Newly sworn in supervisor Fred Costello and town board members Leeanne Thornton and Mike Ivino after the inauguration ceremony. (Photo by David Gordon)
“You all know how special Saugerties is. We all give to it in our own way, and that’s what defines us a community.” said town supervisor Fred Costello after being sworn in for his second term. Also sworn in on January 1 were Leeanne Thornton and Mike Ivino. “Today is truly a celebration of our democracy, We take for granted the peaceful transition of power and reinvention of government all the time. That’s how it’s meant to be. Today we celebrate that. This is a new board, it’s a new decade and we’re here to work on its behalf to make it a better place for us, and more importantly, for our children.”
Costello cited the presence of various public officials: town clerk Lisa Stanley, police chief Joseph Sinagra, receiver of taxes Julie Dunn, supervisor’s confidential secretary Terri Wood, highway superintendent Doug Myer, parks and buildings super.intendent Greg Chorvas, and Vernon Benjamin. “I am glad to have people who are willing to dedicate their talent and their knowledge to make Saugerties a better place, to help me to help this community,” said Costello. “I can’t be successful without that.”
Costello noted that he and Leeanne Thornton jokingly call each other partners, “but our relationship is pretty old now, and after 16 years, it’s pretty successful.” Costello thanked the standing-room-only crowd in the courtroom and set out a number of goals for his second term. “To make Saugerties have a smaller carbon footprint, to make Saugerties more transparent, to make government more responsive to residents it is charged to serve.”
He welcomed new board member Mike Ivino. “That’s really what it is about, we keep reinventing ourselves,” Costello said. “We try to represent the community that puts us here with this responsibility.”
Costello concluded by thanking the people who had come to the inauguration and town justice Claudia Andreassen.
Thornton noted that she was beginning her fifth term, “and as I look around at everybody that’s here, not just my family and friends, but you serve Saugerties. You are the heartbeat of Saugerties because so many of you work and dedicate so many hours making this a wonderful community. I’m looking forward to the next four years serving with Michael and Fred and Paul on the board. I think we have a great team and we’ll be reaching out to you to ask you to serve and volunteer for this great community.”
Ivino, a fire commissioner in the Centerville-Cedar Grove Fire Department, wants to find savings by analyzing town expenditures.. He said he was “starting down a long road. It’s kind of daunting, but I’m looking forward to it.”