At Monday night's village board meeting Mayor George Nussbaum and the board honored Massapequa Park Village Attorney Robert Leff who will be retiring at the end of the month from the position, which he has held for 24 years.

The mayor and board presented Leff with a plaque honoring him for his service to the mayor, board of trustees, and residents of Massapequa Park. The mayor also presented Leff with a pin that he said shows he is a representative of the village and told Leff that he could represent the Village of Massapequa Park anytime.

Following the presentation Leff thanked the board and residents saying, "Serving the village for 24 years has been an honor." He spoke of the effective leadership of the two mayors, Nussbaum and Robert Thompson, that he served under, and the care that both men showed for the village. He added, "This is one of the best villages in the state. I have dealt with most of the villages in Nassau and Suffolk counties and we should be honored to have the leadership and the board that we have in this village. One of the things I'm going to miss is helping out residents when they have legal problems and come into the office. I would like to really thank the village and its residents for the opportunity of serving you for the past 24 years."

In an interview prior to the board meeting, Leff said his retirement from the village will free up his time so he can concentrate more on his busy private practice on Park Blvd., where he works with two of his three sons.

"I just feel it's the right time," said Leff, who also noted that he's worked under two mayors, George Nussbaum since 1985 and Robert Thompson for ten years before that. "My practice has increased substantially and so has the work with the village so I just feel it's the right time and its the right decision for me."

Meanwhile, Leff's vacancy will leave the village board with the task of finding someone to replace the village's resident legal expert of 24 years. And according to village officials, his shoes are some big ones to fill. When asked at the board meeting if a replacement has been found yet Nussbaum replied that they are still working on selecting counsel to replace him.

Mayor George Nussbaum said it will be difficult to not only find someone with Leff's expertise in municipal law, but also someone he, the trustees and the residents feel as comfortable with.

Trustee Scott Wiss said, "He's going to be missed. Not only does he have a tremendous knowledge of the law in this area, which he has developed over the past 24 years, but he also has a tremendous knowledge of the workings of the village, how we get things done, and how we need to work to get things done."

Both Wiss and Nussbaum agreed that the board also got used to having Leff so close by with his private office only a short distance from village hall.

"He's been very dedicated for 24 years and he's always been there when we needed him," said Wiss. "We were kind of spoiled because his office was so close to the village that whenever we had a problem, we would just basically go over and hang out over there till we got it resolved."

Another one of Leff's biggest fans is his wife, Carol, who said she is very proud of his accomplishments and the fact that he has always had the best interest of the community at heart.

"We could ride around on a Saturday night and find lights out or fences down around a sump or a tree has fallen down, and Bob would always say 'Wait, we can't go to the movies yet, we have to call the mayor and make sure we report this,'" said Carol.

Leff said it's been a real blessing and an honor to work for the village that he both worked and lived in.

"To work, render legal services, handle the litigation that we've had over the last 24 years and to write local laws that have been good for our village has been a really memorable experience," he said. "Anytime I represent a client I take it seriously but when you represent a municipality in which you live and which affects the way your neighbors and your friends live in a residential community, it's very important."

It has also been a pleasure, he said, to work for a village board that he sees as unique and progressive, a board that he said is sensitive to the needs and concerns of its constituents.

"This village is very unique. If we write a law and the board generally feels the public doesn't want it, they would drop the law. They don't force their will on the public," he said.

Leff added, however, that the board members have also been willing to make controversial or unpopular decisions when they thought it was in the best interest of the village on a whole.

According to Leff, the Massapequa Park Village Board is also more receptive to hearing constituent problems and complaints than other village boards and commends village officials for their responsiveness. The fact that the board holds bi-monthly public meetings at night for the convenience of residents is a testament to that, he said.

"Truthfully, most of the people only want an opportunity to be heard and Mayor Nussbaum has always been very good in recognizing a problem and going out either the next day or in a couple of days to recognize it, even if nothing can be done," he said. "The worst thing I think a municipality can do is to ignore a problem."

A Brooklyn Law School graduate, Leff said he got into law because he liked the interaction it involved with others and enjoyed the gratification of solving problems for his clients. Although, he is comfortable with his decision to retire, he'll miss "the action" of being village attorney, said Leff, who added that he attended almost 90 percent of the village board's public meetings.

At the January village board meeting, John O'Brien speaking for many residents stated, "Tonight, I do not consider one of the better nights for the village in losing Mr. Leff. Mr. Leff has been an asset to this village and has been a cornerstone of this village and I'm very sorry to see him go."

As for his successor who has yet to be chosen, Leff advises him or her to not let ego get in the way of doing what's best for the village.

"The person who succeeds me will obviously have a different approach." he said. "The only thing that should always be considered is what is for the betterment of the residents of the village of Massapequa Park."