Honoring a dedicated public servant

Stephen R. Mahler was probably destined to be an Atlantic Beach mayor, especially after being drafted to become a trustee 90 days into his village residency two decades ago.
Now, one year removed from being the lead elected official of the South Shore barrier beach island for 18 years, he will be honored with a dinner on July 22 at the Ocean Club in Atlantic Beach. “I’m highly honored and flattered, I’m touched they are doing this,” said Mahler, a lawyer who has lived in the village since 1995.
By doing what he does best — arguing a case — Mahler, 77, made a huge impression on his new neighbors when he attended a village meeting dressed in his usual business attire and explained why the trustees couldn’t do what they planned. “We got a notice from the board and mayor about a new project and they were going to do things that would reflect badly on my property,” Mahler said.
He made his case, like he has done many times in court, including arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court and New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals. Applying his legal skills to being a village leader, Mahler was elected to the mayor’s post in 1996. “For forty four of the fifty three years Atlantic Beach has been a village, either Fred [Lager] or me were mayor,” he said.
Originally from the Bronx, Mahler was a teenager in Forest Hills, Queens. He graduated from Adelphi University, then earned his law degree from New York University School of Law. A former Queens assistant district attorney, his legal practice is based in Kew Gardens. The respondent’s attorney in the landmark case of New York v. Burger that upheld warrantless search in closely regulated industries, Mahler has also served as the lead counsel in more than 160 jury trials in federal and state courts.
As proud as he is of the legal career, Mahler likened his ability to litigate trials and appeals to a baseball player that hits home runs and steals bases, the former mayor takes in pride in helping Atlantic Beach gain its own zoning power, the authority that makes a village a village, he said.