Gerard Lundquist presided over his last board of trustees meeting March 15 as mayor of Garden City. He is, however, staying on as a trustee to continue his work on the numerous issues now facing the board.

He thanked village staff, whom he compared to no one in terms of its talent, and his fellow board members. He will pass the gavel toPeter Bee, who will officially swear in at the April 2 meeting. He has worked the longest - eight years - side-by-side with Bee. "These are very big shoes I'm trying to fill," Bee said, "but I'm delighted you're staying on the board of trustees and look forward to working with you for another two years."

Trustee John Mauk added, "You stepped into what was a very difficult situation when you assumed this job as mayor and I for one just want to congratulate you on the tremendous job that you've done. You are a consensus builder and have worked very hard to get the board moving in the right direction on the issues."

Trustee Donald Brudie admitted that by being around Lundquist he observed him to be a very "honorable and dedicated public servant." Lundquist, who made his mayoral debut April 4, 2005, was Garden City's 41st mayor and, interestingly, the fifth from Hathaway Drive.