CPA, school treasurer to fill open village trustee seat
New Hyde Park Village Mayor Robert Lofaro appointed Donna Squicciarino as trustee to fill his unexpired term vacated when he took the mayor’s post. Lofaro, who was elected March 19, had resigned from his trustee position on April 1, with two years remaining in that term.
Squicciarino is a CPA and has been a resident of New Hyde Park for 16 years. She brings a strong financial background with experience in property taxes, accounting, finance and budgeting, according to village officials, according to Lofaro.
Squicciarino is the part-time district treasurer for the Sewanhaka Central High School District and Mineola School District. She had worked for Fleet Securities and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
Squicciarino and her husband, Joe, have two young children and are active members of the village community.
“I bring a lot of financial background to the table,” Squicciarino told the New Hyde Park Illustrated News. “I’ve come to respect the village family so much. I see the importance of living in the village and I want to help.
Lofaro mentioned after he was elected that three residents were in the running to fill his seat. According to Squicciarino, she was one of them.
Squicciarino will be sworn into the village board on Tuesday, May 7. She thinks her financial acumen will be an asset during budget season. The village recently adopted a $5.8 million budget, under the state imposed 2 percent tax cap.
“I will be helpful in budgeting and forecasting,” she said. “I have helped out in the office a little bit so I do have some understanding of what goes on in the village.”
The mayor can appoint a new trustee and does not need board approval for the move. However, while it was thought that the appointment was enough to fill the remainder of Lofaro’s two-year term, the New York Conference of Mayors believes the appointment can only be for a one-year term.
Squicciarino may have to run again in March 2014 for another one-year term to fill the last year of Lofaro’s trustee term, then again in March 2015 for a full four-year term, if she chooses.
“She believes that the safety of our children, maintaining our suburban lifestyle and preserving our village community are extremely important,” Lofaro said.
