The Village of Mineola Board of Trustees changed its look again when Paul Cusato and Linda Fairgrieve were sworn in as village trustees last Wednesday night. For the third straight year, the village board added at least one new trustee as this year it was Cusato, who won the March 18 election along with Fairgrieve.

The March 18 village election was a major victory for the Hometown Party, which regained the seat occupied by Fairgrieve and captured another with the victory by Cusato. Together with ally Lou Santosus, the Hometown/Village Party maintains the majority of the board.

However, Mayor Jack M. Martins said in his speech at reorganization night that he looks forward to working with the other members of the board including Fairgrieve, Cusato, Santosus and fellow New Line Party member Larry Werther to ensure that Mineola continues to provide the programs and services residents enjoy.

Mayor Martins welcomed Cusato to the board and wished him a happy birthday. The new trustee celebrated his birthday on Saturday. The mayor also welcomed back Fairgrieve, who will serve her third consecutive term on the board.

"While we residents of the village sometimes have differences about how the village should operate and what laws and policies should be adopted, we should all understand that we are really striving for the same thing, a better Mineola," Mayor Martins said.

The mayor stressed the importance of honest and open dialogue in order to come to consensus concerning the future of the village. "The village board, by working together, has done a great deal toward improving the future of Mineola and I look forward to working with the trustees in order to take our village to an even higher level," said Mayor Martins, adding that Mineola has a lot of positives to focus on such as wonderful residents, a great staff, highly qualified and dedicated volunteers, outstanding businesses and committed civic, cultural, religious, educational, recreational and fraternal organizations. "We are all thankful for these great blessings and it is my hope that we will all commit ourselves to work together in order to make our village all it can be."

One of the highlights of the evening was when U. S. District Judge Arthur Spatt and Nassau County District Court Judge Scott Fairgrieve swore in Linda Fairgrieve. For Judge Spatt, swearing in a member of the Fairgrieve family has become a habit. "This is a familiar and pleasant assignment for me," he said.

Judge Spatt swore in Scott Fairgrieve for village trustee seven times and district court judge once while last week marked the third time he has sworn in Linda to be a village trustee. "Linda is an outstanding, hardworking woman of high principle, total dedication, great courage and absolute integrity," Judge Spatt said about Linda Fairgrieve.

Linda thanked all those who voted for her and for the support of all the volunteers who helped her during the campaign. She said she feels rich to have friends. She also thanked Paul Cusato, a running mate she said she hadn't had in the last two elections. She thanked her mother and her father for raising her to be the person she is. She also thanked her son Ross and daughter Tara as well as her husband Scott, who she said during the campaign was supportive and concerned.

For the candidates, it proved to be a tough election as Fairgrieve said the days of the last two weeks of the election were some of the toughest of her life. However, Fairgrieve prevailed and will continue to serve on the board.

"I'm proud of what I've contributed to Mineola as trustee and resident. I want to give back for all that this community gave to me growing up here. I look forward to the future," he said.

She said she is also looking forward to helping plan the village's centennial anniversary in July, 2006. She suggested some ways in which the community could celebrate its anniversary.

"It's an honor and pleasure to be elected trustee for the Village of Mineola for another two years. Mineola will always have a special place in my heart. I will serve her and her residents the best I can," she said.

Cusato, accompanied by his wife Kathleen and family, was then sworn in by Bonnie Parente. Community service has always been important to Cusato, who has been a member of the Mineola Fire Department for 37 years, former president of the Mineola Athletic Association and a founding member of the Mineola High School Alumni Association. Now, he will serve on the village board of trustees.

"With the exception of my marriage and the birth of my children, this is one of the proudest days of my life," he said. "My heart is filled with pride to be a trustee in the Village of Mineola, a community of hard working and community minded individuals and over the past 37 years, I've had the pleasure of working with most of you, many of whom I call my friends."

His heart was filled with pride, but it was also filled with sorrow since Cusato said his mother and father were not there to celebrate the occasion with him. They both passed away last year.

Cusato's parents moved from Jackson Heights to Mineola in the late 1940s. They owned the Mineola Music Shop on Jericho Turnpike. Cusato was raised in the community where he lived a hometown story, playing stickball, attending the Mineola schools, going to the Mineola Movie Theater and high school football games, marrying the girl next door and like many others who grew up in the village, raising their own families here.

"I don't like making promises because so many factors can interfere with your intentions. However, there are two promises I can make. I promise to uphold the qualities of our village so the children of our community can have the same memories that I had and I promise to answer your needs and respond to your requests," he said.

Cusato also thanked the senior citizens, the volunteers and supporters who have generously given of their time and those people who wished him well. "As a trustee for my village, I will not let you down," he said.