Ernest J. Strada has spent more than two-thirds of his life serving the community to parents emigrated to from Italy more than 80 years ago. A lifelong resident, Strada's involvement with the village spans almost half of its 75-year history. In fact, he has been here to witness the incorporation in 1932 and to celebrate the 25th, 50th and, last year, the 75th anniversary.

As a young man and new husband, Strada spent his 20s and 30s working for the family plumbing and heating business during the day and selling concessions at what used to be Roosevelt Raceway at night. He also spent his "spare time" campaigning for local residents and, in 1970, was appointed to the village's zoning board of appeals and, four years later, a vacancy on the board of trustees provided him with the opportunity to run for public office. He served as trustee for the next seven years until 1981 when he ran on the Action Party ticket for what would be his first of seven consecutive terms as mayor.

"For nearly 50 percent of the history of the village, I have had the privilege and honor to represent its people, in one way or another," Strada said, adding that he had no idea that a political career that began over four decades ago would lead him to where he is today - wrapping up his seventh - and final - mayorial term. With his seat up in March, Strada announced he will not be seeking re-election.

Although bittersweet, the decision to retire, said Strada, is the right one, at the right time. "It's time," he told The Westbury Times last week during a one-on-one interview at his village hall office. "It's time to step back and give the board and those serving with me the opportunity to carry out the plans and continue serving the community. They can do that very ably without me."

He added, "The board, at this time, is well-equipped and will do an excellent job. I can step away and feel very comfortable that the visions we have shared over the years and work we did was not in vain. I am leaving the village in good hands."

Strada said that he feels comfortable with the timing of his departure because now, as opposed to four years ago, things have been accomplished and come to fruition. "A lot of things we pledged to do and focus on to make Westbury a community to be proud of are materializing," he said. "We have had a lot of success in terms of what we needed to do to create a more pleasant downtown. We are no longer experiencing the vacancy rate we had years ago; people are attracted to the community."

There is, however, one last piece of the puzzle he would like to see fit before leaving office: The former movie theater on Post Avenue. He believes that the board, at this point in time, is on its way to striking what he considers a reasonable agreement with the developer for a performing arts theater. "This is the thing I want to put the final touches on as I start to walk away and looking over my shoulder hoping that I haven't left any strings untied," said Strada. "I am confident that based on where we are at this point, we will be able to flesh out all the details and refine the necessary agreements ... to start construction sometime in 2009."

The board, added Strada, understands how critical the theater is to the future of the village. He said the project is not only exciting but a "tremendous opportunity to "solidify and compliment" things they have done over the years. "That particular building and site, historically, identifies with us. It is the key to our future and, when completed, will give us an identity and project an image about the Village of Westbury that everyone can feel good about," he said. "It will be the rebirth of our village."

A former deputy commissioner for the Nassau County Department of Public Works, Strada believes that the theater, when tied in with the storefront renovations and beautification, the facelift Post Avenue and much of the downtown has received, the creation of the piazza and the village's fine restaurants, will give Westbury an opportunity to grow as a more upscale downtown. "We are now on the verge as being identified as a 'cool' downtown by Nassau County," said the mayor. "We are on our way and when the theater is completed, we will be one of the very few to reach that milestone ... We have been ahead of the curve in many, many areas and I am very proud of that."

Strada is also proud of the support he received over the years. "I always believed in what I was doing," he said. "I owe the community for the respect and friendship they bestowed on me and trust they placed in me."

Despite a career in politics that spans over 40 years, Strada said he never considered himself a politician but rather a public servant. He prides himself on being a "respectful and honest man of his word" who genuinely enjoys helping others. "I try to be sensitive to people [and] derive a tremendous amount of pleasure out of helping people. It has been enriching to me to have been instrumental in making other people's lives maybe a little better," he said, adding that, growing up, his father offered him the following advice: "He told me to stay involved and be informed," said the mayor, who vows, even in retirement, to remain "committed, involved and available to anyone who needs him."

In fact, don't expect to find the retiree at home working his way through a "honey-do" list. Strada said he plans to attend village board and community meetings and has no intention, just yet, of giving up his day job, which since 1996 has been with the LiRo group, an engineering consulting firm. He is also looking forward to traveling a bit without having to worry about being away from the village too long and the avid golfer, hunter and fisherman said he plans to "spend a lot more time on the lake this upcoming summer."

Although he never went to college, a decision Strada said he still regrets, he has been blessed with a successful professional and political career. It is family, however, that tops the mayor's own list of accomplishments.

Together with his wife, Man, they raised five children, Susan, Joseph, Thomas, Michael and Jennifer. During the interview, he paused for a moment to recognize his middle child who went to work at Cantor Fitzgerald on September 11, 2001 only to never return to his wife and three children, including a son born only four days prior.

During the interview he glanced at a photo of Thomas prominently displayed in his office and with tears in his eyes said, "It's not something you move on from. It doesn't get easier," he said, adding, on a lighter note that before leaving office in March he will have the privilege of officiating the marriage of his granddaughter.

"Of everything - all the treasurers, wealth I have achieved in life - the thing I am most proud of is my family. They are what I treasure most," he said.