Gardella Sworn In as New Sag Harbor Mayor

Thomas Gardella, Sag Harbor’s newest mayor, took office Monday at an organizational meeting that started precisely at noon and ended just 20 minutes later.

Gardella, Jeanne Kane, whom he has appointed to complete the last year on his term, and the incumbent trustees, Aidan Corish, Bob Plumb and Ed Haye, all were sworn in by Village Clerk Kate Locascio. Haye also was appointed deputy mayor, a position Gardella held during the last two administrations.

Carl Irace, the village’s newest justice, also was sworn in.

“I want to thank everyone for coming, family and friends, and everybody who came out and voted in this last election,” Gardella said to an audience of about 20 people in the Municipal Building meeting room. “Thank you for your participation.”

There were few changes in the way of appointments.

Plumb will oversee public works, a shift from his previous role overseeing long-term planning efforts, and Kane will supervise the Building Department, as well as harbors and docks. Gardella will remain liaison to the police department, fire department and ambulance corps, and Haye will continue to serve as liaison to the Mashashimuet Park Board and the Village Justice Court. Corish will oversee the sewage treatment plant and grant writing efforts.

One difference is that each board member will serve as liaison to one of the village’s four regulatory boards: Corish with the Zoning Board of Appeals, Haye with the Planning Board, Kane with the Harbor Committee, and Plumb with the Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review.

Gardella said afterward that he made the assignments to open up lines of communication within the village.

Scott Baker, a veteran member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, was appointed chairman for the following year to replace Kane, and Val Florio was appointed to complete Kane’s term, which ends in 2027. The ZBA is still short one member, with Joe Fisher, the board’s alternate, serving on a full-time basis for the past year. Gardella said he was reviewing candidates for that slot.

Gardella made no other changes to the leadership of the village’s review boards. John Shaka was reappointed to a one-year term as chairman of the Planning Board, Steve Williams was given another term on the Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review, and Will Sharp was reappointed chairman of the Harbor Committee.

The board also approved the appointments of Kay Preston Lawson to a five-year term ending in 2028 on the Planning Board and Meghan Toy to a term expiring in 2026 on the ARB. Sewit Bocresion was named the ARB’s alternate member, and the board accepted the resignation of Christian Cooney from the ARB. Hilary Thayer Hamann was named an alternate member of the Harbor Committee for the following year.

Village Attorney Elizabeth Vail will return and add the Harbor Committee to her list of duties. Fred W. Thiele Jr., who also serves as the region’s state assemblyman, informed Gardella of his decision to step down from the role as Harbor Committee attorney. Village Treasurer Tim Bullock, who moved to Tennessee earlier this year, will remain on until a permanent replacement can be found.

Gardella drew some chuckles when he appointed former mayors Jim Larocca and Kathleen Mulcahy as village marriage officers. The two clashed often during the last year of Mulcahy’s term leading up to Larocca’s ultimately successful decision to challenge her for the mayor’s office.