Longtime Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla Dies

PORT CHESTER, NY — Dennis Pilla, the former four-term mayor of Port Chester, died on Thursday at the age of 60.

Pilla served four terms as Port Chester Mayor. His first administration was from 2007 to 2013. He recaptured his old job, beating his Republican challenger Gene Ceccarelli in 2015. He was first elected to public office in Port Chester as Village Trustee in 2006.

Pilla served as the president of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association. He was a member of the group's executive committee from 2007-2014. He was also a longtime member of the New York Conference of Mayors.

SEE ALSO: Former Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla Wins His Old Job Back

Pilla served as the director of the Port Chester Rye Brook Public Library, the Port Chester Chamber of Commerce, the Port Chester Council for Community Services, the Rye Town Park Commission, the Rye Town Board of Assessment Review, the Tamarack Tower Foundation for the Port Chester Public Schools and the Don Bosco Community Center.

Pilla's accomplishments were not limited to public office. He had tenures as an executive at Citigroup, GE Capital, PepsiCo and Time Warner. Prior to his time in leadership at some of the best known corporations on the planet, he worked as an EMT, helping to save lives in Port Chester, White Plains, New Rochelle, Pelham and Mount Vernon.

Pilla was born in the Bronx on July 19, 1960. He graduated from New Rochelle Academy and held a Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University. He received his Master's in Public Administration from Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College in 2015.