Valley Stream trustees begin new terms

The families of John Tufarelli and Virginia Clavin-Higgins sat in the front row of the Village Hall courtroom on Monday night, there to support the recently re-elected Valley Stream trustees.

In an uncontested election on March 20, Tufarelli and Clavin-Higgins were returned to the village board. For Tufarelli, Monday night’s swearing in ceremony marked the beginning of his second four-year term. Clavin-Higgins, meanwhile, finally became an elected official, after having been appointed to the board six months earlier to fill a vacancy.

When it was her turn to be sworn in, Clavin-Higgins was joined up front by her husband, Kevin, and three children, Kevin, Connor and Deidre. Administering the oath of office was her former boss, Supreme Court Judge Geoffrey O’Connell.

Clavin-Higgins is the daughter of the village’s first even female trustee, Rosanna Clavin. Her brother, who was in attendance, is Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Donald Clavin.

During her remarks, she talked about her first campaign. She said she enjoyed her time walking the streets and meeting residents at the train station with members of the United Community Party. “It’s so humbling to work with men and women who just want to see good government,” she said.

Clavin-Higgins cited four characteristics that make a good trustee — dependability, honesty, strength and compassion. “It is my good fortune that the gentlemen up here, the mayor and the trustees, share those great characteristics. They use their talents and their efforts everyday to make Valley Stream a place that we want to work in and we want to live in, and a place that we would like our children to work in and live in.”

Tufarelli, joined by his wife, Rosemarie, and son, Lou, avoided thanking anyone specifically in his remarks. “Everybody in this room, everybody in this village has given me the opportunity to serve,” he said. “For me to give anyone any special thanks would be foolish because everyone is special to me.”

The village board has a great vision for Valley Stream, Tufarelli said, adding that residents should expect great things in the next three years. He added that the success to come is a testament to the leadership of Mayor Ed Fare, Tufarelli’s first running mate for trustee four years ago.

Tufarelli will serve as the village’s deputy mayor for the next year.