Mayor Tweedy wanted to share a story as to why living in a full-service village can be very special. At the Department of Public Works (DPW), there are a myriad of details and coordination that need to be executed daily. These functions are essential for keeping our village, and our lives within it, healthy, cleanly and safe. But occasionally, something is missed and needs attending to by one of our department supervisors.
Recently, a longtime resident called quite upset by the handling of a refuse collection where his was not picked up. Mayor Tweedy called the resident and after speaking with the resident, the mayor decided to call our sanitation supervisor, Kevin Ginnane. He shared the resident’s issues and Kevin assured the mayor he would take care of it right away. Hearing unusual noise in the background the mayor asked what was going on and where he might be? Kevin responded that he was at Universal Studios in Orlando with his family on vacation during Presidents’ Week school break. Mayor Tweedy immediately told Kevin not to worry about it and to enjoy himself and that he would reach out to someone else at DPW. Kevin insisted and he acted. From Florida, he did indeed make the calls necessary to expedite the collection and even stopped by to meet and speak with the resident personally upon his return from his family vacation. That is what we enjoy as a special full-service village and what our employees strive to maintain and is presently exhibited by the greater accountability by all our supervisors and DPW employees but especially in this case by our Sanitation Supervisor Kevin Ginnane.
The mayor also thanked the role Superintendent of Public Works Steve Siwinski has provided and for his leadership over the past 2½ years during which significant positive changes have occurred at DPW. The mayor also noted the important role the business community plays in weaving the essential fabric to the vitality in our village especially in these difficult economic times. Earlier there was a public hearing for a franchisee modification and extension for a taxi company. He shared how fortunate we are to have three cab companies not only effectively serving the needs of our community, especially among our seniors, but also by providing corporate financial support for our youth and various village organizations. The mayor again reiterated what had been shared with him from our state representatives: that the work on the restoration of Jericho Turnpike is still scheduled for late spring with a late fall completion target date. This significant improvement to that state road should provide the boost that entrepreneurs together with the real estate community need to jump-start new ventures on Jericho Turnpike.
