At the most recent Village of Roslyn public meeting, Milton Grunwald was sworn in as Roslyn's new village justice. He replaces Nathan Stern, who served in that position for 44 years, before his death last June. The village's board of trustee members appointed Mr. Grunwald to his new post.

"I was very honored to be appointed by the board of trustees," Mr. Grunwald said. "It is also an honor to follow in Judge Stern's footsteps. As an attorney, I've always had aspirations to become a judge. To do it in the Village of Roslyn is a nice thing for me."

In recent years, Mr. Grunwald has served the village in a variety of capacities. In 1997, he was appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Starting in April 2001, he served as that board's chairman. The ZBA is one of the village's most important sounding boards concerning residential and commercial development. It reviews and decides applications requesting the interpretation of variances in village zoning ordinances. The ZBA also reviews appeals concerning the enforcement of any ordinance or local law effecting the building code and zoning laws within the village. With Mr. Grunwald now serving as village justice, a new ZBA chairman will be named by the BOT.

In addition, Mr. Grunwald currently serves as a member of the Bryant Library Site Committee, a board that meets to address the expansion of the Bryant Library and to explore viable locations within the Roslyn area to accommodate the growth of the library.

From 1994 to 1997, he was president of the Roslyn Republican Club. Mr. Grunwald served as first vice president of the club, before serving as president from 1996-1997. Also concerning Republican Party politics, he has been a committeeman, deputy executive leader, and executive leader in the Nassau County Republican Party.

An attorney, Mr. Grunwald is a founding partner of the litigation law firm of Grunwald & Semen, P.C., located in Garden City. The firm specializes in zoning issues, including the preparation of documents to be presented to various boards of zoning and appeals, work that came in handy when Mr. Grunwald served on Roslyn's ZBA.

His previous legal work includes a stint as an assistant district attorney for Nassau County. Mr. Grunwald holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University, a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University, and a law degree from St. John's University School of Law. Mr. Grunwald is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association and the Nassau County Jewish Lawyers Association.

Mr. Grunwald is succeeding a man who was the longest serving village justice in the state of New York. When he died last June, Nathan Stern was eulogized by numerous local officials, including both the current and former mayors of Roslyn. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer hailed the judge as a "respected and treasured member of the community." Senator Schumer also noted the "long hours of hard work and little glory" that go into a job such as village justice. As with other village employees, Mr. Grunwald will be working in a village hall that bears the name of the Nathan Stern Community Room, an honor the late judge received in June 2000.