There’s a new mayor in town – at least for the day.
On Saturday, the Village of Williston Park Board of Trustees lent their seats to fourth-graders from Center Street School, Jackson Avenue School and St. Aidan’s School in honor of the annual “village officials for a day” meeting.
But it wasn’t just fun and games for the new politicians, it was business as usual.
Mayor Catherine Mongello, from Center Street School, began the meeting by announcing that the board was honoring two women, Kristine Afonso, captain of the Williston Park Rescue Squad, and Eileen Oliver, principal of St. Aidan’s school, who were both recently recognized by Assemblyman Edward Ra. The board also honored Samantha Insalaco, daughter of the board secretary, for her anti-bullying efforts as a student of W.T. Clarke Middle School, Mongello said.
Mongello also told the packed room, filled with the young trustees’ families, that the village will now broadcast on Verizon Fios Channel 30. The channel will help notify the public about weather concerns, especially during winter snow storms, according to the real mayor, Paul Ehrbar.
Ehrbar added on Mongello’s report that the board will hold a meeting on Dec. 4 to discuss the new water tower project.
The rest of the young trustees followed Mongello by giving their monthly reports, using proper jargon and all, with just a little guidance from the trustee they were filling in for.
The “village officials for a day” program was an idea Ehrbar’s wife, Nora, started when she was on the village board, Ehrbar said. All the children in the district’s schools, even those who might not live in the village, have the opportunity to write an optional essay to enter, Ehrbar said. This year’s essay theme was “what do you love about Williston Park,” said Janine Gentile, a fourth-grade teacher at Center Street.
Gentile has been participating in the program with her students for 13 years – as many as she’s been teaching fourth grade, she said. Two of her students, Mongello and Brayden Hasse, served on Saturday’s board.
“It’s just a lot of fun for them to be able to share what they love about where they live,” Gentile said. “So often in school we’re thinking about the world and bigger places and for them to really focus on where they are and where they live it’s a lot of fun for them.”
The essays are read by the board members, who pick out the best ones. After the winners are chosen, though, the rest is random. Ehrbar said the children’s names are put in a hat to decide which student takes which role.
(Photo courtesy of Heather Mongello)
Along with Mayor Mongello, this year’s student officials were village Clerk Johnny Wood, Trustee Brayden Hasse, Trustee Addison Walls, Deputy Mayor Aarthi Palaniappan, Trustee Sienna Molen, village Attorney James Condon and board Secretary Matthew Manopella.
There may even be a few budding political careers in the mix. Wood said he liked being on the town board and might even want to be mayor himself one day.
When all the business was done many of the young officials rushed out of Village Hall, grabbing drinks and cookies on the way, to trade their spots on the bench for their positions on the soccer field.
