address those very real fears makes him the right person to take North Hempstead's helm.

Newsday Opinion endorses McCarthy.