By Stephanie Petrellese

Mayor Robert J. Rothschild, the forty-third mayor of the Village of Garden City, officially took the gavel on Monday night to begin what is expected to be a challenging two-year term given the state of the economy.

Mayor Rothschild joked that along with the congratulatory wishes he received from colleagues and friends were also some offers of condolence. "I am counting on that not continuing," he said. "I hope everybody is ready to move forward."

He said he hoped that the Board can "work as one" to build consensus on a number of issues. "We need to do that in a very civil manner, and I do want to emphasize civil manner, on issues that are for the betterment of the Village."

Mayor Rothschild called upon trustees to work together, as residents and volunteers, to support and challenge department heads and Village staff. "That is going to be a very interesting thing to do over the next two years because we as a Village are heading into unchartered waters," he said. "We are running into things now that we have never been involved with before and it's going to be up to the new Board of Trustees and Village Administrator Bob Schoelle and the department heads to all work together to get those things accomplished."

The mayor said he has "loved every minute" of his 26 years as a resident of Garden City, where he has lived with his wife and two daughters. "This Village did not achieve the status of being a great place to live without the residents who have been volunteers over decades of time."

He quoted from a publication he recently read that said, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain." Mayor Rothschild said it summarizes well what the Village is being faced with today. "If we as a Board cannot take this positive perspective, we are probably in the wrong chairs," he said. "We need to understand that we are in this position together and we must look for positive and alternative solutions to carry the Village through these challenging economic times."

The mayor called on the veteran trustees to help the new trustees, Andrew Cavanaugh, Laurence Quinn and Dennis Donnelly, so that everyone can work together to make Village government more efficient. "We will not wait for the storm to pass," he said. "We will work diligently and efficiently to retain the services and projects that we all think, and you think, are necessary to maintain the status of Garden City as a great place for us and our children to live."

Before he could administer the oaths of office to Mayor Rothschild and the three new trustees, Justice Allen S. Mathers had to take his own oath as he was re-elected to a four-year term. Supreme Court Justice Stephen A. Bucaria had the honor of administering his oath, and took the opportunity to offer praise on the Village justice.

"Allen represents this Village, and he does so in the most honorable fashion, and he does it with a high sense of ethics," he said.

Supreme Court Justice Bucaria added that for every one person he deals with in a courtroom, Justice Mathers deals with 100. "For many, many people, not only for the residents of the Village—but for those who drive through our Village, perhaps in an errant manner— he is the face of justice, and the truth of the matter is I could think of no one who could do that job better."