Peter A. Bee Is Nominated For Mayor

Peter A. Bee

The 10-Member Nominating Committee of the Eastern Section of Garden City has selected Peter A. Bee as the candidate for election to the position of Mayor, a position for which the Committee agreed that he is well prepared. He brings to the Board of Trustees years of experience and knowledge in government and the law that is required to handle the very serious issues facing Garden City at this time. His long-standing service to the people of Garden City as a Village Trustee, School Trustee, and President and Director of the Eastern Property Owners' Association clearly demonstrates his dedication to both the Village and the Garden City Schools.

Peter first became active in Village civic affairs during the early 1980s. After joining the EPOA Board of Directors, he served as Secretary, worked on various EPOA committees including Budget, Taxation & Finance, Recreation, and Police & Fire, and was the EPOA liaison to the School Board. He also served as a member of the EPOA 7-Member Nominating Committee as well as the 10-Member Nominating Committee.

In 1989, he was elected as a Trustee for the Garden City School Board. After three years' service on the School Board, he returned to the EPOA and served as President, at which time he also chaired the Joint Conference Committee of the Property Owners Associations. He was elected to the Village Board in 1993 and has served as a Village Trustee continuously since that time.

During the last 14 years as Village Trustee, Peter has held virtually every position possible for a Trustee, having served as Commissioner of each of the Village Departments, and as Liaison Trustee to each of the Village Boards. He has also chaired both the Traffic Commission and the Recreation & Cultural Affairs Commission, been a member of the Police Commission, and has chaired various Mayoral Committees. He currently serves on the Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's.

As a Trustee, Peter has been a proponent of the proposition that a healthy "downtown" commercial district and a "main street atmosphere" is to the advantage of the homeowners of the Village. He has also advocated improved parking, strict traffic enforcement, cooperation with the School District to maximize cost-savings, continued volunteer control of the Fire Department, enhancement of the role of Property Owners' Associations (particularly in educating new residents to our unique form of Village Government), and has joined with the EPOA in exploring a possible solution to St. Paul's by investigating carefully regulated condominium development. Peter opposes precipitous development both within and without the Village borders, but recognizes that Garden City must respond cooperatively with other municipalities to the changing demographics and needs at the Town and County levels.

Peter has demonstrated his continued commitment to the Village in his role as the Village Board's liaison to the "senior" community of Garden City. His work as a Trustee and liaison to Senior Connections has resulted in the expansion of Village recreational facilities and programs for senior citizens, as well as free informational services on such matters as income tax preparation and Medicare Drug plans.

In recognition of his tireless work on behalf of the people of Garden City, Peter was named the "Outstanding Citizen of the Year" by the Garden City Chamber of Commerce in 2005.

Peter is a founding partner of the Law Firm of Bee Ready Fishbein Hatter & Donovan, LLP, a 25 attorney firm with offices in Mineola and Melville. Within the Law Firm, he concentrates in the areas of management-side labor, employment and municipal law. Peter is the Immediate Past President of the Long Island Chapter of the Labor & Employment Relations Association, a national association of labor relations professionals; a former Chairman of the Nassau County Bar Association Labor Law Committee; a past officer of the Garden City Kiwanis and a Past President of the Garden City Republican Club. He is a graduate of St. John's University where he received both his Bachelor of Arts (1973), and his Law Degree (1976).

Peter is a life-long, third generation Garden City resident, now living on Poplar Street with his wife, Marianne, and youngest child, Victoria, who attends the Garden City schools.