As one of his first official tasks as Liverpool mayor, Gary White praised his predecessor, outgoing Mayor Marlene Ward, and presented her with a plaque and a floral bouquet.
White applauded Ward’s “dedicated service to the village” during her four terms as mayor from July 2, 2001 to July 6, 2009, when he took over as Liverpool’s 14th mayor.
For her part, Ward recalled the graduation ritual of “bequeathing” something to undergraduates.
“So I want to bequeath something to Gary,” Ward said. “You have got the most wonderful staff, a staff that works together like a true engine, and they’ll make your job easy because you’ll always get 1,000 percent from every one.”
Police Chief Bill Becker also presented Ward with a plaque of appreciation from his department.
“It’s been a wonderful run,” said Ward, the village’s first-ever female mayor. “I loved it, I hated it, but I never regretted it. This is not really a threat, but I’m not going away. Anything I can do to help, I’m there.”
After White took the oath of office as mayor, Village Justice Anthony LaValle also swore in new trustee Bob Gaetano and returning trustee Dennis Hebert.
In the June 16 village election, White, a Republican, prevailed over independent candidate Tom Stack by a vote of 291 to 154. Two other Republicans ran unopposed for seats on the village board. Republicans Gaetano and Hebert each ran unopposed.
The mayor’s annual salary is $8,000, and trustees are paid half that.
Ever since he was elected as a trustee 12 years ago, White, a former deputy chief of the Syracuse Police Department, has acted as the board’s liaison with the Liverpool Police Department, but at the July 6 board re-organizational meeting he appointed Trustee Jim Rosier as his replacement.
Trustee Nick Kochan, former chairman of the village planning board, was appointed deputy mayor.
Other new assignments for trustees included Gaetano as liaison for human resources, the Gleason Center, the cemetery and the village historian. The former principal at Liverpool Middle School, Gaetano was also assigned to work as liaison, in tandem with Kochan, to the department of public works.
“I’m going to lean on Bob a bit,” White said. “He has a wealth of experience in administration and human resources and he’s fresh from the public sector (the school district).”
Other appointments made July 6 included three for the planning board: Chairman Joe Ostuni Jr., member Yvette Hewitt and alternate James Taft; and one for the zoning board: David DeRouchie was appointed to fill the vacancy of Michael Romano who was appointed chairman last month by Mayor Ward. All of those terms expire in 2013
The trustees also approved the hiring of two temporary summer DPW workers, Ricky Lefler and Joseph Comi, who will be employed for 10 weeks.
