For David Tanner, his election as president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association is one more opportunity to serve.
“My involvement in village government is one of the most meaningful things I’ve done in my life and the NCVOA is clearly an extension of that,” said Tanner, who is mayor of the Village of East Williston. “It’s meaningful in trying to make people’s lives a little bit easier. That’s very rewarding in today’s stressful life.”
Tanner said he was “very excited” to be elected to succeed Village of Great Mayor Ralph Kreitzman as the head of the village officials organization at its July 27 meeting. Tanner had held the position of the association’s 1st vice president for the past year.
Tanner, 58, was elected mayor of East Williston in an uncontested election in May 2011, succeeding Nancy Zolezzi. At the time, he cited his 13 years as a village trustee as the reason he felt ready to “step up” and take the mayor’s position. He said he enjoys the work the village board takes on.
“My parents raised me to always improve myself and do better. I think village government is the same way,” Tanner said. “It enriches people’s lives by making them feel they’re part of something that’s bigger than themselves.”
He said he enjoys the civic events that bring people in his community together, such as the annual September 11 observance and the East Williston Memorial Day parade. And he enjoys the interaction with residents at board meetings as well.
“I don’t find that stressful. I like hearing what people have to say,” Tanner said. “I enjoy the challenge of trying to synthesize different opinions into a policy.”
Zolezzi has credited Tanner with playing a key role in developing the master plan East Williston’s downtown and its Village Hall.
As principal of Mineola- based Liberty Capital Services LLC for the past 10 years, Tanner has done pro bono work on bond issues for his village. His business originally comprised municipal and corporate financial consulting, but he has segued into focusing exclusively on municipal consulting over the past few years.
“I saw that not a lot of the other companies providing those services got it. It was a better fit for us,” Tanner said.
In his 15 years as a member of the village officials association, he founded the assessment committee and municipal finance committee 12 years ago. He said he also played an instrumental role in bringing a representative from a major bond rating agency in to make presentation to the village officials members a few years ago.
In November, Tanner said he has asked state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office to make a presentation to the village officials association on the state’s new “pension-smoothing option” for municipalities.
“The objective is to reduce the variability,” Tanner said.
His primary objective as president of the association is “to make people more aware of the contribution” the association makes to their lives, he said.
“It’s great that the chief executive of East Williston is also the chief executive of the village officials association. It can only be good for East Williston,” said East Williston Deputy Mayor Bonnie Parente,
Tanner is a member of the MTA Advisory Board for the state inspector general.
He is a former member of the Mineola Lions Club. He is also a former Cub Scout pack leader and has been a coach for the East Williston Little League.
