Andrew Hardwick

Andrew Hardwick the first African American Mayor for the Village of Freeport. Former Mayor Andrew Hardwick, a married father of four, is a good standing, longtime active Freeport resident. He has diligently served his village for previous administrations as the Special Assistant to two Mayor’s—Richard Wissler and the late Arthur Thompson. In addition, he has served as a member of the Freeport Volunteer Fire Department for over 25 years and also served our country in the United States Army.

Taking pride in ensuring that his administration actively represented the entire village, Hardwick’s leadership resulted in numerous beneficial village accomplishments. These accomplishments include; by breaking the 15 year, $154 million inflated village debt with a pay down of $28 million. He also vehemently advocated having a forensic audit of the village’s fiancés in light of questionable bonding cited in the NYS Comptrollers report; confronting local banks on behalf of his constituents to prevent mass foreclosures. He was instrumental in successfully negotiating the terms that resulted in saving 150 homes.. He continued to market this initiative in every communication medium available to him; further supporting families impacted by the nation’s economic downturn, he aided them in maintaining the tradition of having a joyous Christmas holiday by providing toys and turkeys. This type of community initiative is a village first; as one of Freeport’s biggest youth advocates, Hardwick supported nurturing ambition and building character by spearheading anti-bullying campaigns and “Freeport’s Got Talent”, another village first. He also expanded many of the villages cultur and community based events.

Freeport’s community and economic development were key elements within Hardwick’s tenure as Mayor. In a mere two years, year long negotiations regarding the Brooklyn Waterworks Property were successfully settled; 100% of village vagrant properties were rehabilitated and façade installations improved the appearance of outdated business store fronts; the Long Island Railroad trestles were repainted and all village parks received overdue renovations. Hardwick improved economic growth potential, with bringing in new businesses such as International House of Pancakes, Freeport’s Biggest Banana, and Tropix’s restaurant.

Securing Freeport’s safety and the environment also paramount during Hardwick’s term as Mayor. During his tenure in office, he hired 8 addition