New Hyde Park appoints trustee to fill empty seat
The Village of New Hyde Park swore Donna Squicciarino in as trustee on Tuesday, May 7. She will fill a seat vacated by Robert Lofaro, who won the mayor’s seat in March after Daniel Petruccio decided to not seek re-election.
Squicciarino is the second woman in New Hyde Park’s 86-year history to serve as trustee. Florence Lisanti was the first woman to serve on the board, whose term expired in 2001.
A part-time treasurer in the Mineola and Sewanhaka Central High School districts, Squicciarino resigned from her position of accounting consultant in the village to accept the appointed position. She is a CPA and has been a resident of New Hyde Park for 16 years.
Squicciarino was appointed trustee on April 22 at an emergency meeting of the village board. Mayor Robert Lofaro said she brings a strong financial background with experience in property taxes, accounting, finance and budgeting. Squicciarino had worked for Fleet Securities and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
“I thank the mayor and the trustees for their faith in me,” said Squicciarino. “I appreciate the opportunity. I give thanks to my family since Tuesday nights are going to be a little bit different now.”
Squicciarino, 42, 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.
Lofaro said numerous residents expressed interest in the position, but that village reps felt Squicciarino was the most solid of the bunch.
“We’re delighted to have Donna on the board,” Lofaro stated. “You’ll add a different dynamic to the board and keep us in order. She has great financial background so that will be quite helpful. Like all of us on the board, everyone is available to anyone.”
Lofaro said New Hyde Park was flooded with inquiries to man the empty post on the village board. He said many served in other village capacities, including the zoning and architectural review boards.
“Those [boards] are extremely important to the village,” said Lofaro. “We wish they will, as they’ve said they will, continue to serve in those capacities. They are the fabric of what makes this village work as effective and efficiently as it does.”
Squicciarino and her husband Joe have two young children and are active members of the village community.
