Saying he wants to give all trustees a chance "to carry the title," Village of Massapequa Park Mayor Camillo Giannattasio this week appointed trustee Robert Wilcox as the new deputy mayor, replacing trustee Bill Van Wagner.

Giannattasio had appointed Van Wagner to the position a few months ago, immediately following his own election to the office of mayor. In doing so, he replaced trustee Scott Wiss, who opposed him in the mayoral election and had been appointed the deputy by the previous Mayor George Nussbaum.

Giannattasio, Van Wagner and Wilcox all downplayed the political significance of this week's appointment, which was made at the Monday, Aug. 23 board of trustees meeting, although the change cuts short the one-year term for which Van Wagner had originally been appointed.

"Bill Van Wagner was deputy mayor for 4 months," said Giannattasio, "and his four months had ended, so I just thought it would be a nice idea to give it to Bob Wilcox for a while." The appointment does not require approval of the board of trustees.

Giannattasio noted the move was nothing unusual, considering that his predecessor, former Mayor George Nussbaum had a policy of rotating the position among trustees also, enabling each official to hold the title for six months.

"The only thing I did differently, is that George used to rotate it every six months; I decided to rotate it after four months, to make a change. So, I might be able to give it to three different people. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it at the end of four months," Giannattasio added.

The mayor added that with the elimination of the deputy mayor's extra $1,000 stipend in this year's budget, the change is not a controversial one.

Still, he acknowledged that the appointment of a new deputy mayor is significant in that this official stands in for the mayor occasionally when he cannot be present, such as at a board meeting, or at community events.

Van Wagner appeared to accept the change without resentment.

"It is at the mayor's option. He can change the deputy mayor from time to time to give other trustees a chance to serve. And, I had served for approximately 6 months, and he is now appointing Bob Wilcox, who is a new trustee and very capable," he commented. "I had served four times as deputy mayor since I've been a trustee, and I probably will serve again sometime downstream. That's just at the option of the mayor, and to give everybody a shot at it. And, that gives them a chance to serve in front of the people, and I think it's very good."

Wilcox said that he was honored to be appointed. "Bill has graciously congratulated me, and said everything's fine with him," he said. "We're going to try our best to do a good job, I can tell you that much. Wherever I can help Camillo, I will,"

Wilcox is a 49-year resident of the village, and before being elected as trustee in March, served on the zoning board for over 15 years. He is also known in the local community for his volunteer work for St. Rose of Lima Church as an usher and CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) coach.

Trustee Wiss said the appointment does not have any serious political significance, although he believes the decision was partially made because Giannattasio and Wilcox ran in same local political party, the Front Street Party, during elections earlier this year. "Obviously, part of the decision was based on party affiliation. But, I've been working closely with the mayor, and the rest of the new board, to do what's best for the village. And, I think, recently we've been able to put aside any political differences that we might have, and all of us act on behalf of the village," said Wiss, who ran with the Village Integrity Party during the elections. "I think that obviously, one of the reasons he chose Mr. Wilcox, besides him being qualified, is because he was in the same party as the mayor, and I'm sure that he would have some difficulty appointing someone from a different party at this point. But, I'm sure that as we continue to work closely together, and he sees, and I see, how each of us operates, I don't think in the future he would have a problem appointing someone from the other political party."

In other village matters this week, the board of trustees, at its meeting on Monday, voted to adopt a retirement incentive program for eligible employees. The municipality also entered an agreement with Nassau County which makes county community development funds available to eligible senior citizens seeking to renovate their homes. The funds are quite limited, according to Mayor Giannattasio, who noted that a total of only $100,000 is available county-wide.