New Hyde Park Honors Outgoing Mayor Petruccio

“The gavel’s for show, I think it’s the second time in 12 years I’ve used it,” New Hyde Park Mayor Daniel Petruccio said Tuesday night at the village hall. “It’s got to go home with me, it’s got my name on it; I can’t even give it to Bob.”

Tuesday would be about the second time he used it, as well as the last, as before a packed board room, Petruccio presided over his final meeting as mayor of the village.

“Last time I saw a room this packed, there was a revolt to throw the village out of existence,” he quipped ironically about how he was first introduced to village politics.

“I haven’t shed a tear and it’s not because I’m disgruntled with the job or anything else, it’s just as I expressed in some of my newsletter pieces and my previous farewell talk, I said that I felt I had accomplished everything I set out to do 12 years ago.”

Petruccio had managed a discount variety retail store in Brooklyn for 16 years before deciding to move to New Hyde Park, eventually becoming a teacher of theology at Chaminade High School as well as director of guidance for the private Catholic school.

“Obviously, I know of your work in other capacities as well,” NY Assemblyman Ed Ra, himself a Chaminade graduate. “I know it speaks for itself the reaction the community has had to you as mayor, you’ve done great work and it’s an example anybody else that seeks to be in public service should look to follow.”

“I feel like an adoptive son of New Hyde Park based on the glowing things he always has to say about this village, I know he’s worked so hard to make it a better place, to improve it in every aspect,” said Steve Dalton, a former student of Petruccio’s at Chaminade from Levittown. “As far as I’m concerned, I know I’m a better student and a better Catholic and a better person because of your hard work and your patience.”

Petruccio first decided to become involved in village government when his wife convinced him to go to a meeting after it was announced that taxes in the village were set to rise by 37 percent.

There was even a movement at the time to dissolve the village, with the man who would eventually become mayor adding his signature to those of over 3,000 other residents.

At the time, Warren Tackenberg was mayor of New Hyde Park and had been on the board for 25 years, but Petruccio felt that the way the increase was handled is what ultimately led to that board’s ousting by himself and the other members of the Village Party when he first ran for mayor in 2001.

“I wish the whole country could watch the way he makes individuals respect one another’s opinions and how he has a tremendous ability to ultimately get the group to agree and more often than not, this board is voting unanimously mostly in my opinion because of his leadership and the way he melds everyone and the way he melds those opinions together,” trustee Donald Barbieri said. “I know Bob’s ready, but he’s got shoes to fill, he really does.”

Said trustee Richard Coppola: “he was a great mayor, level-headed, kept us all in line sometimes but did a great job.” 

After 2001, Petruccio would go on to serve three four-year terms, tying him for the longest serving mayor in village history.

“The common thread from the day we started as a group, prior to even as a group when we started getting involved in this community, we all wanted to make a better place for our families to live in,” the outgoing mayor said. “The 12 years has gone by in a flash. Part of that is because Tuesday night was always a productive experience; there were some nights where I got a couple of kicks under the table from my friend Rich Coppola asking me to kind of cut someone off from talking or whatever but ultimately people always felt that they had something to say, they got an opportunity to say that.”

Petruccio announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking a fourth term and that he would be handing over the reins to his deputy mayor Robert Lofaro, who ran uncontested for mayor.

“Bob is absolutely ready, he’s got a support team, he’s going to be a wonderful mayor, I hope he stays as long as he is passionate about what he does and Bob is passionate as you saw tonight about everything that he’s involved in,” Petruccio said.

In a special presentation following the regular meeting, a visibly choked up and emotional Lofaro referred to the village of Brightwaters which is considering a 15 percent tax increase to fund roadway repairs, a situation similar to what New Hyde Park faced in 1997 when it considered the large tax increase to help pay for village road repairs.

“You’re going to have a hard time with this,” Petruccio smiled. “I’ll fill in anytime, I got about six more days left.”

“My trustees are supposed to help me out,” the mayor-elect said.

Numerous honors were also bestowed upon the outgoing mayor.

“Your distinguished 12 year career here was absolutely outstanding,” resident Ed Powers said. “You said what you were going to do when you came in and you did and you treated everyone with respect no matter who they were throughout this village.”

Powers also presented him a certificate from Nassau Executive Ed Mangano for his service over the last 12 years as mayor and also as a trustee. Proclamations from NY State Sen. Jack Martins and others were also received including an honorary lifetime charter membership from members of the New Hyde Park Museum.

Trustee Lawrence Montreuil also read a proclamation from the village declaring April as Mayor Daniel P. Petruccio month. Village secretary Janet Bevers presented Petruccio with a collage of photos on behalf of the village staff with various signatures on the backing.

“I’d like to congratulate the mayor having been placed in the New Hyde Park Museum,” said village attorney John Spellman, who will also be stepping aside in his capacity on April 1. “It’s been my pleasure to work with Mayor Dan and been great to work with five gentlemen who truly and honestly care about this community, who have done everything they should and they believe they should, to protect, preserve and promote; we have a wonderful, wonderful village.”

“I would say that when I ran for mayor, I like living in New Hyde Park, I will say that,” Petruccio said. “I’m not a life-long resident of New Hyde Park. What I came to understand is that I came to love this community. If I could say what we did as a group collectively in this time of 12 years, there was a time when people would say ‘I live in New Hyde Park, but not in the village,’ and they would say that as sort of a positive thing. I meet people now and I get the sense that they wished they lived in the village as opposed to the greater part of New Hyde Park and that to me is the absolute single best compliment this board can ever be paid. I am going to miss aspects of the job... but for me I just felt like this was a good time and I felt very comfortable taking a step back, knowing that there were people that would step into the void.”

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