It’s a short walk from the East Williston Village Hall to Bonnie Parente’s law offices in Williston Park.
You might see the mayor on that walk, less than a half mile door-to-door, several times in a week. It isn’t easy juggling elected duties and private practice, but for Mayor Parente, it’s worth every step.
“I’ve heard a lot of people recently say, ‘you can’t do everything,’ and I don’t agree,” she said. “I agree that you can’t stretch yourself too thin, but I think if you figure out how to balance, how to prioritize, you can do everything.”
Despite having to prioritize one job over the other in the busiest times, Parente said she values how available she and the village government are to East Williston residents.
“People can reach me any time of day or night, and I call people back, whether it’s a very big issue or a very minor issue, I make sure that I’m involved and I’m responding.”
She said government accessibility to residents is an important feature for small community living. Parente has striven to streamline the village’s responses to community issues, while staying available as any problems come up.
“I value that people can get things done and get answers to questions by calling our village hall and talking to a person,” she said.
Public service has always been a value to Parente, a trait she attributes to her family. The mayor’s parents, Pat and Lou Santosus, were active in the Mineola Fire Department, Scouts and parent clubs, and her father is a former deputy mayor of Mineola.
She said that hard work runs in the family. Parente and her husband, Kevin, a social studies teacher at Chaminade High School, are both actively involved in the community, while their two children stay busy as well.
Her daughter, Emma, is a fourth-grade teacher at the Floral Park-Bellerose School, as well as a dancer and dance teacher, and her son, Kevin Jr., is a law student and a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
Originally from Mineola, the Parentes decided to raise their kids in East Williston.
“I still feel like in many ways Mineola is a home to me,” she said. “There was something special about Esat Williston that I have always admired. I think it’s a beautiful small community, and it’s the place where we wanted to raise our children.”
She has high hopes for East Williston and hopes to continue building community in the remainder of this term as mayor.
“I think that community involvement ebbs and flows,” she said, adding that the Centennial Celebration in 2026 will be a great opportunity to bring residents together. “We have a reason to highlight the fact that we are a community and that we’ve been a community for 100 years.
Outside of government, Parente serves as a community member at her church, St. Aidan’s, and participates in Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America. Parente said that in the balancing act of her many roles, she is grateful for the people around her.
“I don’t do this myself; I’m very blessed to have not only an incredible staff in East Williston, I’ve had incredible mentors over the years, and I have the absolute best support from my family.”
