Sea Cliff Mayor Edward Lieberman won't run again

After more than four years in office, Sea Cliff Mayor Edward Lieberman says he will not seek re-election. It was a difficult decision, he said, but one that is best for his family and him. He will leave office in March, when the next village election will be held.

“I do have mixed emotions about it,” Lieberman said. “It’s been a very interesting and worthwhile experience, but I just felt, given my age — I’ll be 70 in June — and given the fact that there are very qualified people who are showing interest in becoming mayor, it followed suit that I would step down at this point and step back.”

Before he took over as mayor, Lieberman was on the village planning board from 2008 to 2012, and he was a village trustee from 2012 to 2014 and deputy mayor from 2015 to 2016.

He became mayor in November 2016, after then Mayor Bruce Kennedy assumed the role of village administrator, a full-time post. The board selected Lieberman as mayor that year. He then ran unopposed in 2017 and 2019.

“It was an eye-opening experience in the beginning, which I was very happy to accept,” Lieberman said. “I was humbled by the fact that my fellow trustees had the faith in me in carrying on the role as mayor.”

Kennedy said Lieberman was the ideal person to succeed him because he cares about serving his community. Though they differ in their approaches to the mayor’s role, Kennedy said he and Lieberman share the common goal of helping the village prosper.

“While Ed and I have similar beliefs and views, we have very different styles,” Kennedy said. “I think that his style was very healthy for the village, very fatherly, understanding, mild-mannered. I think that he was really fit for the role.”

Lieberman said he is proud of his time in office. Early on, he helped Sea Cliff become the first village on Long Island to ban plastic bags. He also served as president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association, which he said helped him form relationships with other officials across the state.

That, Lieberman said, helped him secure grants from State Sen. Carl Marcellino, who was in office through 2018, and current State Sen. Jim Gaughran to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of the Sea Cliff Water District switching from private to public water. Results of the study came back earlier this month, showing that public water would be cheaper for ratepayers than private water. In October, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced legislation that would make water public on the North Shore. It must now pass the State Legislature.

Lieberman said that paving the way for public water in Sea Cliff was among his most important accomplishments. He also noted that the village purchased property on Prospect Avenue from New York American Water in the summer of 2019 that could become a community arts center.

Resident James Versocki, an attorney, was appointed by Lieberman to serve on a village committee to work on the public water study. The mayor’s leadership throughout the process was crucial, Versocki said.

Additionally, Lieberman led the effort to bring sewers to Sea Cliff, which began last year. For decades the village has used cesspools, which leach sewage into the ground. The village connected homes on several streets to sewer lines last year. Lieberman said he hopes the entire village will be serviced by sewers in the future.

2020 proved to be the most challenging year of his administration, he said, with the village declaring a state of emergency on March 16 as the coronavirus pandemic spread. The village has survived, however, he noted.

“This year, between Covid, the summer tropical storm and the continued quest for social justice with the Black Lives Matter march,” Lieberman said, “there have been some challenges that I believe the village has lived up to only because of the help, perseverance, civility and good nature of the residents.”

Ann DiPietro, president of the Sea Cliff Civic Association, said Lieberman has supported the organization throughout his tenure as mayor. He has been a part of many of its activities, she said, and is supportive of groups throughout the village.

“He’s just been wonderful,” DiPietro said. “He’s been the epitome of what you imagine a small village mayor would be.”

Versocki, who is also the commissioner of the Sea Cliff Baseball & North Shore Softball Association, said that Lieberman has supported the league for years, using his own money to sponsor teams and regularly attending games.

“It’s nice to have a gentleman in office who’s really level-headed,” Versocki said. “In a world of confrontation and anger, he’s just put a different face on government that I personally really appreciate and thank him for.”

Phil Como, commander of the James F. Brengel American Legion and a friend of Lieberman’s, said he admires what he has done as mayor. “He’s brought a steady hand to Village Hall, and his basic decency and kindness show through every day that he’s in office,” Como said.

As he prepares to step down, Lieberman said he hoped he had displayed the three characteristics that historian Jon Meacham said all good leaders should possess: curiosity, humility and empathy. Serving as Sea Cliff mayor has been among his greatest challenges, and he hopes the village’s success continues long after he leaves office.

“It’s been very humbling,” he said. “It’s been the highlight of my career in public service. I look forward to continued service in the future.”