Last month, Elias Spielman, mayor of Roslyn from 1965-1985, died at his retirement home in Cranbury, NJ. Mr. Spielman, who also served on the Board of Trustees from 1959-1965, was one of the longest serving mayors in Roslyn history.

Mr. Spielman succeeded Bob Bell as mayor. He was mayor at a time when Roslyn became more suburbanized, when the flight from New York City to Long Island was more pronounced.

Despite being mayor at a time of significant change in the village, associates remember Mr. Spielman as conducting a generally smooth-running administration. "He put all those years [into the village] and he was quiet, [there were] no problems, he held everything together at that time," said Nathan Stern, longtime village justice. "He did a wonderful job keeping everything quiet."

Indeed, former Roslyn Mayor Joel Pasnik, who served on the Board of Trustees with Mr. Spielman and succeeded him as mayor, could not recall any particular issue or controversy that stood out during Mr. Spielman's tenure as village mayor.

Mr. Pasnik recalled that era as a time when village preservation efforts, especially those initiated by Dr. Roger Gerry, began to take effect. Urban renewal projects threatened numerous historic homes in the village and it took a diligent grass-roots effort, led by Dr. Gerry and his wife, Peggy, to save these homes, which in the process has made Roslyn famous nationwide for its historical preservation. Otherwise, there were no major events that took place during those years. "He was an honest, hardworking mayor," Mr. Pasnik said.

Mr. Spielman was a popular figure who faced no challenges to his re-election campaigns. When he stepped down as mayor in 1985, it was simply to retire from Roslyn and relocate to Florida. Mr. Spielman also kept a residence in New Jersey, where Mrs. Spielman resides.

A native of Brooklyn, NY, Mr. Spielman moved to Roslyn in the late 1940s. Before entering politics, Mr. Spielman was a businessman who worked primarily as a buyer in linens and domestics for several large companies, including Sealcrest. He was also active in various civic affairs. He was an officer of Temple Beth Sholom in Roslyn and a fund-raiser and active supporter of several Jewish philanthropies.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Anne. In a recent interview with The Roslyn News, Mrs. Spielman remembered that her husband "loved being mayor and loved being able to solve community problems." She added that Mr. Spielman entered politics simply because he "just liked doing something" for his adopted hometown.

Elias Spielman is also survived by his sons, Stephen, Robert and Mark, his daughters-in-law Phyllis and Jacqueline, grandchildren Jocelyn, Ryan, Loren, Seth, Matthew, Vanessa and Deryl and step-grandchildren Kevin and William Beazel. A memorial service was held at the Goldstein Funeral Chapel in Edison, NJ.