Egan, Justice Milone re-elected, newcomer Onorato clinches spot
Village trustee Gerard S. Tangredi was elected mayor of Stewart Manor in an uncontested election. Tangredi received 255 votes last week. Mayor James J. Kelly announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.
Trustee John R. Egan, Unity Party candidate, was re-elected for his fourth term, and newcomer Michael Onorato, a Village Party candidate, was elected as trustee. Deputy Mayor and Trustee Robert C. Fabio announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.
Philip S. Milone, a Village Party candidate, ran uncontested for village justice and was re-elected for another term, garnering 276 votes. Tangredi’s one year unexpired term will be filled on an interim basis by Mary Carole Schafenberg, a Village Party candidate who ran for one of the two vacant trustee spots but lost to Egan and Onorato.
Of the 331 residents who voted, Onorato received 193 votes, Egan received 187 and Schafenberg received 179 votes. Trustee James Lynch will continue to serve out his current term.
A 23-year Stewart Manor resident and multiple-term trustee, Tangredi said he would focus on open communication and resident involvement as mayor. “Incorporated villages is where residents have a say. [Unlike towns,] we are self-governed. Residents should have a say as to what goes on, or at least be [able to hear] what goes on really,” he said.
Together with the new board of trustees, Tangredi plans to reinstate The Manorite, a monthly newsletter that previously was delivered to each home in the village. The current administration ceased publication of The Manorite, deeming it costly and inefficient in delivering important village news to residents in a timely manner.
Currently, residents receive e-mail alerts multiple times a week to keep them abreast of village events and emergency preparedness for weather-related disasters such as Superstorm Sandy. Tangredi said Village Hall will maintain e-mail correspondence with residents, but, “We worry about the older folks who don’t have computers.”
Additionally, he maintains that a hard copy newsletter is a “great communication thing. Even though people don’t have time to sit down and read it when it gets there, on a Saturday morning or a Sunday morning, they can sit down with a cup of coffee and look at it.”
Tangredi revealed he plans to work with the board to set up committees for such areas as beautification, recreation and planning.
As for Trustee Egan’s plans for the next four years, “I am going to try to keep taxes down, as we have done in the past. We put a policy in place to rotate our equipment every five to 10 years. I am hoping to keep this going. If you wait too long, the equipment loses its trade-in value,” he said. He also looks forward to “keeping our board meetings lively and full of spirit, which is what helps our village thrive.”
Justice Milone and Onorato could not be reached for comment at press time. All elected officials will be sworn in at the village’s annual meeting, which will be held at Village Hall on Monday, April 1 at 8 p.m.
