Village of Mineola Trustees Linda Fairgrieve and Paul Cusato were sworn in for another two years on the village board last week during a ceremony held on April 3 at the Mineola Village Hall Community Center. Fairgrieve and Cusato, members of the Hometown Party, won convincingly in last month's election.

With her husband Scott, a former Mineola deputy mayor and current district court judge at her side, Linda Fairgrieve was sworn in by U.S. Federal District Court Judge Arthur Spatt.

Swearing in the Fairgrieves has become a tradition for Judge Spatt, who has sworn Scott as a village trustee six times and as a judge once and Linda for the fourth time. "This is a familiar and pleasant assignment," he remarked, calling Linda an outstanding, hardworking and committed woman of dedication.

Linda Fairgrieve was first elected to the village board in 2000 and has served ever since. In her acceptance speech, she thanked all the volunteers as well as her colleague and running mate, Paul Cusato, who she called a pleasure to work with.

Fairgrieve remarked that the voters of Mineola gave the Hometown Party a vote of confidence as evident by what she described as the party's biggest win in years.

Fairgrieve said that by electing herself and Cusato, the voters ensured a viable two-party system that this great country was built on. She also mentioned the accomplishments of the Hometown Party, which includes the development of the summer recreation program, increased notification to residents on commercial hearings and reflectors on the stop signs in the village.

Fairgrieve concluded her speech by mentioning her favorite film, It's a Wonderful Life. She said she lives her life by the motto of that movie, "No man or woman is a failure who has friends."

Cusato, who has been involved in Mineola for some many years as a volunteer firefighter, member of the Mineola Athletic Association and one of the founding members of the Mineola High School Alumni Foundation, was sworn in by Bonnie Santosus Parente, who called him the kind of person who has always endeavored to do what's right. "Village residents made a wonderful choice," she said.

With his family by his side, Cusato took the oath of office. He then expressed his heartfelt thanks. He said campaigning was uplifting because of the respect he was treated with and thanked Fairgrieve and volunteers for all their support. He also thanked his wife Kathleen and his family for their support.

Cusato spoke about all the wonderful events that will be taking place this year including the Firemen's Association parade, which will take place in July. Cusato also extended an open invitation to all residents to come to meetings and voice their opinions. "This village belongs to all of us," he said as he vowed to help keep Mineola the wonderful place it has always been.

Business called Mineola Mayor Jack M. Martins out of town. However, Deputy Mayor Larry Werther read a letter from the mayor, who congratulated Fairgrieve and Cusato. "In the lowest voter turnout in recent memory, it is clear that there were no overriding issues facing the village and the residents are satisfied with the direction the village has taken. I welcome Trustees Cusato and Fairgrieve back to the board," the letter stated.

The mayor and the board were able to work together. There were only two instances that could be construed as controversial. The first one occurred two years ago, the last time Fairgrieve was re-elected, and Cusato was first elected. The two trustees together with then-trustee Lou Santosus proposed changing the way the village's legal services were handled including hiring Gerry Terry as deputy attorney. The motion was eventually withdrawn. Then, just recently, the mayor accused trustees Fairgrieve and Cusato of making the issue of whether Mineola should have its own police force political. Fairgrieve and Cusato pushed for an independent consultant to study the issue.