New Mayor, Trustees Take Oath of Office in Ossining
By Sue Guzman –
With the backdrop of an antique American flag dating back to 1891, Victoria Gearity was sworn in as mayor of the Village of Ossining on New Year’s Day, along with village trustees Omar Herrera and John Codman III and state Assemblywoman Sandra Galef (D/Ossining).
The ceremony was emceed by former Ossining Town Supervisor and Westchester County Legislator Richard Wishnie and featured musical selections from the Star of Bethlehem Mass Choir and a poetry reading by Ossining High School student Miguel Garcia.
The oath of office was administered by the Honorable Francesca Connolly during the ceremony held at the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center.
Gearity, who served as trustee for one term, defeated longtime Mayor Bill Hanauer in November. She took the oath with her husband and two young sons by her side.
“I’m really excited to start working with the new board. It’s been quite a contentious year,” said Gearity. “I’m looking forward to reaching out and encouraging a lot more community engagement to open things up so that more people can be part of their local government.
Also sworn in was 24-year-oldHerrera for his first term of office. “Who would have thought that in 2015 you’d have me as a trustee—the youngest elected official in Westchester County—and our first female mayor, Victoria Gearity?” said Herrera. He vowed to work to improve the downtown business district, provide better services for seniors and reach out to the community through social media.
John Codman III was also sworn in during the New Year’s Day ceremony. Codman, who will serve in his third two-year term, thanked the town’s Democratic Party and Working Families Party for their endorsements. He also acknowledged his late wife, Martha, for her inspiration.
Galef, who ran unopposed, also took the oath of office, which was administered by three of her grandchildren. Galef said she looks forward to tackling a number of key projects and issues in 2015, including transitioning Albany to a paperless legislature, the proposed Algonquin Pipeline Expansion Project, and the Ossining Historical Museum at Sing Sing.
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