Lindenhurst's Most Notable People of 2011

Since Lindenhurst Patch launched in this , there've been many people who've had an impact on Lindy this year, and will continue to do so in the coming year.

Here's a look at a few, in no particular order.

Government
For one, there's Mayor Tom Brennan. An obvious choice, perhaps, but an important one, especially as Lindenhurst continues to face an economic crunch that affects the bottom line of all of its residents.

For instance, though the Village Board recently to exceed the new New York state two percent tax cap - and thereby giving the Village wiggle room - he would like to keep the upcoming budget at within the tax cap guidelines.

(The Village Board's next meeting, and public hearing, about the budget is Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m. at .)

Irene
Mayor Brennan's leadership was especially key this year as Hurricane Lindenhurst at the end of August. He, along with a slew of Village and officials, the Lindenhurst Fire Department, the Suffolk Police First Precinct and OEM coordinator for the Village, , kept the under control and residents safe while Irene .

And speaking of Fais, he's someone who flew under the radar before, during and after Irene, as the community rallied to following the hurricane turned tropical storm.

But, by all accounts, he was like Visa: everywhere you wanted (or needed) him to be, organizing efforts, advising the Mayor based on his decades of experience, helping to close off and assess of the and aiding the Village Department of Public Works crews in the of of all over the Village in the days and weeks after Irene hit.

Irene also made us glad we had the and DPWs working to get Lindy back to normal after we suffered her wrath.

For that matter we were also grateful for those from the Suffolk Police First Precinct, Lindenhurst Fire Department and who worked through the storm to keep us safe.

9/11
Right after Irene came the 10th anniversary of , and there were several residents who made great efforts to make the Village's annual to remember those fellow residents who lost their lives that day a special one.

For one there's Doug Madlon, who not only serves as the Deputy Village Administrator, but also co-chairs the Lindenhurst Remembers 9/11 Committee.

He and the committee, made up of family members of those lost on 9/11, came together once again to put together a solemn and beautiful of humanity and community strength.

At that same ceremony , former LFD chief and retired NYPD canine officer, was asked to the 9/11 canine memorial statue depicting his search and rescue dog Hansen.

The statue in the was in May, and later by Smaldon, thanks to donations from many – including John Fulery and Kevin Harney from Stalco Construction Company, Anthony from Long Island Rubbish, Tom from BJ’s Jungle, Nicolock Paving Stones of Long Island, the LFD’s Liberty Hose Company and the Thursday Men’s League at the Bergen Point Golf Club.

, a Lindenhurst resident who lost her father, Laurence, in Tower Two of the World Trade Center, put together at Long Island MacArthur Airport, where she works.

It was a kickboxing event on September 10 in which she participated - and in which she won her match. It benefitted ’s September 11 Hometown Memorial located between Cedar and Overlook Beaches.

Her mother, Lorraine, presented the couple of thousand dollars the event raised to the Town Council later in the Fall.

Community Service
There are several more people who come to mind when it comes to their dedication to the community.

First there's . Not sure who he is?

Just go to any school or Village or First Precinct community meeting, and you'll usually see him listening, taking notes, talking with people and speaking the concerns of the members of the Daniel Street Civic and Joint Civics Associations.

Lisi has his finger on the pulse on the community and cares about what happens in it.

Then there's , the chairperson of the Mayor's Beautification Society of Lindenhurst and the secretary of the Village Board.

She - along with the approximately 100 members - has been working hard to during the past 23 years to keep Lindy clean and green - just as the sign at Village Hall frequently says - and was of the original members.

Sports
Two long-time residents, both heavily involved in Lindenhurst's baseball world, have made an impact on hundreds of students' and kids' lives. They've also hit major milestones this year.

marked 50 years in umpiring while Mike Canobbio, a baseball coach for the last 35 years, won his 500th career game with the Bulldogs this year.

The also announced at the end of the school year in June that it's the field after Canobbio.

Schools
We'd be remiss if we also didn't mention a few people - and organizations - which had an impact on the education of Lindenhurst students and on the bottom line of Lindenhurst residents. And will continue to do so in the new year.

For one, there's Superintendent Richard Nathan and the Lindy Public Schools administration. Another is Lindenhurst Board of Education President Ed Murphy, Jr. and the BOE. And still another is TAL President Rose Russo and the teachers' union.

The 2011 school budget season was fairly intense as the district faced myriad proposed , and the BOE continued contract talks with TAL, the largest bargaining unit.

As it got underway, approximately 300 teachers of the annual budget meeting pertaining to personnel after a short public exchange that took place between Murphy and Russo regarding those talks.

That led many in the community to resent TAL; months later, lingered. However, it was felt by the BOE - who continued talks and even budget - that some agreement could've been reached before the $140.2 million budget and 6.89 percent tax levy was put to vote.

The BOE hoped that an agreement might've alleviated the cost of all of the programs and positions it saved for the 2011-12 school year from being possibly cut.

An agreement was never reached, however, and the budget and tax levy was barely .

Furthermore, not only is the district and the BOE still in with TAL, they're also in contract talks with the other barganing units: aides, clericals, administrative and nurses (the custodians’ contract is up in June).

Now, with the new New York State tax cap in place, and the administration, Murphy and the BOE, Russo and TAL - along with the rest of the bargaining units - will figure even more prominently as a new school budget season for the 2012-13 school year dawns.

On to 2012
And that takes us into 2012. We hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane for (please tell us what you think in the comments below), and we hope you continue to join us in the new year.

For now, let's pause to take a breath, give thanks and refresh for the new year.

Lindenhurst Patch thanks you for all of the support, and offers wishes for a new year filled with lots of good health, happiness, love and laughter for all Lindy residents.