Lenahan sworn in as East Rockaway mayor

It was standing room only on Monday in East Rockaway’s Village Hall as the village held its annual reorganization meeting. Francis T. Lenahan was sworn in as mayor and named Trustee Bruno Romano his deputy mayor. Newly elected Trustees Stanley Lombardo and Ed Corrado sat on the dais for the first time.

Many changes are taking place in village government, and one of the most glaring at the meeting was yet another empty seat, that of Trustee Irene Villacci, who resigned earlier in the day after serving for six years on the board (see accompanying story).

“We’ve worked hard, walked a long road and now we have to work even harder,” Lenahan said after the ceremony. “Our message was that we wanted a village that was faster, easier and less expensive. We will find a way to reduce the size of our village. We will reduce the budget, we will lower taxes and we will increase the quality of life in East Rockaway so that every resident will be proud to say that they come from here.”

Village Clerk Treasurer Doris Piedemonte was appointed for another two years, as was Barbara Cutler, who will once again be the deputy clerk treasurer. William Geier, a former mayor or Lynbrook, was named secretary to the board.

Kevin Conklin was sworn into a two-year term as superintendent of public works and highways, taking the place of acting Superintendent Mike Boller, who had filled in since the death of Superintendent John Keating last May.

Elaine Scheinfeld was renamed the director of the Senior Center. Carol Ferretti and Ed Schenk will remain co-chairs of the Grist Mill Committee; Rose Trum will continue as head of the Beautification Committee; and Cultural Arts Chairwoman Barbara Koshefsky was replaced by Joan MacNaughton.

Committee members were added or removed at the pleasure of the board, leaving some committees short-staffed. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it,” said one chairperson after the meeting. “I lost a few good people.”

“I fully intend to take a proactive approach to the office to which I have been elected,” Lenahan said. “New demands will be placed on our village staff, our department heads and our uniformed personnel to do more with less. It won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight, but with your help and that of [the board], we will reach our goal — this I am sure of.”

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