The board of trustees welcomed its newest trustee, Donald Brudie of Cathedral Avenue, at the May 5 meeting. Mayor Gerard Lundquist appointed him to serve the remainder of past trustee Peter Negri's term; Negri resigned for health reasons.

A 29-year resident of Garden City, Trustee Brudie is a practicing attorney whose legal background includes the defense of negligence and medical malpractice cases, prosecution of criminal activity on the NY-NJ waterfront, service as the executive assistant to the chairman of the Lawyers Disciplinary Committee, Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department, counsel for several lending institutions and as an adjunct professor at Molloy College.

Locally, he has served as a director on the Central Property Owners' Association (CPOA) board for more than 10 years and was instrumental in the erection of the pedestrian crossing signs on Seventh Street. He and his wife, Barbara, were also a moving force behind the installation of lighting at the "S" curve located at the southern gateway of Cathedral Avenue, which for many years had been an accident-prone roadway.

Trustee Brudie's military record includes service in the United States Air Force Reserves and the New York Guard. Trustee Brudie also served on the board of directors of several charitable organizations, including a Catholic orphanage and has also been a boys' Little League and girls' softball manager.

"On behalf of the Central Property Owners' Association [CPOA], I want to congratulate Trustee Brudie. We know you will represent us vigorously and with the best interest of the CPOA and, of course, the village in mind," Ed Finneran of Sixth Street said. Village Administrator Robert Schoelle, Jr. also welcomed Trustee Brudie on behalf of the village's executive staff.

In this capacity, Trustee Brudie will serve as liaison to the Board of Commissioners of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, liaison to the Garden City Historical Society and as a member of the board's Committee on Public Information, which includes Village Facts and the Annual Report.

Trustee Brudie and his wife are the parents of four children, all graduates of St. Joseph's School and Garden City High School. Two of their children are Garden City homeowners and presently, they have two grandsons attending Garden City schools.