Phyllis Burnett goes the extra mile for Glen Cove

She is a person who will always go the extra mile. The range of support that she has offered and the depth of support has been extraordinary.”

Carol Waldman

Phyllis Burnett, a retired senior safety specialist for ConEdison, is well known in Glen Cove. As a charter member and third-term president of the Glen Cove Kiwanis club and coordinator of the Glen Cove Senior Center’s medical transport program, she is a familiar face that many people depend on. 

The dedication of volunteers like Burnett is the glue that brings the community together, and in recognition of hers, the Herald is proud to name her its 2022 Person of the Year.  

A Brooklyn native, Burnett moved to the North Shore in the 1980s after she got married, but finding a new home with her husband was difficult. The interracial couple had many instances of discrimination while house-hunting on Long Island. It wasn’t long before they realized that Glen Cove is where they belonged. 

“Glen Cove was more welcoming to me because it was more diverse,” Burnett said. “There were more Blacks and Latinos in Glen Cove; there were more people of my color.” 

Since she was a teenager, Burnett has made time to volunteer her services when needed. She first volunteered with the Red Cross as a candy striper for hospitals that were short-staffed, but her first experience volunteering with the city came unexpectedly. While attending a meeting at City Hall, she caught the attention of an aide for former city Mayor Donald DeRiggi. When she mentioned she had a master’s degree from The New York Institute of Technology. DeRiggi personally asked her to join the city’s Planning Board. Burnett became the first Black woman to work with the city of Glen Cove. Presently she is the first Black American and second woman to be appointed Civil Service Commissioner for the city.

DeRiggi’s daughter, Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, a Nassau County legislator, knew Burnett as a child and also when she served 

as a city councilwoman. Reflecting on Burnett’s numerous volunteer experiences, including her time with the men’s homeless shelter and as a self-defense driving instructor, DeRiggi-Whitton said Burnett is a motivational person who can get people excited about doing whatever is necessary for the community.  

Carol Waldman, former director of the Glen Cove Senior Center, worked closely with Burnett for many years. She has personally seen the impact Burnett has had on the city’s seniors. 

“She is a person who will always go the extra mile,” Waldman said. “The range of support that she has offered and the depth of support has been extraordinary.”

The Glen Cove Senior Center had a regular driving service before the pandemic, but it ended amid the restrictions necessitated by the health crisis. Seniors across the city were left to their own devices when they needed to see their doctors the most. The center had another problem: It needed a new transport vehicle. The center didn’t have the funds to repair its Subaru, because the transport service relied heavily on donations from passengers, which ended during the pandemic. The cost to fix the vehicle would have been at least $12,000, so the only option was to buy a new vehicle. 

When things seemed hopeless, Burnett rushed to solve the problems. 

Through her advocacy, the Glen Cove Police Department presented the center with a decommissioned police vehicle, a Chevrolet Crown Victoria, to be used as a medical transport vehicle. The need for this service is tremendous in the community, Waldman said.

“We have a large senior population, and not everyone is in a position to be able to afford taking taxis or has the opportunity to drive themselves,” Waldman said. “So for those people who can’t and don’t have that and are of limited income, it’s a wonderful way to get the support locally.” 

Not only did Burnett help obtain a new car, but she also spearheaded an initiative to help get more medical transport drivers, Waldman said — while making sure that the vehicle was modified to support wheelchair users. 

“She's not just a person who recognizes a problem,” Waldman said. “She also is a person who can help to figure out how to solve it.”

Burnett makes sure that patients are safe and often takes them into the facility herself. In some cases in which she feels the patient is nervous about the visit, she will sit with them to offer companionship and ease their anxieties. 

When volunteers aren’t available for medical transport, Burnett is often the first to volunteer. Waldman also said that Burnett plans to appeal to the Nassau Inter-County Express bus managers to see if NICE can extend its routes to other parts of Glen Cove. 

“She’s a humble person,” Waldman said. 

Ron Bieber, vice president of the Kiwanis club of Glen Cove, has worked closely with Burnett, a close friend, on the club’s community activity, including organizing food and toy drives and awarding scholarships to graduating high school students. 

Bieber said working with Burnett is like working with his sister. The two talk daily to make sure the other is safe and well. When Bieber missed work one morning, a rare occurrence, Burnett took the initiative to check in on her friend, discovering he was at Glen Cove Hospital

Bieber said he is grateful for Burnett’s friendship and to the dedication she has shown to the city. It’s a sentiment a number who have worked with her share.

“Her heart, it's just so good,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “Everything she does, she does with love.”