Village reorganizes after election

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Fresh off winning re-election to the Village of Freeport board of trustees on March 19, Deputy Mayor Jorge Martinez assumed his usual seat in the board room for the monthly village meeting on Monday — the same seat he has held since 2007.

Joining him on the board was a new face, Trustee Chris Squeri. Martinez took 31 percent of the vote last month, and Squeri ,24 percent, in a five-person, at-large election in which the highest vote getters won seats on the board.

Village employees and administrators filled the board room at Village Hall to celebrate Martinez’s re-election and welcome Squeri. The Rev. Douglas Arcoleo, of Our Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church in Freeport, opened the meeting with an invocation, and voiced his respect for village officials.

“Many are called and few are chosen,” Arcoleo said. “And it is those words that I speak to those of you who have been recently elected to assume the position on this board of trustees. Just remember that you’ve been chosen by the people of the Village of Freeport to serve.”

Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé, a Democrat from Freeport, swore in Martinez, whose term will run until April 6, 2023.

“Residents of Freeport,” Martinez said, “thank you for your trust and support. Because of you, I have the honor of serving this community for the next four years. I will make sure to continue to take the village where it needs to go.”

Mayor Robert Kennedy swore Squeri in to his four-year term.

“I’m honored and humbled,” Squeri said. “I look forward to all of the challenges that we have coming to us, so that we can keep making Freeport a better place for us to live, play and work in harmony — a place that I can raise my child and be proud of it.”

Kennedy also reappointed Martinez deputy mayor, and the trustees unanimously approved.

The board quickly went to work, making appointments to the village’s Board of Ethics, the Commission for Conservation of the Environment of Freeport, the Landmarks Preservation Commission the and Sewer and Sanitation Commission.

With the board’s unanimous support, the mayor appointed Susan Lyons acting village justice for the next year. Freeporter Ismaela Hernandez was named the village treasurer. Cynthia Kreig became the village historian, and Kevin McKay was named the village’s advocate for the handicapped.

Amid the appointments, the trustees also adopted resolutions that:

Designated J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America, among others, as depositories of village funds.

Designated Village Hall, the Freeport Recreation Center, the Freeport Memorial Library, the U.S. post office and the Freeport Fire Department’s Hose Companies No. 1, 2 and 3 as locations to post public notices.

Adopted a procurement policy for all goods and services that the village is not required by law to publicly bid.

Designated the Freeport Herald Leader as the village’s official newspaper for the next year.

Kennedy also announced the launch of a new village website. The next two board of trustees meetings are scheduled for April 15 and April 29 at Village Hall, and will include public comment periods.

“May God bless those that lead us,” Rabbi Lawrence Colton said at the end of the meeting. “God bless the Village of Freeport. This is a community of godliness, genuineness, a community of constructive diversity, and for that we are thankful.”