On Tuesday, June 3, I had the honor of being elected to the position of trustee for the Hicksville Board of Education.

I wish to express my appreciation to all of the people and the many fine organizations of this community that supported my candidacy. To those who did not vote for me, I hope to earn your trust by contributing in a positive way to help the children of our district receive the quality education which they deserve. It is a responsibility that I do not take lightly.

Over the last six weeks it has been my great privilege to meet many wonderful people in our community as I attended various civic functions. It certainly reinforced the pride that I feel in being part of such a terrific place to live and bring up children. I will work hard to partner with our superintendent, my fellow trustees, our teachers, and the citizens and organizations of Hicksville to provide our children with their best opportunities for success. My commitment as a trustee is to listen to people's concerns and to represent the wishes of the residents of our community for our kids' scholastic needs.

I am grateful to Hicksville voters for passing both the school budget and Gregory Museum budget and for entrusting me with the honor of helping our community's most precious resource-Hicksville's children.

Gus Costa