During the past nine years, if you bought or sold a home in New Hyde Park, then you have had the pleasure of working with Ruth Kernan. Hired by New Hyde Park Mayor Dan Petruccio, Kernan has served as secretary to the planning board, and later added duties to assist the architectural review board and planning commission. Kernan says that she has thoroughly enjoyed her work and has nothing but kind words for her colleagues, however, all good things must come to an end and so will Kernan’s tenure working for the village as she is retiring this month. She and her husband, Jim, to whom she has been happily married for 40 years, will be moving to a home they have in the Adirondacks.
“I just loved every day,” Kernan says of her time working for village. “I came in with a smile on my face and was ready to help the residents and the village in any way that I could.”
During the course of more than nine years, Kernan has indeed helped New Hyde Park residents and village officials in many ways. Using her background as a paralegal, Kernan would make sure that all of the paperwork was completed and that all of the requirements were met so that a certificate of occupancy could be issued for any home within the village that was being sold. She also handled complaint calls and worked on the issuing of permits along with other responsibilities that she had. And she always did so, keeping the best interests of both the village and its residents in mind. When a resident had to be informed that a request did not comply with village code, Kernan treated that resident with respect and courtesy.
“I wish them well,” Kernan says to the residents of New Hyde Park “Many of them I have really gotten to know. Sometimes they saw something one way but code dictated another,” recalls Kernan. “Residents felt they were being understood. I never had anyone call back. They always left on a positive note. We had such a nice relationship.”
Kernan says that she really loves both New Hyde Park, and neighboring Floral Park where she and her husband live. She feels that New Hyde Park residents appreciate all the advantages that the village offers. As examples, she says that snow is cleaned up more quickly from New Hyde Park streets than in other municipalities and that permits issued in New Hyde Park take only days instead of weeks to be issued. She adds that New Hyde Park residents will continue to enjoy the benefits of their village, because it is in very capable hands.
“I truly loved working with the mayor and the board and the residents,” says Kernan. “Dan Petruccio had good direction in where he wanted the village to move to and it just infiltrated through the village. I enjoyed working with the residents because they could see the village was moving in the direction they wanted to go.”
In addition to the mayor, Kernan also praised Village Clerk Kate Hillmann for helping her in many ways since and adds that the village is “in good hands under her direction.” She also praised trustee Don Barbieri for being very dedicated to his position, trustee Richard Coppola for his work in keeping parks in the village in top condition so children can play there safely, and trustee Bob Lofaro for holding the respect of the residents while fulfilling a responsible job. She also added how much she enjoyed working with Larry Montreuil, Tom Gannon, Debbie Maholtra, Richie Belziti, Artie Klaus, Dawn Doherty, Elizabeth Cuttita, Janet Bevers, Barbara Pipa and Eileen Raguseo, and how she will miss them all.
“One of the happy things is when it was someone’s birthday or when something special happened in their lives we would have a luncheon in Village Hall,” commented Kernan.
In a newsletter to the community, Mayor Dan Petruccio stated, “Ruth has enthusiastically served the community for nine years, with distinction and grace. Ruth and the village have been a perfect fit and I wish her and her husband, Jim, all the best as they venture out into the next exciting phase of life.”
