Village officials pick new leaders

The Island Now

Village of Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro was sworn in as the new president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association on Thursday. 

“I look forward to serving and hopefully I can live up to the honor that you bestowed on me tonight,” Cavallaro said after being sworn in by Nassau County Clerk Maureen O’Connell at La Marmite restaurant in Williston Park.

Cavallaro said he’s been on the executive board of the association since 2010, starting off as the board’s secretary.

Cavallaro has been the mayor of Westbury for five years and prior to that was a trustee for 10 years and a member of the village planning board for 12 years. 

He said the association, which meets once a month to discuss issues affecting village governments, will continue to fight for county residents. 

“We’re fighting for things that we think are beneficial for our residents in our villages,” Cavallaro said.

Cavallaro said he will continue to address the concern of health-care costs imposed on village governments by the state.

“We have unfunded mandates which the state imposes on us that we try to limit or try to change so that they’re acceptable to us,” Cavallaro said. “We have to continue to be vigilant and work together to make sure that moving forward, we’re protecting our residents and our villages the way they need to be protected.”

Cavallaro replaces outgoing president and East Williston Mayor David Tanner, who had served as president of the board for the last year. 

O’Connell, who said she’s known Cavallaro for many years, praised the Westbury mayor’s experience as a political leader.

“Peter was a political leader and mentor of mine going back 25 years ago,” O’Connell said. “He has been a great counsel to me.”

O’Connell and Nassau County Village Officials Association executive director Warren Tackenberg also swore in Village of Plandome Manor Mayor Barbara Donno, Village of Old Brookville Mayor Bernard Ryba and Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy as first vice president, second vice president and treasurer, respectively. 

“There’s always a nucleus of people that run these types of organizations,” Tackenberg said. “In this case it’s these officers.”

Tanner, North Hills Mayor Martin Natiss and Village of Great Neck Mayor Ralph Kreitzman, previous presidents of the association, will also serve on the executive board.

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