VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – The Village of East Syracuse held its regular monthly board meeting on Jan. 5, though this time it had a slightly new configuration.
Returning to the mayor’s seat after spending a decade and a half away, Lorene Dadey said she is “absolutely thrilled to be back” and that her administration has a long list of goals to accomplish.
“We have already been able to communicate with each other and our department heads,” said the recently elected mayor. “We are looking forward to a great 2022.”
Dadey said she hopes to maintain open communication with not only municipal officials and employees over the course of her second tenure but also members of the neighborhood watch and the rest of the residents in East Syracuse.
In the immediate term, the village intends to put a focus on stewardship of the American flags under its jurisdiction.
For the flagpoles at the two fire stations, the Veterans Memorial Park and elsewhere, the board and the fire department plan to apply a higher standard of dedication for times when the flags are set to either be flown at half-staff or hoisted back to the top of the pole.
“We need to make sure that that’s a priority,” said Dadey, who mentioned that she is the mother, sister, daughter and wife of veterans. “This is, in my opinion, a simple ask.”
At the moment, the fire department usually has personnel that handle the task between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, said East Syracuse fire chief and code enforcement officer Chris Shields. However, the department aims to depend on one or multiple volunteers for any weekend remembrances.
A resident attending the Jan. 5 meeting said numerous veterans living in the village would be willing to step forth for the raising and lowering of the flags.
At another point in the evening, Dadey said the board is looking to join with the DeWitt Police Department to host an open-to-the-public meeting pertaining to community policing. She said this talk would likely take place sometime in late January or early February.
Trustee Carol Para is another reappearing board member this year, having served in the same capacity from 2013 to 2017.
“My big thing is to figure out how to empower residents,” Para said after the adjournment. “I want to try to get our neighbors working as neighbors again.”
Partway through the Wednesday meeting, Robert Jokl Jr. was sworn in as a judge for the village.

In other news
A public hearing to consider the adoption of a local law authorizing a property tax levy is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the East Syracuse municipal building at 204 N. Center St.