Who the village mayor is does matter. Though for me it’s the little things that distinguish a great one from the all the rest. It’s the one who knows how to make a difference in a community and helps those of us who live here.
My wife died in April 2020 from cancer at the height of the COVID pandemic. If you recall, funerals were difficult, if not impossible, to plan, and my wife was to be buried at Oakland Cemetery here in Sag Harbor just a few short few blocks from our home.
I received calls from dozens of my wife’s friends who wished to drive to Sag Harbor, if only for a passing glimpse of our house and my wife’s final resting place. I didn’t know what to do, given the COVID restrictions, and at the same time didn’t want to discourage the acknowledgment of grief and sympathy.
I called Kathleen Mulcahy, our mayor, and asked for help and guidance.
The solution she came up with was that if cars arrived at Yardley Funeral Home, the Village Police would need to coordinate traffic. So, to prevent local road congestion, Mayor Mulcahy had the chief of police coordinate with the funeral home. Since I did not know who would show up, this gave me peace of mind knowing that my wife’s funeral would not be the cause of a commotion, but rather allow her the dignity of a burial in the presence of her family, friends and the community.
Kathleen’s solution was the right one. Over 80 cars arrived at Yardley Funeral Home on April 17, 2020, at 9 a.m., some having driven over four hours to get here. The Village Police coordinated the traffic and helped manage a procession that wound its way through the village so as to pass by our home and, finally, to Oakland Cemetery.
It wasn’t a difficult task for the mayor or outside the normal purview of the Village Police to coordinate traffic. Yet, to me and to my wife’s friends, it meant the world.
People can talk all day long about comprehensive planning and argue about paid parking — but sometimes just getting things done quietly and efficiently is priceless.
Larry Haag
Sag Harbor
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