Alan Beach sworn in as new Lynbrook mayor

It was an emotional night in the Francis X. Becker Memorial Rotunda at Lynbrook Village Hall on Monday as Alan Beach was sworn in as the new mayor for the village. Beach is stepping in to fill the vacancy left by William Hendrick, who died on Oct. 11 of complications from a heart attack. He had been mayor since 2011.

Hendrick’s sons, Billy and John, did the honors of swearing in Beach, who fought back tears as he spoke about what Hendrick meant to the village. “Our village is still in shock over the loss of our mayor,” he said, before reading a letter that he and the board of trustees wrote. The note was written from Hendrick’s perspective in an attempt to capture what the support of Lynbrook residents would have meant to him.

“Dear beloved Lynbrook U.S.A. residents, I’m so grateful for the amazing sendoff I’ve received,” Beach read in Hendrick’s letter. “It is more than I could have imagined or hoped. Your outpouring of love and good wishes to my sons and my family make me so proud and humbled.”

The board meeting started with a tribute video to Hendrick, which was followed by a moment of silence in his memory. Before they swore in Beach, Hendrick’s sons each shared some words.

John spoke about how Hendrick loved his family, especially his grandchildren, Logan and Skylar, and how he also loved his “other” family. “Our dad had a larger family, too,” he said. “One that he worked for, sacrificed for, and truly, truly loved. That family was Lynbrook, U.S.A. His friends, his neighbors and every person in this building were so dear to him.”

Billy also spoke about his father’s dedication to the village. “We always knew dad loved this great community,” he said. “We now realize how much you appreciated all of the love, time and energy dad invested into making this community so wonderful.”

Trustee Hilary Becker made a motion to elect Beach as the mayor, which was agreed upon by Trustees Mike Hawxhurst and Ann Marie Reardon. “It’s very important that we as a board continue his good work and everything he accomplished as mayor,” Becker said. “I know he would want us to do that and he would want us to make sure that the business of this village continues on and that we continue on his legacy.”

Village Attorney Peter Ledwith said that according to New York state village law, since Beach was appointed to fill Hendrick’s vacancy more than 75 days before the next annual Election Day, he must run for re-election on March 20, 2018. Because Hendrick’s term was to run through 2019, Beach will also have to run for re-election the following March for a full term, Ledwith added. In addition, Beach has the sole power to appoint a new trustee to fill the vacancy left after he moved up to mayor.

After being sworn in, Beach thanked the people of Lynbrook and his family members in attendance, including his wife, Rina, his son, Alan, and his granddaughters Penelope and Olivia. He noted that his other son, Gregory, could not attend because he works for the FDNY.

“I promise to work tirelessly to make this village the best it can ever be,” Beach said. “I will ask for your support and help in doing that. Because as a family, we are one, and we will have the best village on Long Island.”