Mayor’s Report – Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald
There are two things I’d like to report on this evening.

First, I would like to congratulate Trustee Jennifer Stewart on her election as Trustee yesterday. I also would like to congratulate Mike Longobardi on his election as the newest Trustee (who we can now call “baby” Trustee) – welcome aboard.

Second, as Trustee Archie Cheng stated it was his last motion serving as Trustee tonight. Arch, thank you for everything you have done for this Board and for this Village. In December 2015, we lost Trustee Rhatigan and the Village was going through a lot with the Casino and the Third Track Project. Archie, you came in and hit the ground running and haven’t stopped. I will always remember the time that we spent together. I thank you for all of your advice, counsel and friendship. Finally on behalf of my family, thank you for the decades, not years, the decades of service to our Village. Your impact on this Village has been amazing. For the thousands of lives that you have touched in Floral Park – thank you for that and best wishes!

Trustee Lynn Pombonyo
Good evening,
Archie, you have created the future for our children in your eighteen years of service as a Board member and president of the Floral Park-Bellerose School District Board of Education, while simultaneously serving as a Board member and president of the Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education for fifteen years. You welcomed our children to elementary school and, years later, shook many of their same hands as they walked across the stage and received their diplomas at the Floral Park Memorial High School graduation. You sent each one off to a future that you worked passionately and endlessly to create. That will surely be your greatest gift and legacy forever. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you Archie, the love of your life Denise who is here with us tonight, and your extraordinary family also here tonight. May God bless you always.

And Archie, personally, during your decades of School Board service, thank you for bringing me to Floral Park and creating my future here as well.
– Deputy Mayor Lynn Pombonyo

Trustee Frank Chiara
Archie, since you moved into our community back in 1978, you’ve shown your commitment and concern to our Village. Your willingness to volunteer your time and be involved has been overwhelming. You volunteer as a sports coach, a member of the Fire Department & Rescue Company, a School Board trustee and now here with us a trustee on the Village Board – we cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for our Village. Thank you to your wife and to your family for being such a vibrant part of the Floral Park community. Personally, I would like to thank you for being such a knowledgeable mentor and a good friend to me. You have always been there to answer any questions or address any concerns I may have. All of your efforts have made the Village of Floral Park a great place to live and raise a family. I wish you all the best for your future. Once again, THANK YOU for all your years of service and dedication to our Village.

Trustee Jennifer Stewart
I’d like to start by thanking Archie for his many years of service to our community. Long before we met, you were volunteering your time and talents to the residents of Floral Park, coaching, the fire department, school board, thanks for always answering my questions when I attended those meetings years ago. I have been fortunate to have you next to me as I started on the Village Board, answering more questions, offering advice, my shoulder buddy. Thank you, Archie, you will be missed.

Trustee Archie Cheng
Tonight, will be the last time that I address the residents of our Village in any sort of official capacity and to thank them for the trust they have placed in me. For the past 44 years Denise and I have been extremely blessed to have lived in this Village, made a living, met and made so many dear friends and to have raised our children. Whether it was being a Coach, Board member of youth sports leagues, volunteer firefighter, School Board Trustee, Village Prosecutor and finally a Village Board Trustee, I truly have loved every moment spent trying to contribute in whatever small way I could so that Floral Park remains a GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND RAISE A FAMILY.

I have had the privilege to have worked and served with so many pillars of our community; names like Hayden, Corbett, Powers, Herbst, McDonald, Minogue come to mind; who instilled in me the desire to serve, to be a leader and most importantly, to remain steadfast in your beliefs and opinions while at the same time agreeing to compromise for the good of all (not so easy when you are a hard head).

I encourage everyone of our residents to get involved in and participate in whatever way you can to preserve our way of life. Everyone of us have talents, skills and passions and those traits, if utilized, will make for a better future for our Village.

In my opinion, the past six years on the Village Board may have been the hardest in the history of our Village. We faced the possibility of a Belmont casino, went through the environmental assessments and construction of the Third Track Project and redevelopment of Belmont Park and to top off everything, the COVID pandemic. We faced issues that could have disrupted our way of life, caused hardships we never could have imagined and that could have completely changed our beloved Village. I firmly believe that we did the best that we could as these disruptions were forced on us by forces much more powerful than us. While we were not always as successful as we wanted to be, we took every step in our power to mitigate the impacts.

I want to thank Mayors Fitzgerald and Longobardi, Trustees Pombonyo, Chiara and Stewart for all that they have done for me and for all of our residents. I want to thank our department heads, Justice Hayden, Renee Marcus, Kevin Ginnane, Kurt Meyfohrt, Pat Eren, Mike Derby, Jim Green, Steve McAllister, Mike Saville, our Village Administrator Gerry Bambrick, Village Clerk Susan Walsh, and all of our Village Office workers and employees for all of their assistance. Your efforts might appear to go unnoticed, but this Board sees your hard work, dedication, and commitment to this Village, every day.

My final expression of thanks goes to my wife, Denise, our three boys, Mike, Tim and Steve, their wives Cathy, Denelle and Genevieve, and our three grandchildren, Lyla, Margot and Connor. Without their support, encouragement and understanding I could not have done what I have loved to do for the past 44 years. I love you all and for better or worse, I will be around more.