Manorhaven appoints new BZA chairman

Stephen Romano

The Manorhaven Board of Trustees last Thursday appointed Patrick Gibson as chairman of the Board of Zoning Appeals for a one-year term.

Gibson, who moved to Manorhaven in 2001, replaced Stephen Thomsen, whose term expired in July.

“It came the time to pick a new chairman, and I think Patrick is someone who is familiar with different aspects of the village and will do a good job,” Mayor Jim Avena said.

Gibson, a member of the village’s waterfront committee and trustee from 2010 to 2012, said he’s excited to have the chance to help make the village a better place.

“This is another great opportunity,” Gibson said. “I really think we have a very competent mayor and he’s assembling a really great team of people to serve the village.”

Gibson is an accountant for Nassau County.

As chairman of the BZA, Gibson said, he wants to help people make their properties nice and make sure they comply with village code.

“I think being the head of the zoning board is really about helping people out and working with people,” Gibson said. 

When Thomsen’s position opened up, Avena said, he was looking for someone who knew the village well.

“I think that Mayor Avena knew that I was involved in the village before and knew a lot about it and that I could help out,” Gibson said.

As a waterfront committee member, Gibson said, he hopes the village and residents can figure out a way to preserve and continue the beautification of the waterfront.

“We’ve had a lot of resident feedback so far and that’s good because we have a lot to do and we have a lot of waterfront for such a small village,” Gibson said.

Although the waterfront committee has faced criticism from the village residents, Gibson said, he’s honored to have the opportunity to help out and be a part of the committee.

“I’m really happy to be able to have a small part in what the village is doing,” he said. “Manorhaven is such a great place to live and I think everyone in the village shares the same desire to make it nicer. We want to see it beautified and I will continue to help keep it a nice place to live.”

By Stephen Romano

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