After the untimely passing of New Hyde Park trustee Donald Barbieri, who battled multiple sclerosis for many years, it was time for someone to step in and take his place.
New Hyde Park resident Rainer Burger, who grew up in nearby Floral Park and is a Sewanhaka High School graduate, was recently selected by the village board to finish out Barbieri’s term.
“After completing college at Polytechnic University, I was commissioned into the Air Force and lived in Massachusetts for 15 years,” said Burger. “I returned back home in January 2004 and have been a resident of New Hyde Park ever since.”
Currently, Burger is the senior Systems and Security Program Manager for AECOM/Tishman—managing the design, installation and testing of aviation and security systems for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey LaGuardia Redevelopment Project.
“With my work at LaGuardia Airport, the village mayor, deputy mayor and existing trustees felt my skills and experience would be beneficial to work and manage the MTA Third Track project that will impact the Village of New Hyde Park,” explained Burger.
Besides continuing to serve as an Air Force Reservist for 30 years, Burger continues to be active in the Boy Scouts for the past seven years. He was the Scoutmaster for Troop 298 in New Hyde Park and handed over the position last month.
“I continue to serve as an assistant Scoutmaster [for Troop 298],” said Burger. “I also support Holy Spirit in various events and I’m a member of the Knights of Columbus.”
Once Barbieri’s term ends in March 2019, Burger plans to run for the trustee seat officially.
Burger said his main focus of being village trustee is to help manage the MTA Third Track Project, keeping the New Hyde Park community’s interests on the forefront.
“The Third Track Project will present many challenges over the next several years and my focus will be to mitigate them as best as possible,” said Burger. “I look forward to working with the mayor and the rest of the board in continuing to make the Village of New Hyde Park a thriving community for the future.”
