Village holds annual reorganization meeting
The most recent public meeting on April 2 of the Village of Farmingdale Board was a bittersweet ending for many existing members of the village board, including outgoing Mayor George Starkie. Following a jam-packed work session, Mayor Starkie expressed his sadness about it being his final board meeting and the official end of his mayoral term. “It’s been an experience of a lifetime,” Starkie told community members, remarking how incredible it has been to work with the board and village staff over the past years.
Starkie addressed the residents, “Thank you for the privilege to serve the community that I love; it’s been a labor of love.” He gave advice to the board members to remember to use the ruler of “is it good for Farmingdale” to guide future village operations.
The village elections were held on Tuesday, March 20. The results were:
Mayor – Ralph Ekstrand – 815 votes, Georgiana Sena – 639 votes
Two trustees: William Barrett 824 votes, Thomas Ryan 784 votes, Michael Manchin 641 votes, Susan Miles 637 votes.
The board resolved to declare the village “mayor” sign at Village Hall as surplus as a token of thanks for Starkie’s years of service to the village. It will be presented to Starkie at a later date. Starkie then officiated the swearing-in of Mayor-elect Ralph Ekstrand.
Starkie took a few extra minutes to thank his family for their support and patience through his mayoral term. About his wife, Patti, Starkie said, “It wasn’t easy for her, but she stuck with me; she’s the love of my life, and has made it all possible.”
Newly installed Mayor Ekstrand then took the reins and performed the swearing-in of Trustees William Barrett and Thomas Ryan. Assemblyman Joseph Saladino was also in attendance to present state citations to newly installed village members Ekstrand, Barrett and Ryan.
In addition, Ekstrand completed the annual re-organization appointments:
Patricia Christiansen—deputy mayor
Brian Harty—clerk, treasurer, assessor, tax collector, budget, records management, records access officer
Barbara Kelly—deputy village clerk, treasurer, deputy of records management, records access officer
Joseph Schweitzer—chair and member of zoning board of appeals
Marisa Tully—member of zoning board of appeals
David Nostrand—member of zoning board of appeals
Kenneth Camisa—member of zoning board of appeals
Lisa Waskiewicz—member of zoning board of appeals
Nick Varlotta—alternate of zoning board of appeals
Frank DeStefano—chair of planning board
Laura Coletti—member of planning board
Charles Gosline—member of planning board
Nick Parisi—member of planning board
Nick Varlotta—member of planning board
Frank DeStefano—member of planning board
Lawrence Jorgensen—alternative member of planning board
Michael Occhipinti—alternative member of planning board
John Capobianco—alternative member of planning board
William Rielly—chair and member of board of fire commissioners
Fred Schumeyer—member of board of fire commissioners
Michael O’Brien—member of board of fire commissioners
Kenneth Romeo—member of board of fire commissioners
Bruce Blovsky—member of board of fire commissioners
Kevin Walsh—village attorney
Robert Kirk—deputy village attorney
Thomas Delaquilla—deputy village attorney
Cheryl Cruthers—clerk to village justice
Andrew Fisch—superintendent of public works
Maria Zito—marriage officer
JoAnn Edling—director of civil defense, chief auxiliary police unit, and emergency management
William Johnston—village historian
Debra Pagan—registrar
Diane Correri—deputy registrar
Patricia Christiansen—chair of beautification
The board announced that all future work sessions would begin at 7 p.m. A public hearing on the tentative village budget will be held on Monday, April 16 at 7 p.m., and the village budget will be adopted on Monday, April 23.
The next public board of trustees meeting will be held on Monday, May 7 at 8 p.m. at Village Hall, 361 Main Street, in the conference room. Copies of the past minutes and future agendas can be found on the village website. Regular meetings are typically on the first Monday of each month at 8 p.m.
Next week in the Farmingdale Observer: Read about the Barton Properties public hearing.
