As a Glen Cove native and a two-term mayor, Pam Panzenbeck knows the ins and outs of the city and its residents. Panzenbeck, a third-generation Glen Cove resident, was born and raised in the city and served as a council member before stepping into her role as mayor.
Panzenbeck, known as “Mayor Pam” to many city residents, said many of her staff members have dubbed her the “Mayor of the People” — a title that she doesn’t take lightly.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather be remembered [for] but that,” she said.
Throughout the morning and afternoon of Wednesday, May 28, Panzenbeck greeted hundreds of residents at various events and had time to marry two residents at city hall.
To begin the day, Panzenbeck and Deputy Mayor Donna McNaughton visited the Tiegerman Elementary School, a private school in downtown Glen Cove dedicated to educating children with developmental disabilities.
Panzenbeck and McNaughton said that while the school takes students from all over the county, many of the students come from Glen Cove. Stopping at each student’s table, the two learned about states of matter, X-ray machines, and homemade volcanoes, promising the students a field trip to city hall in the near future.
After their visit to Tiegerman, Panzenbeck and McNaughton drive through the city, inspecting playgrounds and roads that residents brought to their attention, as well as Morgan Memorial Park, a project that Panzenbeck said she has dedicated much of her attention to in the past four years.
With the recent completion of the park’s pavilions and sea wall, Panzenbeck said the renovations are 90% completed, with finishing touches to come. The park is adorned with Memorial Day banners celebrating Glen Cove’s hometown heroes, including McNaughton’s father, John Zammett.
After completing a round of the park in the “Mayor Mobile”—as Panzenbeck referred to it—the two headed over to the parking lot to the senior center’s annual spring picnic. The ’60s-themed event garnered over 200 attendees, featuring live music and dancing.
Panzenbeck and McNaughton, who greeted almost every attendee, helped hand out hot dogs and hamburgers, made by a staff of volunteer cooks.
But that wasn’t the only luncheon that Panzenbeck had on the docket. After finishing up with the senior center, she headed to Tocolo Cantina for a Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce event, meeting with local business owners and entrepreneurs. She said the chamber is one of the fastest-growing in the county, welcoming many newcomers and local businesses.
After a busy day of meet-and-greets, Panzenbeck still had one important task: officiating a wedding at city hall.
She said that while city hall weddings are not uncommon in her schedule, each one is unique.
Ryan and Thiana, who have lived in Glen Cove for the past two years together, said the city is home to some of their favorite restaurants and beaches.
Panzenbeck, a self-proclaimed “people person,” is a retired business and computer science teacher, and said her role as mayor uses many of the same skills she learned in the education field, calling herself the “social mayor.”
“I liked to feel connected to people,” she said.
Panzenbeck, who was first elected in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic was drawing to a close, said it was important to her to bring connection and activity back to the city. She said she hopes residents know that she is “available to them, no matter what they may need or what the situation may be.”
“I want people to know that I’m here for them, and that I care about them,” she said.
Panzenbeck said her “fabulous team”, including McNaughton, Controller Michael Piccirillo, and Director of Youth Services and Recreation Spiro Tsirkas, makes her job easier.
Panzenbeck, who is running for re-election on the Republican and Conservative lines this November, said she hopes to continue the work she’s been doing if elected for a third term.
City Council Member Marsha Silverman, a Democrat who has lived in the city since 2011 and served on the council for eight years, opposes Panzenbeck.
