Garden City Swears In New Mayor, Trustees

GARDEN CITY, NY — On April 5, Garden City's newly elected mayor and village trustees took their oaths of office, setting up the village's new government.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen A. Bucaria administered the oath of office to Village Justice Allen S. Mathers. Matthew Flanagan, Trustee Mary Carter Flanagan’s husband, administered the oaths of office to Mayor Cosmo Veneziale and Trustees Carter Flanagan, Bruce Chester, Terry Digan and Tom O’Brien.

Veneziale has lived in Garden City since 1993 and is representing the Western section. He is the principal of Cosmo Veneziale, ARCHITECT, P.L.L.C. an award-winning architectural firm, and is a registered architect in the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Veneziale has been a designer, project architect and associate with several award-winning architectural firms. Veneziale said he seeks to restore transparency and resident involvement to village government, as well as provide referendums on village issues involving the expenditure of taxpayer dollars.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to all the new trustees and our village justice. I also wish to thank the existing, sitting trustees. With their help we will address the issues the residents are most concerned with,” Veneziale said. “I look forward to working with everyone involved to preserve and improve the institutions that make Garden City a great place to live and work.”

Chester has lived in the Estates section for more than 20 years. He is an insurance professional with 45 years’ experience. After graduating from Villanova University, Chester began his career working for The Travelers Insurance Co. in New York City. After several years, he joined The Chester Insurance Agency in Carle Place and became its president in 1990. Chester is a founding member of the resident group, Resident Voters Against Monster Poles (ReVAMP), comprised of residents living near the third track installation who are challenging the MTA/LIRR to take down the poles along the Main Line.

Digan, a longtime resident of the Central section, has enjoyed a successful career on Wall Street. He began his career in the bond markets at RMJ Securities, followed by an equity sales position at Bear Stearns. He has spent the last 15 years working for ALPS, a subsidiary of SS&C Technologies, as the director of institutional sales for the sector SPDRs. Digan believes a fresh perspective is needed in addressing the issues that affect the village. This would include initiating voter referendums on major capital expenditures and the use of citizen committees to help steer the issues.

Carter Flanagan, who is representing the Western section, has lived in the village for 43 years. After graduating from Garden City High School in 1986, she attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990. She then went on to attend St. John’s University School of Law, where she served as publications editor of the Journal of Legal Commentary before graduating with a Juris Doctor degree. Since 2012, she has served as an administrative law judge for the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board, where she presides over hearings addressing all issues related to workers’ compensation cases.

O’Brien, a lifelong resident of the village, is representing the Eastern section. He has had a long career as a global business development executive in the consulting/professional services industry. Currently, he is a managing director for Caserta Concepts, a data analytics consulting firm serving organizations across the U.S.

The newly elected mayor and trustees join sitting Trustees Colleen Foley, Louis Minuto and John Delany. To see pictures from the swearing-in ceremony, visit www.gardencityny.net.