Lachterman, Yorktown Trying to Cope With Loss of Diana
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When Councilman Ed Lachterman was reappointed as deputy supervisor on Jan. 2, he anticipated taking on more responsibility as Supervisor Thomas Diana had expressed a desire to take more time off in the coming year.
What Lachterman and the Yorktown community never could have envisioned was Diana would be dead three days later from an apparent heart attack at his home at the age of 66, and Lachterman would be thrust into the role of trying to fill the shoes of his good friend.
“It was very prophetic,” Lachterman said of his discussions with Diana about getting more involved with town business. “He was a workhorse, when it came to the town especially. His two biggest loves in his life were his wife, Donna, and the Town of Yorktown. He wanted to do great for both and I think he did.”
Diana, who was first elected as a town councilman in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019, was appointed supervisor on Jan. 1, 2023, after former supervisor Matt Slater was elected to the state Assembly. Last November, he was elected to his first two-year term as the town’s chief executive, and on Jan. 1, 2024, surrounded by his family at Yorktown Stage, he took his oath of office.
“He wanted to enjoy some vacation time and enjoy life. It’s just tragic he’s not getting that opportunity,” Lachterman said. “He didn’t take a lot of time off. He handled everything great. My vision was to be there to support Tommy and support the town, doing what I could knowing we had a great leader at the helm.”
Now, Lachterman, 58, who was just elected to his third four-year term on the board, finds himself having to lead a town government that has tragically lost three employees in the last 16 months.
On Sept. 14, 2022, Yorktown Highway Department employee Jake Arcara, 28, was killed by an elderly driver while working on a drainage project on London Road.
On Jan. 2, 2023, Yorktown Police Lt. Kenneth Sgroi died suddenly from an illness at the age of 37.
According to town law, the Yorktown Town Board has 30 days to appoint someone to fill Diana’s position. It will then have to decide whether to hold a special election sometime this year or wait until Election Day in November.
If one of the four Town Board members is chosen, the board will then have to decide if it wants to appoint a fifth member.
In the meantime, Lachterman, who runs two separate businesses, said he is helping the town function while he considers whether he can take on the full-time commitment of being town supervisor.
“It’s important that the business of the town moves forward,” he said. “Tom built a terrific team. The town is running thanks to everyone who has stepped up. I really haven’t done any planning. Tom was just laid to rest. A lot of it evolves around my relationship with Tom. We spoke a lot about our vision for the town. Otherwise, it’s probably something that I would walk away from.”
The Town Board will hold its first meeting since Diana’s death on Jan. 16. Lachterman said no personnel decisions regarding the supervisor or vacant board seat will be made, noting a special meeting will have to be called later in the month. Currently, Republicans hold all four council seats.
“There are some ways to address it,” said Lachterman, adding a special election early this year will likely be the route taken. “It will be more of the mechanisms of the politics that come into play.”
Lachterman also said there have been some preliminary suggestions about paying tribute to Diana by renaming a roadway somewhere in his Shrub Oak neighborhood where he lived and grew up. He said the board would consult with his wife before making any decision.
“If anybody knew what he would want, it would be her,” Lachterman said.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/