62.0°,
Fog/Mist Valley Stream remembers Ed Cahill
Mayor, 82, was devoted husband, friend, great leader and gentleman
Valley Stream residents are mourning the death of their leader, Mayor Ed Cahill, who died at his home July 31 of complications of a brain tumor. He was 82.
Cahill was the village’s mayor for the past 11 years. He was first elected to the village board in 1995 as a trustee and served as deputy mayor for Jim Darcy. When Darcy left in 1999 after being elected to the state Assembly, Cahill took over as mayor. He won re-election that March, and again in 2003 and 2007.
He leaves behind his wife of 49 years, Maryann. The two were a fixture at events throughout the village, from sports league opening days and award ceremonies to business lunches and ribbon-cuttings. Maryann watched most village board meetings from the audience.
“He was the best,” she said of her husband. “He just loved everybody. He was a beautiful person. I don’t think anyone has a bad word to say about him.”
Nor did Cahill ever say a bad word about anyone else, noted Darcy, now a Hempstead town councilman. “He was the most decent human being I think I ever met,” Darcy said. “It’s a big loss for all of Valley Stream, but particularly those of us who were lucky enough to call him a friend.”
Darcy, when seeking running mates for village board in 1995, chose Cahill simply because of who he was. “We had purposely tried to put together a ticket that would only have the village’s best interests at heart,” he said.
Before Cahill’s political career (though many say he never considered himself a politician), he served two stints in the Navy, enlisting at 17, and then became a New York City police officer. He spent 32 years in the department, and was an integrity sergeant, encouraging officers to remain honest. He retired as commanding sergeant of the 113th Precinct in Jamaica, Queens.
He was born Nov. 27, 1927, in Brooklyn and grew up rooting for the Dodgers. The Cahills moved to Valley Stream 45 years ago, and Maryann said that up until his recent health problems, he walked three miles every morning around the village. His favorite places in Valley Stream were Mitchell’s Restaurant and Ancona Pizza. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion.
