A bittersweet week

To the Editor:

The past few days have been bittersweet for the Village of East Rockaway. Last Wednesday, the village lost a fine person and a wonderful public servant, Former Mayor Charles Formont. Many of the improvements and changes that we enjoy today in our village came to fruition during his administration, including the expansion of our great library and the initial work on revitalizing our waterfront. Charlie was a life-long resident of the village who worked each day to improve the quality of life for the residents that he served.

The weather during the Oktoberfest continued the bittersweet theme with Mother Nature’s mix of rain and sun. Despite the rain and wind on Saturday night, a hearty group of residents enjoyed a fabulous concert under the tent by the Billy Joel celebration band, Big Shot. A sunny Sunday, however, brought out a tremendous crowd to enjoy the merchants’ goods and the luscious food vendors — a day which was topped with a concert by Kenny Vance and the Planotones.

I would like to thank Village Administrator John Mirando and the staff at Village Hall, Superintendent of the Building Department Dennis McCabe, Superintendent of the DPW John Keating and all of the men of the Department of Public Works Recreation Directors Tim and Kristen O’Hagan and their staff at the Recreation Department; Emergency Manager John Baroni; Chief Ed Reicherter and the East Rockaway Fire Department, Deputy Inspector Diane LauKaitis and the members of the East Rockaway Auxiliary Police, and Commander Rick Capece and the Police Officers from the 4th Precinct for all of their work to make this festival possible.

Lastly, I was privileged to attend a performance of St. Raymond’s YOUth Group’s rendition of “Fiddler on the Roof” this weekend. This outstanding production was staged under the direction of Mr. Kevin Harrington with the tremendous support of many volunteers.The highlight of this musical was the incredible singing and acting of our young people from East Rockaway, Lynbrook and our surrounding communities. It was wonderful to witness their talent and skills. Congratulations to all involved in this year’s performance.

Edward T. Sieban

Mayor, East Rockaway