"Tonight has been a long time coming for me," Peter Bee admitted April 2 after swearing in as Garden City's 42nd mayor. "Without a doubt, this is the pinnacle of my life as a volunteer civic official."

He also knows very well that during his term, there will be challenges. Both internal and external issues, he said, like St. Paul's, the proposed third track and possible light rail system within the proposed HUB, are on the table and must be dealt with.

Mayor Bee, too, noted that the village must realize Garden City cannot survive if Nassau County crumbles around it. "But we need not fall on our sword to help it," he quickly added.

He urged fellow trustees to ask not "what is my right?" but "what is right?" and argue merits not attack personalities, believing they can be adversaries without becoming enemies.

Bee was first elected to the board of trustees back in 1993. During the last 14 years, he has held virtually every position possible for a trustee, having served as commissioner of each of the village departments and as liaison trustee to each of the village boards. He has also chaired both the Traffic Commission and the Recreation & Cultural Affairs Commission, been a member of the Police Commission and has chaired various mayoral committees. He currently serves on the Mayor's Committee on St. Paul's.