The Farmingdale Village Board of Trustees celebrated a past mayor while also deciding to raise their own salaries at a meeting on Monday, June 2.
The board added a plaque of former mayor George Graf to its “Wall of Honor” to begin the meeting.
Graf’s family and friends filled the Village Hall for the presentation.
Trustee Cheryl Parisi unveiled the plaque, and after some pictures to commemorate the moment, Graf spoke on what it meant to be the mayor of the village from 2004 to 2008.
“During my administration, I’m most proud of moving forward in earnest the visioning process on Main Street and launching the train stations’ transit-oriented development,” he said. “You walk down Main Street now, especially those of us that have been here for 20, 30, 40 years, it’s just amazing the transformation that’s come out, and it’s really because of this whole board that’s here.”
The board’s regular order of business continued afterwards, with one of the public hearings addressing the question of whether the village board should receive a raise, which was approved 4-1 by the board.
The mayor’s salary will increase from $20,000 to $45,000, while the rest of the board will have their earnings increase from $15,000 to $20,000. Deputy Mayor William Barrett said his position is entitled to a $1,000 stipend, which he declines to accept each year, something that has been done in the village for years.
Barrett was the only board member to vote against the raise, saying he is satisfied with the $15,000 in wages. He also said that the mayor deserved his raise.
Parisi said she was in favor of the raise, pointing out the work that the board has done for the village.
“I love being a trustee,” she said. “When I first became a trustee, it wasn’t so hands-on as it is now. I spend a lot of hours every week doing things for this village.”
Trustee Walter Priestley had a similar sentiment.
“There’s a lot of emotional involvement, and to have a little bit of extra money to go along with all that work that we do, I think it’s a respectable thing to do,” he said.
Trustee Craig Rosasco said board members have to deal with a lot of the inner workings of the village and he thinks the raise is fair. He then said he was in support of Mayor Ralph Ekstrand earning a 125% salary increase.
“He’s a rare breed,” Rosasco said. “He shouldn’t be penalized because he’s doing a full-time job in part-time hours.”
One resident commented that he didn’t think the large jump was warranted. Ekstrand responded by saying he has brought the village roughly $25 million in grant money since becoming the mayor, including $4.5 million that was awarded to Farmingdale in March.
Rosasco also listed nearby villages and how much their mayors earn. The Lynbrook mayor makes $36,000, the North Hills mayor makes $48,000, the East Hills mayor makes $60,000 and the Patchogue mayor makes $60,000.
The board had brought up the topic back in March, but tabled the discussion while dealing with the village’s budget that just kicked in on June 1.
